What makes a good lede?

I'm from the "never say never" school. The lede for the allergies story was written in second person. It worked for that story.

 

There's no clear-cut answer to what makes a good lede. Much easier to say what doesn't.

Simplicity usually is best. Simple, yet captivating.
Give the readers a reason to read more. Like the Rockets' streak. The simple story is that it could hit 20. If it does, that's generally all anyone cares about. You have to give the readers a reason to want to read about that 20th win. If you give them Rockets hit 20 wins with 99-85 win over Hawks in the lede, then why do I wan't to read more?

A lot of writers make too many mistakes with the lede. They mull over it too long, or they for the lede first then try to formulate the story around it. It's easy to tell when it's forced.

Work on building good stories first, the lede should come naturally.

 

well...I'd like to read that lede.

 

There's been too much emphasis on this board about ledes, I think.

This may seem obvious, but:
Your work isn't finished when you write a lede – it's only just started.

 

Do not try to be funny. Not everyone has the same sense for humor.

I agree with 99 percent of everything typed above.

I used to use the first two to three inches to give the game or story its slant, or what I saw in the game that made it relevent or interesting. That is probably the true skill in a lede, IMHO, finding something interesting in what you just saw and then succinctly writing it.

For example...

Tommy Touchdown said he had new, white laces for his cleats before last night's game at Shelbyville High School.

You would have never known it at the end of the game.

Touchdown, and his cleats, slogged through the mud for two scores and 125 yard rushing as Springfield earned a 28-10 victory over the Saints.

I just have always loved that style. I know the score is low, but doesn't the headline also give the reader a clue as to who won? I probably wrote ten hard ledes in my 10 years writing gamers.

 

This was a story about allergists seeing more people coming their way in Maryland:

"If you could stop rubbing your itchy, watery eyes for one second, put down the tissue and look around, you'd see an increasing number of sneezing, sniffling sad sacks just like you."

 

I agree with Devil. That's how I write my ledes. I always try and go off of a quote.

 

Sorry forever... I hate it.

How do you know that I am going to see "an increasing number of sneezing, sniffling sad sacks just like you?"

 

Agree, never start the story with a question. But, I think it's a good idea to use the lede to create questions in the reader's mind, motivating them to search the story for more information.

Also agree, brevity is key. Some of the most effective ledes I've read have been one sentence.

 

Always, always, always use a pop culture reference in your ledes.

 

Maybe I'm not the one to criticize ledes, but I don't like it either. Almost feels like the writer is fussing at me for sneezing. I'm sure it worked for that story, and it catches you, but perhaps not for the reasons the writer intended.

 

Always reference the most recent holiday.