. Summary
Delivering on Your Contract
The lead sentence of your piece is your statement of synthesis (focus, Contract major core assertion).
It's the highest level of generality in what you've written and serves as general roadmap to your entire piece.
And it delivers on the contract you've made with the reader in your title.
Make sure your statement of synthesis and your title are an exact fit.
Avoid using verbatim language - it makes the sentence repetitive of the title and gives the reader a feeling of deja vu.
See Zeroing In On The Focus for how to create your statement of synthesis.
Core Assertion for Each Paragraph
Begin each paragraph with a core assertion-the most important Each Paragraph point you want to make in the paragraph.
Each core assertion has consistency of focus with your statement of synthesis-that is, each core assertion directly supports your state ment of synthesis. Whenever you start a new paragraph, look back at your statement of synthesis to make sure your core assertion supports it.
The core assertion goes beyond the data in the rest of the paragraph to make a judgment about the future or provide an analytic insight drawn from or supported by those data
It's at the highest level of generality in the paragraph and has absolute control over what's in the rest of the paragraph.
The rest of the information must prove, support, or explain the point you make in the core assertion.
If you promise the reader in the core assertion that you will discuss A, you can't go on to talk about B, C, and D.
Your Piece in Miniature
The reader can extract just the core assertions from your piece and understand the meaning, flow, and logic of what you're saying.
To judge the quality of your core assertions and the logic of your piece, do this yourself when you self-edit.
What Is Spero News
Who and what is Spero News and how do the writers create news?
Developing A Case
Developing a case: The internal formula
Level Of Generality
Finding the the right level of generality
Core Assertion
Your analytic topic sentence
Inverted Pyramid Paragraph
The basic structure of journalistic writing.
Expanding A Single Paragraph
How to create a multiparagraph line of reasoning.
Principles Of Analytic Writing
Writing smartly for busy readers.
Reminders About A Paragraph
Summarizing how a paragraph works.
Topic Sentence Outline
How making a topic sentence outline can save you time.
Concept Paper
When To Write
How to know when to write an article
Self Editing
Developing a critical eye for your work.
Guide To Gisting
How to evaluating and distill raw facts.
Key Intelligence Questions
Questions to ask for any project.
Assessing Information Needs
Realizing your Core Assertions
Getting Started With Methodologies
Why bother using a methodology when you can just start writing what you know?
Alternative Scenarios
When and why you should use alternative views.
Competing Hypothesis Analysis
Looking at all possible solutions.
Finding The Angle
An exercise in finding the angle of story by using a real press release.
Indentifying News
Discovering news and finding an idea.
_Template Idea To Article
Advancing An Argument
Advancing your line of reasoning in multiple paragraphs.
Ideas Are Event Driven
Knowing when to write is important, dealt with here, but recognizing an event is a learned skill.
Daily Calendar of events
Conceptualization Process
How to crystallize your main judgment or point and lay out your argument for it.
Crafting Titles
How to create titles, your contract with the reader
Zeroing In On The Focus
How to summarize your bottom line in one sentence.
Who and what is Spero News and how do the writers create news?
10/8/2007 1:56:50 PM - -76.30.20.161
Developing a case: The internal formula
10/8/2007 1:55:29 PM - -76.30.20.161
Finding the the right level of generality
10/8/2007 1:57:48 PM - -76.30.20.161
Your analytic topic sentence
10/8/2007 1:58:02 PM - -76.30.20.161
The basic structure of journalistic writing.
2/5/2006 6:26:35 PM - -66.69.144.12
How to create a multiparagraph line of reasoning.
2/5/2006 6:33:19 PM - -66.69.144.12
Writing smartly for busy readers.
2/5/2006 6:36:46 PM - -66.69.144.12
Summarizing how a paragraph works.
10/8/2007 1:54:13 PM - -76.30.20.161
How making a topic sentence outline can save you time.
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Creating your blueprint.
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How to know when to write an article
2/5/2006 7:30:09 PM - -66.69.144.12
Developing a critical eye for your work.
10/8/2007 1:56:22 PM - -76.30.20.161
How to evaluating and distill raw facts.
2/5/2006 6:51:53 PM - -66.69.144.12
Questions to ask for any project.
2/5/2006 6:54:41 PM - -66.69.144.12
Realizing your Core Assertions
10/8/2007 1:56:09 PM - -76.30.20.161
Why bother using a methodology when you can just start writing what you know?
10/8/2007 1:54:55 PM - -76.30.20.161
When and why you should use alternative views.
2/5/2006 7:08:20 PM - -66.69.144.12
Looking at all possible solutions.
10/8/2007 1:58:27 PM - -76.30.20.161
An exercise in finding the angle of story by using a real press release.
2/5/2006 7:20:35 PM - -66.69.144.12
Discovering news and finding an idea.
10/8/2007 1:54:40 PM - -76.30.20.161
Click to read this topic 10/8/2007 1:57:05 PM - -76.30.20.161
Advancing your line of reasoning in multiple paragraphs.
2/5/2006 6:29:44 PM - -66.69.144.12
Knowing when to write is important, dealt with here, but recognizing an event is a learned skill.
2/5/2006 5:46:24 PM - DEDJ201-spero
Maintaining a Daybook
2/5/2006 5:51:49 PM - DEDJ201-spero
How to crystallize your main judgment or point and lay out your argument for it.
2/5/2006 6:04:47 PM - -66.69.144.12
How to create titles, your contract with the reader
10/8/2007 1:59:49 PM - -76.30.20.161
How to summarize your bottom line in one sentence.
7/19/2006 4:39:05 PM - -67.10.170.21
View the Training Index
Writing for Spero News
2/5/2006 5:58:21 PM - DEDJ201-spero
How to summarize your bottom line in one sentence.
7/19/2006 4:39:05 PM - -67.10.170.21
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