Advice for student journalits on Writing Good Ledes

This is from retired Cleveland newspaperman Richard Ellers:

"I've been a believer and follower of the idea that a good lead is the hook on which you hang your story, ever since my first Journalism class with Miss Alvina Trentleman in her high school journalism class.
Headlines help, but good leads suck the reader into the whole story.
I think I remember that Miss Trentleman actually drew a hook on the chalk board, alongside the list of five Ws and the H.
The sense of a good lead was so firm in my mind that when I had my first real reporting job, my City Editor used to harangue me when I'd have trouble starting a story.
"Write the story, you can add the lead later," he'd yell.
That never worked for me, and sometimes he'd hang over me as I tried.
That was in the dinosaur age, not computer, just real hard copy.
He would glower from his desk as I'd pull and toss a sheet from my typewriter.
I needed a good lead because because the lead points to where you are going.
I'm not talking breaking news here. Major news has to start with the facts, and that alone will keep the reader interested.
But soft news and features need more.
I had one state editor who complained that I wrote to many "but" leads, surprise twists, where I'd state that you'd expect so-and-so but this was such-and-such.
One other point about features and soft news: I tried not to start on a story with a fixed idea of what was happening.
Often, I'd find a story angle I hadn't expected, just because I took the time for a wide-ranging interview.
I did have trouble with one editor who always asked "what will your story say?" To which I might answer "I won't know until I get there."
To me, reporting is like digging for diamonds, you need to go through a lot of information to find the valuable nuggets.