Writing A Story Notes

1. Find a Topic- What is your story about?
Who is your audience?
Why is this story important to your audience?

2. Find an Angle-
More specifically, what is important about your topic?
What should the reader learn?

3. Collect Data-Who are three experts for this story?
Do you need opposing points of view?
What interview questions should I ask? Open ended questions
What other research must be done to complete the story?

4. Gather Interviews-
Ask open-ended questions.
Get good sound bytes: peice of audio that can stand on its own
Have person restate the question in the interview.

5. Organize your sound bytes-
Which quotes should be used?
How can I organize the quotes to tell a story?

6. Write transitions in your story-
Use words to tie the interviews together.
What other information can I add to the story?
Can the story stand on its own?

7. Write ins and outs-
What should the anchors say to introduce my story or bring it to a close? No Scoop, Went to find out,
How should the story begin and end?
What should I say in my stand-up? No 1st Person: I went…
Use attention getter at the introduction but avoid rhetorical questions.

8. Collect b-roll to add to your story-
B-roll: Video footage
A-roll: All the audio in the story
Natural sound: Audio from the real world, makes you feel like you are there
How can video enhance my story?
Make a list of items you would like photographed.
How should I edit the audio and video together to enhance my story?
Should other enhancements like music, graphics, effects be used?