Leads

Writing an adequate lead is much more complicated than most people realize. It must captivate, inform and intrigue with the least amount of words possible. Writing a lead in my opinion is much like writing in general. Some people have it and some don't. When I am writing a lead I try to include who, what, when, where, why and how if possible. When writing for The Signpost I attempt to capture my audience within the first two sentences. If the reader does not like the first few sentences, the chances of that particular reader reading the whole story are slim to none. With that being said, the lead is one of the most important pieces of journalistic writing.
This weeks editing mistake is a common one. February is probably the most misspelled month. I can understand why it is commonly misspelled. When someone is pronouncing it fast, it does not sound like there is an r in February. There are many words in the English language that have letters in "weird" places, so it is best to double check spelling before you plaster it on the side of a wall.