Effing Anecdotal Ledes

Deborah Howell writes: Complaints on anecdotal leads have been steady; they spiked when I asked readers in my March 11 column for their opinions on story length. While many readers asked for brevity, some were highly critical, as one Silver Spring reader was, of "too many long anecdotal openings, often reaching the point only after 15-plus paragraphs (I've counted them). Send reporters to journalism refresher courses to learn the W's. These can be skillfully woven into the lead by a careful writer." ... John Schappi of the District wrote: "Our problem is not with the length of the story but with the length of time it takes to find out what the story is about. . . . We are given stories that start off with human interest anecdotes that make you read through several paragraphs and, all too often, even to the jump to learn what the subject is. "I've dubbed these stories "Look, Ma! I'm writing!" because they seem designed to show off the author's storytelling capabilities rather than his/her reporting skills."