What is the 5 W's in sports writing? The 5 Ws are who, what, when, where, and why. These are all questions that a writer should be able to ask and answer while composing their work. If they are unable to answer any of these questions successfully, the writing may not be detailed enough, and readers may lose interest or fail to be persuaded.

1. Human Interest Story
The Art of Telling Stories

2. Human Interest Story
• Human Interest Feature
Involves persons rather than things. It’s
a story that will make the reader think
AND feel.

3. So What is a Human
Interest Piece?
• Human Interest Stories are told in a less
hurried and generally more creative way than
a Feature Story (5W and H news).
• You don’t use the inverted pyramid and don’t
have to start with the most important details.
• You choose a unique subject, or unique angle
to hook in the reader.

4. Human Interest Structure
Lead
Billboard
Transition/Quote
Body
Conclusion


5. The Human Interest Lead
• This is your opening paragraph or
two.
• It’s important to set the table and hook
in your readers with creative, descriptive
writing.
• Try some of the following creative
options …

6. Human Interest Lead Options
1. Focus on a single person for your lead.
Tell the story through one person’s eyes.
2. Focus on an incident or anecdote.
Describe a specific moment or scene. Show, don’t
tell.
3. Try a startling statement or dialogue or other
devices.
4. Describe a setting as a way of establishing the
theme of a piece

7. More Great Human Interest Leads
• Quotation: begins with an unusually revealing quote.
– “If you never try, you never succeed.” With Mrs. Nelson’s words of
encouragement, nervous students began tryouts for the school play, Our
Town.
• One Word: captures the reader in a single word.
– Fire! Chemistry lab partners Jill Nelson and Todd Anderson took the “heat”
when their test tube exploded.
• Contrast: describes two extremes or opposites.
– Night and day. Speech Club members worked ‘round the clock to finish their
Homecoming float.
• Astonisher: begins with an exclamation that catches the reader off
guard.
– Nothing is worse than a bad hair day! Especially when it’s time to take your
yearbook picture.
• Punch: features actions or makes a dramatic statement.
– “C’est magnifique!”When the French Club dined at Chez Paul, members
feasted on baguettes and brie!

8. More Great Human Interest Leads
• Summary: summarizes the most important of the five W’s and H.
– While senior cheerleaders watched from the gym bleachers,
sophomore “wanna-bes” tried out for the squad during the first
week of school.
• Question: leads the readers into the story. Be cautious with this one.
It’s the most abused feature lead, too often leaving readers with a
feeling of “who cares?”
– Why do fools fall in love?
• Sequential: presents the events in the order in which they happened.
– Painting the town red (and black), basketball fans create pep signs
before the State Championship send-off rally.
• Sights & Sounds: creates a scenario bringing the event to life.
– Steam fogged the windows as the marching band’s bus sped
through the pouring rain carrying them to the Memorial Day parade.

9. Human Interest Lead … Let’s Write It!
1. Gather your thoughts and write 3 different types of
leads for your feature article.
2. If you can’t write them now, write down the 3 different
types you plan to write, then write them later after
interviews or research.
3. Select the strongest, hookiest one!
Single Person Incident or Anecdote Startling statement
Describe a setting Quotation One Word
Contrast Punch Summary
Question Sequential Sights & Sounds

10. Now, Let’s Critique
Some Human Interest Leads
• With your partner, read each of the student-
written leads on the handout and determine
which you think are the strongest and which need
more work.
• Be prepared to give reasons for your choices.
• Also, be prepared to suggest how to improve the
leads that you consider weak.

11. Back to the Human Interest
Structure
Lead
Billboard
Transition/Quote
Body
Conclusion


12. The Billboard
• After the lead, write the billboard
paragraph.
• The billboard is a summary of what the
story is about.
– It’s the 5 Ws and H that you didn’t answer
in the lead.

13. The Billboard
• Include the basic facts
– Who is involved in the story?
– Where does the story take place?
– When does the story take place?
• Explain what the twist of your fairytale is
– What causes the twist?

14. Sample
The young girl, Rapunzel, had the longest hair in the
entire land. Its beauty was well-known. Her hair
glowed in the sunlight and was softer then a kitten's fur.
The only downside of her remarkable hair was that it
always knotted. Her brush was her greatest savior.
Too bad it could not get her out of this tangled mess.
Rapunzel was found dead in her castle by her
mother. This was a very bizarre death. She was
reported to have gotten tangled up in her beautiful hair
and had taken a fatal fall. She was found on Thursday,
but the police have released a statement that she has
been dead for a week. This death is still under
investigation by the FFAPD.
“I told her to cut her hair,” her mother sobbed. “It
looked so beautiful, but it was always causing
accidents. I am so upset that I wasn't there when she
truly needed my help!”
Lead
Billboard
Transition/Quote
Body

15. Transition/Quote Body
• After the Billboard is the Body of the Story
• Keep related material together and weave your subtopic
(legs) from your topic spider into the story.
• Divide the subtopics into sections (paragraphs).
• Each paragraph tells a different part of the story.
• Between each new section, there must be a transition
sentence that segues from one subtopic to the next.
• Your transition sets up all the information in the next
paragraph and ties it in with what’s already been written.

16. Transition/Quote Formula
If you have quotes (sources), try something called the
transition/quote formula …
T: Jeb still needs four more surgeries, but none of
them will help him regain his sight.
Q: “I am glad that they are going to make me look
more like my old self,” Jeb said. “But I am upset
about my eye. I wanted to be a pilot and now that
dream is shattered.”
T: Jeb’s said his little brother, Shane, found
the gun in his father dresser bureau on that
summer day.
Q: “I think he was just curious,” Jeb said. “I didn’t
think the gun was loaded so I just told him to put it
away. And then, bam, my life changed forever.”

17. The Conclusion
• Once you have used all your information and
included all your subtopics in the body, it’s time for
the conclusion.
• The conclusion brings a sense of finality and
resolution.
– Wrap up loose ends and leave reader with a single, significant
thought.
– End stories in memorable ways.
– Often it’s a good to use a powerful quote. This is called a clincher.
– Or, tie the ending back to the lead (call-back to earlier in the story).
– You could also make a statement that looks to the future.

18. The Conclusion
– The FFAPD is still working day and night to
solve this mystery. It is clear that someone stole
Rapunzel's brush, and the police strongly believe
that Flynn Rider knows more then he is letting on.
If you have any information about Flynn's
whereabouts, please contact your local
authorities. Do not let this horrendous crime go
unpunished; Rapunzel is relying on you to avenge
her murder.