Hello Dear Scholars!
So now your eyes and ears and taste buds and mind are on full alert in your new communities as you try to rustle up story ideas. And you’re noticing/hearing new and wondrous things each day.
But how do you take an observation or other information and turn it into a story idea that will light up the eyes of your overworked, jaded editor and make her want to burst into song?
Please share one experience you’ve had in taking a tidbit of information — a billboard message you’ve seen, or something someone told you at church or a coffee shop, or something you read in an alternative weekly publication, or some new food you tried, or the fact that no one in your community ages 17-35 seems to have a visible tatoo — and turning it into a story. Tell us how, specifically, you went from fragment to full story.
Thanks – and please note deadline of Sunday (since it’s already Tuesday today).
Coach Col
Madoree Pipkins
06.22.10
I haven’t had much time to put more thought into a story about where children are playing and the lack of neighborhood parks because I’ve been given some other stories that have a priority deadline.
However just to be able to practice some different techniques: I’d like to talk to the kids and get their perspective and how they feel rather than talking to traditional officials or community leaders.
I think it’s important for people to know their story in their words and not have someone speak over them because they are the ones who are truly affected.
I have also taken more advice from the CQS orientation by taking different routes home. It takes a bit longer sometimes (and I have gotten lost a couple times) but I’ve been able to see more of the city.
colleen
06.24.10
Yes, Madoree, as Joni Mitchell reportedly said about one of her recorded versions of the “Circle Game” song:
“The more voices the better and the more out-of-tune voices the better.”
But also note that when Mitchell sings the chorus with others, the listener still distinctly hears her voice, the authoritative voice of the singer. In our case, it might be analogous to the authoritative voice of the writer.
Which raises the question: How does a writer gain an authoritative voice?
Thoughts, anyone?
Mark Mock
06.25.10
Fellow Chipster, Ilissa Gilmore, was assigned a story on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Korean War. My paper wasn’t doing anything on the anniversary, so I asked my editor about covering it and there happened to be an event going on today. I am going to cover it today. I also got assigned a story about how to respect and take care of the flag — just in time for the Fourth f July — and I’ll also be asking the veterans their feelings on that.
On another fragment: I have been noticing that there is virtually no coverage of gay people or gay life but if I am not mistaken there were some Pride festivities here so there must be a community. That said I looked up some events and some names of people to contact and am putting my feelers out…
Mark Mock
06.25.10
@ Madoree: I am constantly getting lost and for someone who always knows where he is going it is sort of terrifying. But I appreciate it because in the long run the city makes more sense to me and I find things and places that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Marie just reminded me that we only have 7 more weeks until we leave. I really want to gather more fragments and make them into a mosaic before it is time to leave. But there is just so much to do!
Mark Mock
06.25.10
*EDIT It is the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.
Sophia Li
06.25.10
Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten the opportunity to take an observation and develop it into a story. The world of higher education is a wide one — and it’s not a physical community that I can explore. I’ve been reading plenty of blogs and news articles on higher education, and they’ve produced some ideas for short pieces, but I’m still looking for ways to develop story ideas from what I’ve been doing here at The Chronicle. Does anyone have suggestions?
Molly Young
06.26.10
Mark, that sounds like a great idea. My editor has been very receptive to allowing me to work with the Native community and to explore diverse topics in general. I’m sure your initiative will impress them.
And Madoree, your idea’s great. It seems like no one regards kids as reliable sources, and we allow adults to tell their stories.
A few weeks ago, I learned about a local tribe that’s incredibly involved in charitable giving and lending to other tribes. Their donations go to Great Plains tribes and, in many cases, accomplish tasks that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. The tribe’s well-known for their successful casinos, but you don’t hear much about their impact in the Upper Midwest.
So, I presented the idea to my editor, including some numbers I had crunched totaling their past donations and loans. Now, I’m working on an enterprise story about the tribe and their influence.
June Wu
06.27.10
The City of Cambridge hosted a free outdoors dance party on my day off, and I convinced my friend and fellow intern to ask our editor if she could “cover the event” (and dance with me as part of her reporting “from the field.”). It failed.
On a more serious note, my favorite enterprise stories from past experience usually stem from me following up on a story and digging deeper. Last summer for the Plain Dealer, I wrote a daily about a farmers market opening at the Cleveland Clinic, and that led to a feature on small vendors at farmers markets finding themselves disproportionately impacted by the city’s health regulations.
@Sophia, I’m not sure what your editors are looking for, but maybe focus on a weird, quirky thing you read about at one campus and see if you can nationalize or regionalize it?
Marie De Jesus
06.27.10
I am currently trying to develop a couple of stories ideas. What I did to get to the point that I am was to go straight to the reporter that has the most experience on the subject and ask her for advice. When I went to her desk, she didn’t only gave me advice but also contacts to produce the story.
Is the first time that I have gone to a reporter first, but in this case works because she has much more experience in the subject than the photo editors in this matter.