Sand Clock Style (also known as hourglass Style) of news writing is a modified form of inverted pyramid. It combines the inverted pyramid style with narrative style. The format was identified in 1983 by Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute. Like inverted pyramid structure, it begins with the most important information first, but it takes a turn in the middle and becomes a chronological narrative. This style of writing can be divided into three parts: The Top, The Turn and The Narrative.
THE TOP: This is the opening of the story. This includes a summary lead, which is followed by three or four paragraphs giving most important facts. This section contains the basic news in a concise manner. If readers stop at the top only, they can be still informed. Since it is limited to four to six paragraphs, the top of the story should contain only the most significant information.
THE TURN: This is basically the transaction paragraph that tells that the narrative will begin. It is the most important part in this style of news writing and usually contains attribution for the narrative that follows.
THE NARRATIVE: This is the last part of the story. It gives information about beginning, middle and end of the story in chronological order. Details, dialogue, quotations and background information are given in this section.
Sand Clock Style of news writing summarizes the news, and then shifts to a narrative. This style is used when the news story has sequential events to be told. It is best suited for covering trials, accidents, crime, disaster news, where dramatic stories that can be told in chronological fashion. It satisfies editors who prefer a traditional approach to news writing as well as readers who want a more complete story.
