First part of writing...the "vision"

Story "visioning" is an idea I heard about from a fantastic radio reporter named Melanie Peeples. In her training seminars she talks about this idea, which is really a more complex version of a story outline. Before we get into her visioning idea, let's listen to a recent political story she did for NPR, called Republican Leads Race for Louisiana Governor.

Here's the story visioning worksheet that Melanie has so generously allowed me to borrow from:

Questions for Story Visioning...before you start

1. What is this story about?
2. Who stands to win/lose in this story? Who are the stakeholders?
3. What is my focus statement? (A short description, no longer than a few lines)
4. Who do I need to interview: Side 1, Side 2, Real Person, Expert, etc.?
5. What is this story REALLY about? What's underneath it all?
6. Where should I interview the subjects? What does the place look like, how can I describe it?
7. What questions should I ask?
8. What more do I need to learn before I start working on this story?

Now, for our political reporting project, we've already jumped over some of these hurdles...we've given you some of the questions, we've picked some of the stakeholders...but the same ideas apply. These are good questions to be asking as you jump into any reporting project.

Listening, and getting ready to write...

Writing for broadcast is really a two part process...what you write, and then how effectively you edit your own work. You should be a very critical editor at all times in the process, from when you first formulate a theme for your story, to just before you hand it over to another editor to get his or her take. So, it's a good idea to have a vision for your story...we'll go over that in a bit.

Before we get too deep into the idea of "story visioning" - it's important to know what to listen for in your own work, and in the works of others. You have a chance to model your work after a story you admire, and use some of the same techniques a favorite reporter uses. So, how to listen?

Here's a very handy guide to listening...it's called:

Questions for Listening

Courtesy Andrea DeLeon, National Public Radio

What is the specific focus of the piece...what's it about?

Did the piece make us care?

Are the stakeholders all here? Are their points balanced?

Is there too much information? Not enough?

Is the piece written for the ear...you know, to be listened to, not read?

Are there scenes in this piece? Visuals? Can you see what's going on?

How could more sound and more scenes improve this story?

Could it be made simpler?

Is the structure of this story the best it can be?

Ask yourself these questions as you listen to stories being told, and you'll be teaching yourself to think like an editor.

Talking about the issues....

At this early point in the 2008 presidential campaign, South Carolina's African-American voters get special attention from the Democratic presidential contenders. Churches, hair salons and barber shops are sure venues to stump for votes. NPR's Audie Cornish has this report.

President Bush’s popularity is still low in New Hampshire. According to the latest poll from the UNH Survey Center, only 29 percent of NH adults says they approve of the job the President is doing. How those numbers will translate into support for Republicans in the upcoming election is unclear. But a recent Wall Street Journal poll shows GOP backing within the business
community is eroding. And as New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman reports, many Republican business people in the Granite State are not happy with their choices.