Truemors
How do I get started with a story?
Many contributors struggle with the idea of "creating new stories" -it's not always an easy task. Many of us find it easier to highlight another story, add in some commentrary to frame the article, post...and move on. This isn't "creating a new story" -it's adding commentary on current or old news. While it can be a lot of fun and great for debate, sometimes we could all use something fresh.
I know what you are thinking "How am I supposed to get the scoop on something before the local media?" -my response: stop thinking "scoop" and start thinking "story". Story? Yes, story. It's easy in today's fast paced Internet driven world to think we need to be first to cover something huge, but that's not the way you need to think to write "new stories" for NowPublic. One of the wonderful things here is: you tell NP what's important.
- You can go to town-hall meetings and report on the events, maybe take photos when they allow. Tell the world what's going on in your small town.
- Did you just read a good book? Tell the world, write a review!
- Are you a student working on a research paper? Do you think it's something people shoud be talking about? Write about it!
- Do you belong to a local charity? Have you done something newsworthy? You decide...write about it!
- Was there a fire in your neighborhood? Write about it!
- Bad Weather? Write about it!
- If you want other ideas, check out this forum topic for slow news days!
Some things I have tried:
- I keep a small reporter-style notebook and pen with me nearly all the time -so I can jot down information to write about later (always helps to get the facts!).
- My cell phone has a camera, I have a small digital camera and I even tend to lug around a 35mm camera...just in case.
- Recently I posted a story about a concert I attended. The back story is almost as interesting, but I left it out of the posting. I have been shooting photos of bands in small venues for quite some time, on occasion I do promotional photos and CD photos, design/layouts. On of the bands I had seen live I met through a friend of a friend. Every time they come into town I take photos and bring new friends to their shows. At a recent local show on of the band members mentioned they would be concluding their tour with Peter Frampton in a few weeks. I looked at my schedule -not to mention I was due for a vacation- and I bought a plane ticket to St Louis to catch the show. Despite shooting tons of small venues, I never had an official photo pass -until this show. I spent time backstage, in the dressing rooms, talking to roadies and bouncers...it was a great experience for me. I've been working on a book about musicians, but I have been on a break for some time...this was a nice way to jog my memory about it and see a good show.
The point is: you can find sources for news within your social circle. Your church, community center, your Facebook friends, anywhere. These people are your keys to information...something only you have! - Driving to and from lunch I saw a group of protesters/strikers outside a car dealership. After the third day, I wondered what was going on -and I had yet to see anything on the news. So I walked up and asked one of the people holding a sign what was going on. I took some photos and returned on the weekend when they told me they would have more people out protesting. As it turned out, I ended up being the only "journalist" to come and cover the event. All I did was ask two questions "What's going on?" and "Is this a story?"
Simply walking around, it doesn't take long before you'll see something interesting; and it doesn't have to be a major event. Ask yourself "Is this a story?", if you think it is: write about it. Start small and ease into it. Eventually you just might find enough information to write a weekly feed on the events in your area...or you might catch that next major news story. Focus on the story, not the scoop. You'll find you'll get a lot less frustrated.
If you have tried something and it worked, or you think the experience could be helpful to others...tell us what you did and the process you took.
at 10:55 on October 17th, 2007
Great stuff, bab-d. Interesting things are all around us, not just on our computer screens... sometimes, though, we have to refocus our vision a bit in order to see them.
at 11:30 on October 17th, 2007
You provide some great tips for Contributors looking to do more original reporting. I would add that a big part of it is looking at your normal life and everyday surroundings through a 'news lens'. Would this be interesting to other people? Is there a story? As Justin so eloquently said.
Check out the J-Tips they are a great resource.
at 04:42 on November 26th, 2008
Hi,
My experiance is in getting information, not writing it down for public consumption.
I have a story, with documented backing and I need to get publicity for it. A Sky News Journalist was arrested and then forced to leave Sky for starting to look at the story, can someone give me some tips on how to put the story 'out there'.
Thanks
Kerry
at 10:18 on May 1st, 2009
I like how you started off this topic. I am new to this myself and I admit I am a newbie. I just wanted to say that bab-d is right. The news on the tv is so bias and only wants the american public to see and hear what the news programs want them to hear.
I am so glad I could find a site like "nowpublic" to NOT just talk about what is going on in the news, but what is going on everywhere around us. Bab-d is right about how to get started. A story can be started anywhere from anyone or by watching someone or something or by visiting a place.
Now that is said, anyones idea on this site is always going to be news to everyone and won't be weeded out.
at 06:30 on May 20th, 2009
at 19:13 on May 20th, 2009
A posting that is still up to date and of interest and may be very helpful to some.
at 16:32 on June 15th, 2009
I have done three personal stories so far. Two of them got sails and were found interesting and one was a total flop. My suggestion is if at first you don't succeed, try and try again.
There are also other stories, as the one I did on the Alberta Wildfires. Some of it was personal because of the proximity of the fires and some of the updates had to come from community websites and the local news.
So these are a couple of approaches, a story that is completely yours and others that are mixed with some information coming from the media.
at 05:07 on June 19th, 2009
Story writing is an art and you have explained the process beautifully
at 20:46 on September 28th, 2009
Almost 2 years later and this post still gets traffic? I think just because of all of the love this has received, it needs a little dressing up...maybe just a new pair of shoes, maybe it needs a new outfit.
I'll make an effort to add a few things and bring it up to speed, to address some ideas I've had in the past 24 months. :)
at 23:16 on September 28th, 2009
at 17:33 on October 19th, 2009
In reply to #9 babblingdweeb at 20:46 on September 28th, 2009
I have wrote hundreds of my own stories I have never used a note book nor found any difficulty of coming up with something new and something to make people think. But I like your approach and it will I am sure be helpful to those that are new to citizen journalism.
Some like me are lucky to be able to sit in front of computer with a Microsoft Word blank page and just start writing after reading the news or information whilst surfing the internet. Mainly my local news stuff is either about Festivals or poverty and I do not use a note pad just a camera and I write a story around the pictures I take.
I have a problem with grammar and often scramble characters of which is the actual reason I write so much as the dreaded "D". Will not beat my need to communicate my academic thoughts concerning peace, religion and the facts of life. lol
You really need to be interested in writing and have some form of creativity and one must have good knowledge about the subject matter one is writing about. That mostly needs some good in depth research and perhaps some basic analytic skills. Citizen journalism goes further than writing about today's news it can be about any subject that's informal and interesting. But on most online news communities its best to mix your own articles with news gathering articles to obtain readership. Its very important to read and comment on fellow members articles in a responsible logic or some times respectable humor.
Its also nice to respect others views concerning your articles and renderings and when commenting and stay friends with those that have differing views.
You become a character that people respect, then your readership grows, I liked to be known as a person of whom makes others see the other side of the coin. Readership is not that important other than someone somewhere reads your renderings otherwise writing would not be worth while. The main thing is that you really enjoy what you are doing