#32 - Twist Lead - Feature Lead Practice

 

Hello blog!

I am starting my magazine production with the first task on my production timeline - practicing feature writing. Specifically, I have begun practicing writing leads for feature stories using given facts. Over the next few blogs, you’ll see how I’ve learned to use different types of leads.

The first type of lead I used was a twist. A twist lead sets the reader up for one mood and then twists it, creating an element of surprise. Below is the factsheet paragraph used and the lead I created.


Factsheet Paragraph:
The police in this municipality received a call at 3:45 p.m. yesterday afternoon. A woman shouted at the sergeant who answered the telephone. She said: "My son's been beaten. His teacher whipped him this afternoon, and he's all red where she paddled him. Can teachers do that? That's assault and battery, and I want her arrested." Two police officers were sent to the home. They questioned the boy, who is 9 years old. At his mother's insistence, the police officers also inspected the boy's reported injuries. They reported: "We couldn't tell that the boy had been paddled. His fanny didn't look red to us, but we did notice that his pants legs were wet and muddy. As we talked, it became obvious that he boy was lying. He finally admitted that he had stopped to play on the way home from school, forgot the time and got home late. He told his mother that the teacher had spanked him and kept him after school. His mother was there with us and heard the whole story. She said she'd take care of the situation, and we're quite certain that she will, as she was very embarrassed. In fact, we could hear her giving the kid a real paddling as we left—and a hard one."

Lead:
Battered and covered in injuries, the boy met the police with his mother. Threats of arrest and lawsuits flew, and police could see just how hurt the boy was. The anger in the room was palpable.

Then, the boy opened his mouth.



What did you think? Did the lead twist up your expectations? Let me know down below!

See you in the next blog!





References
Graphic made in Canva
Factsheet paragraph sourced from Reporting for the Media