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Alternative story forms

Alternative story forms. Easy devices to make your news more accessible and grab readers’ attention By Chris Lusk, Orange County Register news designer. What is an ASF?. • Alternative story forms allow you flexibility • You determine the best way to tell the story

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Alternative story forms

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  1. Alternative story forms Easy devices to make your news more accessible and grab readers’ attention By Chris Lusk, Orange County Register news designer

  2. What is an ASF? • • Alternative story forms allow you flexibility • • You determine the best way to tell the story • • Bite-size chunks of information • • An effective way to maximizereaders’ time

  3. Why use ASFs? • • The typical reader gives us fewer than 25 minutes a day • • You only get a few seconds to hook them, if you’re lucky • • How do you get their time and attention? • • You need to be creative, quick and informative. • • Show them — don’t tell them

  4. ASFs are everywhere • • Lists, Q&As, timelines, how to, charts, pro/cons, calendars • • They open the door for creative presentations • • Allow readers to scan and digest information quickly

  5. How do we know they work? • • Poynter’sEyeTrack project in 2007 shows us they do • • ASFs help readers remember facts • • Even simple ASFs draw more visual attention

  6. Beyond the inverted pyramid

  7. How they are different • Inverted pyramid • • Most important info • • Next most important • • Less important • • Less important • • Least important • Alternative story form • • Overview, central point • • Sub-point No. 1 • • Sub-point No. 2 • • Sub-point No. 3 • • Maybe an end

  8. An example • You’re publishing a story to preview a series of charity events hosted by student organizations this semester.

  9. The normal approach

  10. A simple ASF

  11. What would you do? • • Here’s the news: • “The campus blood drive is over. We finished fourth out of 11 schools in the competition.”

  12. What we typically do • • A 15-inch story with quotes from the organizers about how happy they were with the turnout, how pleased they are to be a part of such a great event, and blah blah blah blah. • • Why? This is just more PR. And will anyone even read it?

  13. What we should do

  14. How to build asfs into your design

  15. How to do it • • Brainstorm, sketch, report, edit, execute • • Who should be involved? • • Reporter • • Designer • • Photographer • • Edtior

  16. How to do it • Reporting • • Edit ideas • • Plan • • Write first • • Organize • Editing • • Content is king • • Edit, edit, edit • • Hierarchy • • Storyboard • Execution • • Determine the best way to tell the story • • Consider templates

  17. Templates: Q&A, Overview

  18. Templates: 5 things, Profile

  19. So … always use ASFs? • • No. Use the right tools for the right story. • • Narrative: Best for telling compelling stories about people. • • Photos: Capturing moments and emotion. • • Q&As, timelines, breakouts: Information at a glance. • • Explanatory graphics: Giving readers an in-depth look.

  20. Readers want to consume information at different speeds. They want variety. It makes the reading experience so much more enjoyable.

  21. STAY CONNECTED Chris Lusk chris.m.lusk@gmail.com chrislusk.me/blog @chrismlusk

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