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How to write titles
Three styles of titles
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Newspapers title their stories in a way that makes it easy to determine their content. Writing headlines is a skill, and there are different styles depending upon the goals of the writer.
If the goal is to impart information, a headline can give the "bottom line" of the story:
"The King is Dead"
If the goal is to entice the reader into reading a story, the headline can give a question without the promised answer:
"Will it snow tonight?" or "How to lose weight with no dieting!"
Finally, if the goal is to amuse the reader who may already know the outcome of the story, a cute headline may be used:
"Sox Socked" |
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Write in an inverted-pyramid style, with the conclusion first, details later |
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Newspaper stories are usually written in an inverted pyramid style. |
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The inverted pyramid |
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This means that the basic facts, the conclusion, the lead, etc., comes first. As you move through the story, more and more detail and background is provided.
This is different than much writing where you build to a conclusion, putting together details and background before explaining what the results are.
This type of writing came about in newspapers for a variety of reasons. First, in the days of the telegraph, the whole story took long to transmit, and starting with the main information ("The battle was lost, 940 killed") was more important for getting on press immediately than the details ("Our soldiers crossed the bridge at dawn with fresh supplies..."). Secondly, it made it easier for the layout people to fit the story in the available space, since they could just cut off the end.
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Finally, it also made it much better for readers who had differing amounts of time to read and were awating the main information
This style may not be natural,
since it's not like speaking |
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Writing with the "punch line" first, starting with the conclusion, rather than building up to it with careful reasoning may be hard for some writers used to presenting detailed arguments orally. If you think like you are writing a newspaper or newscast, instead of telling a joke, you may find it easier. |
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It helps to write the beginning last |
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One way to learn to write this way is to write the section first with all the details, and then go back and start it with a lead sentence or two. A lead (a newspaper term) is a type of summary. |
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Reality or fantasy
Where will your imagination lead you?
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