Story Forms
Inverted Pyramid
One of the most common writing forms of breaking news
Story is structured with the most important info. at the top, followed by supporting points in order of importance.
Advantages
Read gets important information fast
Disadvantages
Reader may not read past important information
WSJ formula
Goes from the specific to the general news
Introductory paragraph, backup paragraph, finally quote or anecdote
Hourglass Structure
Can start as an inverted pyramid, but it covers stories in a chronological way
Has more like a sand watch structure
Used when story has a dramatic action that lends itself to a chronological order
Advantage
Narrative storytelling in chronological portion adds drama to story
Disadvantage
May repeat some key info in the top of the story
Useful for crime or disaster stories
Selections technique
Involves dividing story into sections
Works best for in-depth stories such as
Investigation or long features
Web pages
Mobile media devices
Often used in narrative writing
Has two different section stories for organizing it
Points of view
Times frames
Question/answer format
Organizes stories by questions and answers
Good technique for print and web stories
Is very useful for mobile media stories
List technique
Works for studies about stories: government stories such as meetings
Limit lists in beginnings & middles of stories to 5 items or fewer.
Starts with a summary, followed by a nut graph. Provides backup info for with quotes, fact or both.
Effective technique for news releases, which should be brief.