The top of the hourglass looks like the old inverted pyramid, but is shorter in duration-perhaps four or five paragraphs. So we learn that a man shot a police officer in the leg, ran into a house, held a boy hostage for eight hours, surrendered without harming the boy, and was finally arrested. What follows is a transition, called the turn. Police and witnesses gave the following account of the dramatic incident. What follows is a retelling of events in chronological order, with many more details than a standard story would allow.
Readers now have a choice.
They can read the top and quit, or, if interested can linger down in the story. If any of these ideas serve you well, say a prayer of thanks for the contributions of Professor Louise Rosenblatt.