2. Practice: Watch the video and make a diagram showing the
elements of narration listed below.
Elements of Narration
1. Theme
2. Setting
3. Characters
4. Point of view
5. Characterization
6. Dialogue
7. Plot
5. News Stories Format
1. The Inverted Pyramid - best suited for hard news stories. The article begins with the
lead and presents information in order of descending importance. The most important
information comes first, followed by less important details.
2. The Hourglass - builds on the inverted pyramid and combines a narrative. It delivers
breaking news and tells a story. The first 4-6 paragraphs contain a summary lead and
answer the most pressing questions. Then a transitional phrase cites the source of the
upcoming story - "Police say the incident occurred after closing last night." The article
concludes with the chronological story.
3. The Nut Graph - it includes an anecdotal lead that gets the reader's attention, followed
by a paragraph that provides larger context for the story and moves the article in that
direction. This form lets the reporter explore larger issues behind an incident. For
example, a nutgraph article might begin with the story of a fire, then move into a discussion
of budget cuts that lead to delays in fighting the fire.
6. 4. The Narrative - has a beginning, middle, and end just like a story. One famous
example, Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, was actually published as a novel. But for most
news articles, narratives should be short and to the point and used only where telling a
personal story helps to convey the point of the article. The New Yorker is noted for using
narrative form.
What do you think are the concerns in narrative journalism?
1. blend of facts and feelings
2. many authors have been nabbed for stating mistruths in their pieces
3. narrative journalism makes fact-checking challenging
7. 5. The Five Boxes Story - combines the forms listed above. Useful when
you have a lot of data to sort through.
1. Box 1 contains the lead
2. Box 2 contains the nutgraph,
3. Box 3 tells the story begun in Box 1
4. Box 4 contains supplemental details such as statistics or expert opinions
5. Box 5 contains the "kicker" or the quote, image, or comment that ends the
story on a strong note.
8. Example
Shoebox Britain: how shrinking homes are affecting our health and happiness
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/oct/10/shrinking-homes-affect-health-shoebox-
britain
9. The Reasons Stories Fascinate
Audiences
1. Immerse your audience in a story.
2. Tell a personal story.
3. Create Suspense
4. Bring characters to life
5. Show. Don’t tell.
6. Build up to S.T.A.R. moment.
7. End with a positive takeaway.
“A successful talk is a little miracle—people see the world differently afterward.”
-TED curator Chris Anderson
10. Blackboard Discussion 2 (5%)
Write a narrative about any of the following topics. You should write at least TWO Paragraphs (300-350
words). Use TIME/SPACE order signal words and the Elements of Narration. Your response to this task
weighs 80% and your comments to other posts weigh 20%.
1. Childhood
2. Family
3. School years
4. Relationships
5. Morality
6. Interests
7. Language Learning
Due: Saturday, 11:59 p.m.
