Event Story Writing: Comprehensive Study Notes 9/24

Understanding Event Stories

• Focus: Event stories zoom in on specific aspects of an event, rather than covering everything that happened. For example, focusing on a single ride at a st    ate fair, or one activity at a larger festival.

• Goal: To make the reader feel like they were present at the event, evoking curiosity and engagement.

• Requirement: You must attend the event in person; online attendance is not sufficient.

• Personal Involvement: You can write about an event as long as you are not participating in it yourself.

Preparing for the Event

• Curiosity: Approach the event with a curious mindset, aiming to learn something new.

• Central Question: Before attending, define what the event is about. Examples include: "What is it like to celebrate the New Lunar Year at SMU?" or "What's happening at Art After Dark?"

• Focus Words: Identify key themes or concepts (e.g., culture, tradition, music, entertainment, food) that will help in drafting the nut graph.

• Observing Action and People: Events are defined by the actions of people. Look for individuals doing something specific, such as participating in a workshop, attending a concert, or competing in a game.

• Sourcing: Aim for a variety of sources to provide different perspectives. Examples include: an attendee (someone in the stands), a participant (a player or performer), an organizer (a coach or event planner), and an expert (someone knowledgeable about the event's broader context).

  • Example: For a soccer game, sources could be a spectator (who played for SMU in the $'80s$), the coach, and the team captain.

Structuring the Event Story

The story is typically constructed in a feature block, covering the first $5$ paragraphs, followed by background, additional sources, and a conclusion. This structure is likened to a "kebab," with an anecdote at the beginning and end, and the "meat" (quotes, sources) in between.

The Lead

• Length: Can be a single sentence or extend to $3$, $4$, or even $5$ sentences. It should not exceed $5$ sentences.

• Tense: Write in present tense to immerse the reader directly into the moment, as if they are experiencing the event currently.

• Content:

  • Introduce a specific person and their action. Zero in on one activity.

  • Describe the action vividly using sensory details (sight, sound). For example, "Music blares" or "Drums pound" instead of "I heard music and drums."

  • Include the when and where of the event, ideally in the first sentence or two.

  • Example: "SMU student Gabriela Patan throws the dice across the table. Her string of red beads rubs her hands as she takes another trip." This describes action in the present, introduces a person, but would need "when" (e.g., Friday) and "where" (e.g., at the SMU Student Center).

• Purpose: Paint a scene and create immediate engagement without providing background or the main idea yet.

Continuing the Action & First Quote

• Second Paragraph: Continue with detailed descriptions of the action and surrounding sensory experiences. Emphasize descriptive verbs.

  • Example: Describing Patan concentrating on learning a specific Vietnamese game, continuing the scene painting without revealing the event's purpose.

• Third Paragraph: Introduce the first quote. This quote should be relevant to the action or overall sentiment of the event.

  • Example: "I like how it shows diversity and brings everyone together."

More Action (Fourth Paragraph)

• Fourth Paragraph: Return to more action, potentially completing the initial action described in the lead or introducing a new related action by the same person.

• Example: Patan finishes her game, tries another booth (Japanese calligraphy), then plans to join a photo booth. This shows a progression of her activities at the event.

• Consistency in Quotes: When using quotes, choose either "said" or "says" and use it consistently throughout the entire story. Do not switch between them.

The Nut Graph

• Placement: This is a delayed lead, typically appearing around the fifth paragraph.

• Length: It does not have to be one sentence; it can be multiple sentences or even two paragraphs.

• Purpose: This is where you reveal the main idea or focus of the story, connecting the initial action to the broader event. It tells the reader "Why are you telling me about this person throwing dice?"

• Content: Incorporate the pre-identified focus words (culture, tradition, music, entertainment, food).

• Example: "Katan is among students who are taking part in the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration that continues into the weekend, a time for people to learn about the culture and the tradition and the festival to honor their ancestors." (Notice the focus words are underlined in the transcript, indicating their importance, even though they wouldn't be bolded in the final story).

Background Information

• Placement: Follows the nut graph.

• Content: Provide context for why the event is happening. This includes historical significance, recurring nature of the event (e.g., "the market is something that's happening every year"), or its overall purpose.

• Style: Primarily use paraphrasing to convey this information.

  • Example: Explaining the purpose of the Midnight Market (e.g., to showcase organizations, connect students, provide entertainment) or background on the Year of the Dragon/Vietnamese festival.

Introducing Other Sources (Co-Stars & Experts)

• Transition: Introduce new sources with a smooth transition, often starting with a message or theme.

• Co-Star/Organizer: This could be someone organizing the event, a booth, or an art class.

  • Example: "These traditions hold a special meaning to some students…" followed by a quote from an officer of the sponsoring student association.

• Expert: This person may or may not be directly involved with this specific event but can provide valuable commentary on the significance, cultural importance, or broader implications of such events.

  • Example: "…expand the person's community, said Sam Long, president of the National Asian Society." This individual comments on the importance of learning about and embracing other cultures.

• Structure: Typically follows a transition-quote-transition-quote pattern.

Circling Back and Ending

• Conclusion: The story can circle back to the main character introduced in the lead, bringing their narrative full circle.

• Content: Show them engaged in new actions or reflecting on the event, often looking towards the future.

• Tense: Return to present tense for descriptive action.

• Example: Describing Patan redeeming a voucher for ice cream, lighting a lantern, and then concluding with a quote like, "It symbolizes hope for a brighter future, she says." This completes her arc at the event.

• Alternatives: Alternatively, you can introduce another person doing something specific to end the story.

Supplementary Elements

Photos

• Subject Focus: Photos should focus on one or two people at most, preferably showing them engaged in an action (e.g., drawing, making a lantern, eating ice cream).

• Avoid: Do not submit photos of large groups or general room shots, as they dilute the focus. The aim is to zoom in, similar to the writing.

• Ideal: Take a photo of the person you interviewed or the main character of your story.

Cutlines (Photo Captions)

• Requirement: A complete sentence (or up to $2$ sentences).

• Tense: Written in present tense.

• Content: Include the when and where of the photo.

• Credit: Always credit the photographer (e.g., "Photo by GNL").

• Example: "Children dressed in traditional clothing dance next to the lion Friday during the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration at SMU Student Center."

Headlines

• Requirement (for future assignments): Not required for the initial event story, but understanding the format is key.

• Tense: Written in present tense.

• Structure: Not a complete sentence, but includes a verb.

• Case: Uses sentence case (first letter of proper nouns capitalized, all other letters lowercase).

• Punctuation: Use commas instead of "and" to separate elements.

• Distinction: A headline tells what is happening at the event, differentiating it from a simple title (e.g., "Chinese Lunar New Year Festivities" is a title; "Lion dance, lantern making highlight Chinese New Year on SMU campus" is a headline).

• Example: "Lion dance, lantern making highlight Chinese New Year in American Studies."

General Writing Tips

• Descriptive Language: Utilize strong, descriptive verbs and sensory details to bring the event to life for the reader.

• Consistency: Maintain consistent tense (present for event stories) and reporting verbs (e.g., always "said" or always "says") for quotes.

• Practice: Review examples of successful event stories to understand the application of these guidelines.