The headline on http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article2135080.ece read “
When my wife first started teaching me formulas for news writing (print and perhaps applies to online writing/reporting as well), she laid out a fairly simple standard: start with the lead, next a nutgraffe, then by the third paragraph a quote. Yet she stressed the importance of letting the reader know what you are writing about at the beginning of the article. “Don't keep them guessing what the piece is about.”
This article was needlessly frustrating, as I had to read through the entire article to find out why. Was the author perhaps afraid people would not read the piece if he stated it earlier on? Or did he just assume we all knew what he was talking about, after all we were right there at his computer when he wrote this right?
Thanks goes out to the writer of the article, it kept me paying attention to good technique...or at least the lack thereof. By the way, I do not profess to be a master at this, just i know what to look for.
