At the conference I wanted to be sure to go to several writing sessions. I thought this one would be good because I have trouble coming up with good leads. I was not the only one to think so. This session was packed, and students were standing out in the hall.
The speaker, Steve Ames from California Lutheran University, basically told the audience to lay it on the line and don't tease or summarize in the lead paragraph. He emphasized following the order of the lead and using discretion when deciding details because readers are busy.
He also talked about the importance of newswriting before feature writing. First things first: you have to know how to write the facts and the importance of not being biased. He advised students to also double-check numbers, especially if they are used in the lead.
To conclude the session, Mr. Ames told students to never settle for the first lead. Students should read and rewrite because every word serves a purpose and its important that it is just right. It is important to read your lead aloud to hear the rhythm of the sentence. If you stumble over a word, the reader will too. Don't use general/vague language, and do not repeat the story subject.
I found this session to be one of the more informative sessions. The speaker was animated and interesting and provided the audience with useful information.
Brittany Byrd
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