Leads: Part I

There is something about the process of arranging words together to craft an amazing sentence that totally excites me.

I just awoke from a dream where I was sitting in a university hall with a small group in attendance at some sort of journalism club meeting. Or at least it was a club meeting, and I was sitting with the journalists. We were in workshop mode, discussing one woman's article and helping her create the perfect lead. I was obsessed with getting it right, and even as I was awaking from the dream, I was toying with several options for the lead.

Writing leads was one of my favorite things to do as a features reporter. I always enjoyed coming up with just the right sentence or phase to grab the reader's attention or to simply capture the essence of the story. I found the process even more exciting because the perfect lead didn't always come to me while sitting at my desk in front of the computer. My mind was (and still is) constantly in motion, and words would magically piece themselves together while I was in the shower, shopping, or even driving - and I'd have to stop immediately and write them down.

For me, those moments were priceless. And I miss them.

- M