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?
What other research must be done to complete the story?
(For every story, you need to interview three people, with at least three questions each.)

4. Gather interviews.
Ask open-ended questions.
Get good sound bytes (a piece of sound that can stand on its own). It can't be "yes"or "no".
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 (all the video) to add to your story. (A-Roll is the story and audio)
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?