May
22
Advice Put to Work
I listened to my first Typecast podcast while I emptied the dishwasher. It certainly won’t be my last. At times, I wanted to grab a pen to scribble some of the great tips.
Hacks and writers of all types should have a listen.
Exploring the website, I was glad to see someone had posted the tips, including one I found interesting:
Anecdotes often feel too long. Here’s the trick: Don’t start at the beginning, start in the middle. You never see a judge walk in, sit down and bang the gavel on “Law & Order.” When they cut to the scene, the judge is already banging the gavel.
With that in mind, I revised my lede to:
Bill Maddox carried the cross down the aisle of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, as his mind flashed back to the people who once filled the wooden pews. People long gone, some buried in the nearby parish cemetery, where flowers decorate metal headstones.
“I couldn’t help thinking about my folks, my parents, and all the other people that have passed. You just had a feeling they were in that service,” he said.
