Good question! Sometimes it’s fear. The writer thinks, “I can’t just start with a raccoon. I need to set the scene first!” No. You don’t. The raccoon is the scene.
Other times, it’s just clumsiness. We get so wrapped up in details that we forget what’s actually interesting. It’s like baking a cake and then hiding the frosting under the oven mitt.
But the biggest culprit? Habit. We’ve been trained since school to start with boring context. “In this essay, I will discuss…” Bleh. Let’s break that habit right now.
A Lighter Example (with Pizza)
Let’s say you text your friend about your lunch. A buried-lede version sounds like this: “I went to that new place on Elm Street. The lighting was weird. The napkins were paper. Also, I accidentally ate a slice that had a live cricket on it.”
PPT - Crafting Effective Leads and Nutgraphs in Journalism PowerPoint
Your friend reads that and thinks: “Wait… cricket? Live cricket?” You buried the lede, and now your friend is confused and a little grossed out. The correct text is: “I ATE A CRICKET PIZZA. Details later.”
See how freeing that is? BAM. You lead with the chaos. The napkins and lighting can come after the emergency room visit.
