Structures

Arranging and establishing relationships between parts of a text—sentences, paragraphs, sections, etc.— into a whole with the understanding of how people process information.

Common Story Structures in Journalism

Nut-Graf Structure Description: Start with an anecdote, follow with the story in a nutshell (nut graf), then add details that tie directly back to nut, end with a tie back to anecdote. Also called: feature style Likely Origin: Wall Street Journal, Barney Kilgore, 1941...

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Beats

Action beats are short descriptions that come before, between or just after dialogue. Story beats are “the basic units of a plot, which are often called plot points or story beats.

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