Definition:
The opening sentences of a short article or the first paragraph or two of a longer essay. See also:
Observations:
- "[T]he foremost purpose of a lead is to hook the reader's attention. The style and tone of a lead depend on what you are writing."
(Elizabeth Lyon, A Writer's Guide to Nonfiction. Perigee, 2003) - "Some of the leads in my toolbox are:
- News. Tells the reader what the reader needs to know in the order the reader needs to know it: who, what, when, where, why.
- Anecdote. A brief story that revels the essence of your subject.
- Quotation. A quote lead can give additional authority and a fresh voice to the story.
- Descriptive. Sets the scene for a story.
- Voice. Voice establishes the tone of the story.
- Announcement. Tells the reader what you’re going to say.
- Tension. Reveals the forces in the story and sets them in motion.
- Problem. Establishes the problem that will be solved in the article.
- Background. Provides the background so that the reader will understand the importance of the story.
- Historical. Places the story in a historical context.
- Narrative. Establishes the story as the form of the article.
- Question. Involves the reader in the fundamental issue of the story.
- Point of View. Establishes the position from which the reader will be shown the subject.
- Reader Identification. Show readers how the story relates to them.
- Face. Gives the reader a person with whom to identify during the reading of the story.
- Scene. Sets up an action between participants in the story that reveals the central meaning of the article.
- Dialogue. Allows the story’s meaning to come from the interaction of principal people in the story.
- Process. Involves the reader in a process central to the meaning of the story.
(Donald Murray, Writing to Deadline. Heinemann, 2000)
Pronunciation: LEED
Also Known As: lede
