I. INTRO — FROM IDEA TO COMPLETION

Find your central point and develop….

II. BEFORE STARTING: REMEMBER HOOK, PITCH, AND STRUCTURE

CONSIDER YOUR STORY: REPORTING, ANALYSIS, REPORTAGE

Reporting: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/05/politics/sam-nunberg-robert-mueller/index.html

Analysis: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/06/politics/sam-nunberg-robert-mueller-investigation/index.html

Reportage:

http://www.telelib.com/authors/O/OrwellGeorge/prose/HomageToCatalonia/catalonia_ch_1.html
https://newrepublic.com/article/95915/hemingway-reports-spain
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/12/christopher-steele-the-man-behind-the-trump-dossier

III. WRITING THE LEDE

A. THE LEDE IS OFTEN THE SYNOPSIS OF YOUR STORY

Iran Daily: Rouhani Presses for Europe’s Separation from US on Nuclear Deal

B. THE LEDE IS OFTEN BUT NOT ALWAYS THE HOOK IN YOUR STORY — THE LEDE MAY BE THE OPENING TO THE HOOK, ESPECIALLY IN “ANALYSIS” STORY

https://theconversation.com/the-syria-ceasefire-deal-is-no-such-thing-its-cover-for-the-us-and-russia-54663

C. THE LEDE CAN DIFFER IN “REPORTAGE” STORY — THE “SCENARIO”

IV. GUIDE THE READER

A. SUPPORTING POINTS

1. FACTS
2. QUOTES

B. DEVELOPING POINTS

C. ANALYTIC POINTS

D. THE USE OF SUB-HEADINGS

E. THE CLOSE

1. THE FACTUAL CLOSE
2. THE ILLUMINATING CLOSE
3. THE “HUMAN INTEREST” CLOSE

V. WRITING STYLE

Clear: “Good Prose is Like a Windowpane”
Concise
Personal?

VI. GIVING THE STORY AUTHORITY — REFERENCES AND HYPERLINKS

VII. ANIMATING THE STORY

A. Photographs

B. The Headline

VIII. CONCLUSION: NO ONE ELSE CAN WRITE YOUR STORY