A Lead line starts off the story.
Quickly tells what the story is about.
It grabs attention and makes the reader want to read on.
It should never give away the ending.
Use action verbs and colorful adjectives.
You don't have to start at the beginning of the story. Sometimes its best to start at the most exciting moment.
Read your lead out loud and see if it sounds exciting. If not, scrap it and start over again.
HAPPY WRITING!!!
ASN: Leading the Way 10 points
Go to the MRC. Select your favorite magazine or newspaper, one that you might read outside of a class assignment.
Read a few stories until you find a good example of a lead that really captures your attention.
Click on 'comment' and type the lead. Credit the Magazine (or newspaper) and author.
Then write a brief sentence or two on why you selected this lead and why it caught your attention.
I will post an example.
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13 comments:
Cats get a bad rap on the Internet, frequently stereotyped as LOL ignoramuses, forever shredding grammar like a half-dead mouse in what the World Wide Web would have us believe is their endless quest for "cheezburgers."
- Helen A.S. Popkin
msnbc.com
This lead caught my attention because I like to watch youtube videos of cats being stupid. The thought of the opposite intrigued me.
In high school, I never had a serious boyfriend and i went off to school excited to find one. There was so many new boys to chose from!
-Jaclyn, University of Michigan Student
Seventeen magazine.
"Jealously has long been deemed the guardian of love. But more often it's love's downfall. We typically blame out partner for paying attention to another, but the real issue may be what jealousy teaches us about ourselves."
- Hara Estroff Marano
Psychology today
This passage caught my attention because it portrays love and jealously in an interesting way.
There was blood on the pile of dirty towels inside the door of the Los Angeles Dodgers' dressing room in San Francisco's Candlestic Park, and there was blood in the Dodgers' eyes.
August 31st issue of Sports Illustrated
I liked this lead in because I want to know more about what happened and what started it.
As a teen, Crystal Renn starved herself to get into the competitive world of modeling-but became a bigger star after embracing her natural body type.
-Editor Leigh Belz
Teen Vogue
This lead caught my eye because models make teenage girls feel inferior to them because they're thin bodies and gorgeous features. It's nice to know that even models aren't perfect like they are projected.
Have you ever been so passionate about a problem that you felt like you'd do anything to fix it?
By Jessica Press
If it wasn't for Kobe, Phil would probably be four titles short of 10.
-Jesse D. Garrabrant Hoop Magazine
This lead caught my attention because I like basketball. The effects of Phil not having Kobe was an amazing thought for me. Because where would they be without each other?
Heavily Laden with the accoutrements of war, more than 4000 combat leathernecks thrust into southern Afghanistan's Helmand River valley July 2, launching the largest offensive, Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword," into the region since Operation Enduring Freedom began in 2001.
- R. R. Keene
Leatherneck magazine
This lead really got me interested because when I hear about large forces getting ready for battle my heart leaps with excitement!
Each off-season for five years wide receiver Steve Smith has gone to the base of a 100-foot sand dune in Southern California, pulled off his shoes and socks, surveyed the ascending line or orange traffic cones, dug the balls of his feet into the granular surface and run fly patterns uphill.
-Andrew Hancock
Sports Illustrated
I like this lead line because it gives a very detailed description of where he is and what he is doing that allows you to picture it in your mind.
At the early age of 15, Smantha Jo is already leaving her footprint in the art world.
Samantha Jo Chisum, 15
vilonia, AR.
Seventeen magazine.
This caught my eye because its gettting ready to explain what exactly she is going to do or what she has already done.
When my Dad asked if i wanted to go to yamaha champions riding school, I said "Yeah!," so he slapped me and made me mow the lawn.
-Ryan Burns
Higher Education, Cycle World
It caught my attention because it was funny and i could see it happening.
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