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Story Forms and Shapes

By Roy Peter Clark

1. Inverted pyramid -- Like the pyramids of Egypt, it has passed the test of time.
2. Five Ws and H -- Enduring questions that guide reporting.
3. Nut graf -- Created a needed revolution in the way we thought about news writing.
4. WSJ A-heds -- The cleverest feature stories "floated off" the once grayest page.
5. USA Today color map -- George Rorick's creation advanced the use of color graphics, even if it wasn't the first color graphic in news.
6. Narrative series -- Perfected by the Inky, gave us enduring greatness like "Blackhawk Down."
7. Human interest story -- Thanks to the penny press, this form made the news interesting and available to more readers.
8. NPR talk v. cable TV talk -- Here is where to find the best, most civil conversations about politics and the world.
9. Letter to the editor/online feedback -- From old school to new school, these invite readers to talk back.
10. LIFE Magazine photo gallery -- The 1969 photo gallery of one week of Vietnam war dead was powerful and devastating.
11. Playboy interview -- Offered men a good excuse for why they bought Hef's lad mag.
12. Feature obit -- From Jim Nicholson to "Portraits in Grief," breathing life into an old form.
13. Web log -- The worst of it is crap, the best has changed the way we look at politics.
14. Facebook -- Not yet a Hall-of-Famer, this social network has the looks of a young phenom.
15. Onion and "Daily Show" satires -- Journalism, schmournalism, get your news through the yucks.
16. Charles Kuralt style "On the Road" stories -- Proved that storytelling could be short and poetic.

Full post as published by Writing Tools on March 12, 2008 (boomark / email).