Leave a lasting impression in the kicker
Think of the kicker as the fireworks display at the end of the Fourth of July picnic. It’s the reader’s reward for making it to the end of the piece.… Read the full article
Feature Structure
How to write a conclusion
Leave a lasting impression with these 2 key elements
It’s easy to end an inverted-pyramid story: Stop typing.
Sadly, coming to an abrupt halt doesn’t work for feature-style stories.… Read the full article
This release hits home
Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston nails PR features
It was a good story: More than 1,000 New Englanders would soon have safe, decent, affordable places to live, thanks to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Affordable Housing Program.… Read the full article
Feature-style story form easy as 1-2-3
Strathcona County masters ‘stack of boxes’ structure
Here’s the good news: You already know how to organize your copy.
Just think back to what your third-grade English teacher taught you.… Read the full article
Stroke of editing: feature structure
Ann audaciously takes on Jill Bolte Taylor’s bestseller
Jodie Foster is not planning to play me in the Sony Pictures movie of my life. Ron Howard will not direct the major motion picture version of my New York Times bestselling book.… Read the full article
Tough nut to crack
Put your story into a nutshell in the nut graph
If I came to your house and told you to grab your things and follow me, how far would you go?… Read the full article
Avoid ‘the pig in the snake’
Write a nut graph that doesn’t slow the story’s flow
Don’t let your nut graph become the pig in the snake, counsels Jacqui Banaszynski:
“I like the nut graph,” says the Knight Chair in Editing at the Missouri School of Journalism and visiting faculty member of The Poynter Institute.… Read the full article
Avoid flabby middles
Five ways to shape the body of your message
My favorite scene in the movie “High Fidelity” is when Rob Gordon (John Cusack) becomes so depressed over his failed love life that he seeks solace in reorganizing his albums.… Read the full article
Bucket list
Three steps for putting your information in order
So you’ve chosen your organizing scheme. Here are some tips for pulling your story together.
1. Put your info in buckets.
… Read the full articleRead all about it
Use a structure that’s been proven in the lab to increase reading
What if I told you there was a free tool available that would help you convince readers to read your messages more often, read them more completely and spend more time reading them?… Read the full article