Writing Tip #3

Keep your lead (or lede, as some misguided newsrooms call it) paragraph brief. One or two lines, ideally. Amateurs commonly write overwhelmingly long opening paragraphs -- six or eight lines -- and such ponderous, turgid openings simply make it difficult for the editor to understand your story in the 15 or 20 seconds he or she will give it before deciding whether to use or discard it.