Paddy Hoey

e: paddy.hoey@edgehill.ac.uk
twitter: @paddyhoey

WRITING
OPENING
PARAGRAPHS
& STORY
STRUCTURE

RECAP
OVERALL COURSE TASKS:
1. Identify stories for a community blog called Alt
Valley News
2. Identify and write stories for your own blog which
will have 5-10 entries
3. Take part in a newsroom event producing
community news in real time
4. Explore other digital platforms e.g. podcasts,
YouTube videos

TODAYS OUTLINE
Using the flyers/ adverts found write a 1,3 and 5
paragraph story for the community blog
Also concentrate on how the story is to
illustrated,
e.g. plan for pictures?
e.g. which social media plug-ins?
e.g. value added digital content podcast?

TYPES OF OPENING PARAGRAPH

* General-to-Specifics Openers
Specifics-to-General Openers
Narrative Openers
Anecdotal Openers
* Opening with Questions
Openers that Correct Standing Beliefs
* Openers with Delayed Revelations
* Opening with Quotations

KEEP IT PUNCHY
When American
novelist and humourist
James Thurber was a
trainee reporter, his
editor advised him to
write short, dramatic,
leads to all his stories

PUNCHY AND DIRECT

Thurber soon filed a
murder story thus:
"Dead. That's what the
man was when they
found him with a knife
in his back at 4 p.m. in
front of Riley's saloon
at the corner of 52nd
and 12th streets."

ONE MODEL

5 WS AND 1 H

If in doubt, break every story down to:

WHO?
WHAT?
WHY?

WHERE?
WHEN?
HOW?

GENERAL RULES
1. Five Ws told in an entertaining fashion, make it
as bright as possible, reader has to read on
2. Keep it short 25 words or less
3. Focus on people, if possible
4. Present tense and take most up-to-date angle
5. Never, EVER, start with a numeral

SOLID AND FACTUAL: 5 W

Two men have been arrested on suspicion
of conspiracy to murder after a car wash
owner was shot in Liverpool.
David Regan, 35, was shot four times at the
car wash on Prescot Road on 18 May and
later died in hospital. Another man, also 35,
suffered facial injuries.
Merseyside Police searched four houses in
Anfield on Thursday and arrested two
teenagers aged 18 and 19.

SOLID & FACTUAL 2

A brilliant young student was last night
being quizzed by police after his parents
were found shot dead in their bungalow.
Daily Mirror

SIMPLY PUNDERFUL
BOY BAND Busted were music to Tory
ears last night after singing the
party s praises.
Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson was
over the moon yesterday as he unveiled
plans for the first commercial flights to
the stars
Daily Express

12 RULES
1. Each sentence: 15-30 words
2. Direct, simple and uncomplicated
3. Highlights a key part of a story
4. Concentrates on one idea answering
quesFons comes later
5. Needs some idenFcaFon, origins, sequence,
names come later
6. Should not be obscure

12 RULES
7. Avoid abbreviaFons, general reference best
8. Dont start with a quote
9. Dont start with a number
10. Dont start with a Fme or a place
11. No jargon or ocialese
12. Dont invert put the point of the sentence
rst

EXERCISE 1 OPENING PAR/ STORY

CONSTRUCTION

Write the opening paragraph from the following facts:

Croxteth Farm Gloucester cow Trudy
Trudy is growing up thanks to care from staff workers.
Eighth calf born at the farm.
Alt Valley Trust Took over farm in 2013

Part of overall plan to breed and look after rare animal

breeds including pigs
One of rarest breeds of cow in Britain
Calf called Trudy, born before Christmas

EXERCISE 2: WRITE A 3 PARAGRAPH STORY

Croxteth boy, John Brown,
Was at Everton FC academy
Won a scholarship to American University
Croxteth Comp Year 11
Mum works in Asda, dad is joiner
Plays for Home Farm Juniors in North Merseyside
league
16-years-old footballer

EXERCISE 3
Alt Valley Trust parFcipates in EU research project
Project aims to discover why young people are not in
educaFon, employment, training, (NEETs)
IN conjuncFon with two other European partners
Runs from September 2014-August 2017
Aims to idenFfy the ways for professionals to help
work with these people

EXERCISE 4: REWRITE THIS STORY

h\p://altvalley.co.uk/croxteth-sports-wellbeing-
addacFon-successful-partnership-2

EXERCISE:
Take your own yer/ advert or document and
write a story, to the length that you think that
it deserves