Traditionally the elements composing a good journalism piece are known as the 5 Ws and an H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Despite them representing the elements of all good news stories, these six components are enhanced by other factors. For example, every story needs to have a good lead that, according to Wray (1), “immediately takes readers to the action and drops them among the scurry of the event”. A summary lead is necessary for a good story because it presents a summary of the hard-hitting facts of a story – the most important ones.
The 5 Ws are incorporated into the summary lead, but the mix can vary. For example, a summary lead can be composed of the Who, What, and When; the Who, What, When, and Where; and/or the What, When and How of the story. The 5 Ws and an H each specify one of the most important details of any story. Their definitions and the unique detail of each are provided in the list below:
Who: The main character of your story; the “actor”.
What: The actual action; what was done or is being done.
Why: What motive drove the actor/action.
How: The way in which the main character carried out the action.
The 5 Ws and an H of every good story are more significant than just providing the important details of a story. For in longer stories the 5 Ws and an H take on a larger role when developed. Every good story also includes character, setting, plot, conflict, and theme. While the 5 Ws and an H organize the elements of a story into informational blocks, they also combine to help make narrative flow. The Who develops into Character, the What becomes Action, the Where represents setting, the When is the Chronology, and the Why is the Motive. Therefore, as long as reporting is deep and careful, the elements of fiction writing can be successfully used in writing nonfiction.
...