Audience analysis

• Who is your audience?
• What sources of information can I use to better understand my audience?
• What is their prior knowledge of my topic?
• How can I make the story accessible to a wide audience?

Story structure: The “Inverted Pyramid”

Getting started: Writing the “lead” and “nut graph”

• 5 W’s and H – Who, What, Where, When, Why and How
• So What? (The “hook”)
• Tips for writing leads:
  1. Be brief
  2. Don’t bury the lead
  3. Use active voice
     • “Researchers conducted experiments…” (Active)
     • “Experiments were conducted by researchers…” (Passive)
  4. Use subject-verb-object format
  5. Balance breadth and specificity
  6. Avoid jargon, unnecessary words, and “it”

Resources:

• Arnold, C. & Cook, T. (2010). “How to Write a Lead.” OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab.
• Blake, K. “Six Rules for Writing Straight News Leads.”

And his annotated pdf of his example from yahoo news.

All stars start out using hydrogen as nuclear fuel. This hydrogen is fused together to form helium in a very explosive nuclear reaction that “powers” the star. As the hydrogen runs out, the star begins to collapse from a lack of radiative pressure from the core. The collapse of this much mass increases the temperature until the core is hot enough for Helium fusion. This process is repeated as the fuel continues to be consumed, from hydrogen to helium, helium to carbon, carbon to silicon, and silicon to iron. It is at this point that the already explosive reactions become even more cataclysmic. All of the previous fusion reactions release energy, but an iron fusion reaction actually requires energy. This process reverses the radiation pressure which causes a irreversible pull towards the center of mass. At its most compressed state, all electrons in the star are compressed into contact with the nucleus against the strong force. The resulting rebound causes one of the most powerful explosions in the universe a supernova.

Since Betelgeuse is near the end of its life as a super giant it is due to supernova in the next several years. When this happens, the resulting explosion will be approximately 10,000 times brighter than our sun, though it will be very distant. The supernova will last for several months, up to even a year. The brightness will block out every star in the night sky and will even be brighter than the moon. It will even be visible in the daytime. The extreme distance will limit any detrimental effects here on Earth (whether it be radiation or charged particles), preventing any poorly done future Hollywood movies. It won’t end the world, but having two suns in the sky will sure look cool.

See Also: http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/betelgeuse.html