Tomorrow: Learn how to strengthen stories with better ledes, nut grafs

Facing a blank screen with a full notebook and the clock ticking toward deadline can be, well, daunting.

No matter your story topic or how much reporting material you have to work with, finding the hook to engage your reader within the first few lines or paragraphs is essential. Ledes and nut grafs that get to the core of your story take energy and focus — often lacking when time is short.

Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute at noon on Friday, May 2, for a writing-focused workshop that will help you craft ledes that grab the reader’s attention and identify your nut graf before getting too far into your writing process.

Tickets are on sale now: $20 for NPC members, $25 for the public.

Whether you’re a seasoned writer looking for some inspiration or an early career journalist looking to jump start your storytelling, get back to the basics in this session led by Institute staff and journalists at this session.

Participants will learn:

• Practical tips to punch up languid ledes.
• Ways to quickly identify and focus nut grafs.
• Approaches to story structure to rethink — or reshape — the narrative.
• A new framework for self-editing that will improve or tighten your copy, guaranteed.
• Additional tips for effective storytelling.

Speakers will be Beth Francesco, executive director at NPCJI, and Elliot C. Williams, training manager at the National Press Club.