Intrigue earns dwell time

principle — attributed to James Lancaster

Lancaster learned this in a small newsroom outside London doing death-knock reporting. Every article had to be structured so readers wanted to keep going. The opening set the scene. The second paragraph deepened it. Somewhere early there had to be a detail that created curiosity. The same instinct governs how he watches a conference session unfold.

"Intrigue, he learned, keeps people engaged."

narrative, engagement