Feature Writing Preview

1. What is the difference between a hard news lead (lede) and the one you read above? The lead was the opening hook to a story meant to give the reader a short summary or "quick run down." The opening sentence of the story from the Columbus Dispatch was meant to intrigue the reader.

2. What paragraph(s) did you learn the following information?
a. Who- Paragraph 2
b. What- Paragraph 3
c. Where- Paragraph 2
d. When- Paragraph 8
e. Why- Paragraph 2
f. How- Paragraph 9

3. Are there quotes in this story?
Yes, there are a lot of quotes in the story.

4. Are those quotes arranged in the "quote-transiton" style we used in news writing? No, the quotes aren't in the same style. The small paragraph format was similar though.

5. Who is quoted in the story?
Ted Williams, Kevin McLoughlin, Ken Andrews, Tony Florentino, Shane Cormier, and Patrick.
6. What quote is the most powerful in the story, in your opinion?
When Ted Williams is demonstrating his radio voice he says, "Don't forget: Tomorrow is your chance to win!" I think that quote is inspirational and also adds a bit of foreshadowing.
7. How many paragraphs is the story?
There are 33 paragraphs in the story.
8. How many words is the story (hint: you can copy and paste into Word and get a word count)? 762 words

9. What is significant about the lead (lede) and the final paragraph of the story?
The lead in the final paragraph of the article doesn't warp up the story. It leaves you wanting to know how the story of Ted Williams ends.

10. Why do you think the writer did that with the lead (lede) and final paragraph?
The writer did this with the final paragraph to emphasize how quick a life could change. The author wanted to leave you thinking.

11. Was the story interesting to read?
Yes, the story was very exciting to learn about.

12. When you finished the story, but BEFORE you watched the video, did you want to hear the voice? No, I couldn't visualize him, so I didn't hear it.

13. Multimedia approaches are powerful tools, what impact did the video have when watched directly after reading the story? The video put a face to the name and gave the viewers the opportunity to hear his voice. 

14. Would the story have lost its impact without the video? A little, the story would still be of significance, but it would have less impact on the readers if they never got to hear his voice.

15. Did the writer try to come up with a way for you to hear the voice, i.e. did he try to describe the voice or give you a way to "hear" the voice without really hearing it?
The writer quoted the things Ted Williams said when he was asked to do the voice, but I think he did a good job painting a word picture of a voice.

16. How did the writer do that? The writer used descriptive words and analogies to help you understand what his voice sounds like in person.