Finding a story: see “How to find a Story”

• Planning:

• Read. Read. Read. Read everything there is to read about the person, place, thing, moment, day, backstory you are writing about. You can go through Google News or any of the research sites UMich has access to (some really good newspaper history sites in there). Pouring through all of that info does two things — it gives you the proper context you need in order to understand who you’re talking to and it offers you detail for your story. This honestly might be the most important thing you can do to establish the foundation of a good, detailed feature story. I like to take notes when I’m reading through that stuff, in order to revisit that when I think about who I want to interview and what I want to ask them. Which brings me to my next point…
• Find as many (relevant) people to talk to as possible. Talk to the coach, talk to the high school coach, talk to the friend, talk to the 8th grade teacher, talk to the parents. When you talk to one person, always ask them who else might be good to talk to and then ask for contact info. That initial dive off the diving board can be a bit daunting — so cast a wide net and email a bunch of people right off the bat.
• Figure out a general angle to attack the reporting at. Sometimes you’ll know what it is better than other times. But always be open to the idea that your angle can and will change based on what you learn and what people say.

• Reporting:

• You, ideally, should try to sequence your interviews from the outside in — i.e. starting with all the periphery people and working yourself closer to the subject. Sometimes, given the *ahem* lack of cooperation from SIDs, that’s not an option. But the best case is to have as much info as humanly possible before talking to the main subject, so you can get more detail/color from them on specifics, rather than asking simply what happened.
• I like to sketch a basic outline before going into interviews, mostly focused on the anecdotes and moments I needed to remember to hit in the interview, but I’d always caution against writing out every question you want to say. I find that if you’re focused on what the next question will be, you’re not actually listening to what they’re saying, and you’re less inclined to ask follow-ups, which brings me to a crucial point…
• Always, always, always ask follow-up questions. Questions as simple as “Do you remember how you felt in that moment?” or “What was that like?” often yield the best detail in stories. Listen to what they’re saying, and simply converse with them. Make them feel like you’re genuinely interested in what they have to say, and that their time and energy has value.
• Some basic questions I almost always hit:

• Is there a particular memory/what is your favorite memory about _______ that sticks out? (Often, they don’t have one on the spot, but come back to it like 5 mins later with a banger)
• What do you remember about _____
• (AT THE END) What did I not ask that you think I should know?

• This is really important: It’s super OK to be nervous going into interviews. That shit is hard. A solid way to alleviate this: maybe play out in your head how you want to introduce yourself and even word-for-word what you want that first question to be. I do that a lot. Sometimes I’ll even write it down. In my experience, those nerves tend to die down after you get into it, so it’s OK to get right into it as quickly as possible.

• Writing:

• Once you’ve done all your reporting, print out your transcript(s) and read them through. Highlight. Bold. Take notes. Whatever works for you. Think about what you have and you don’t, conclusions you can make and can’t, scenes you have and scenes you really don’t have. Ask yourself: What is the through-line of the story? That should be the central “spine” that is present throughout the whole story.
• I wish there was some easy formula to structure, but at its core you’re telling a story. How would you tell it to someone in person? What would get them interested? What would really make them invested in its arc? Leading with your best scene is generally safe and often the best play. The lede is super important, even more so than a gamer or sidebar.
• Outlining can be really helpful. Often I will open my transcription document on one side of the screen with the draft on the other side. I’ll write the lede to each section I want, copy and paste the quotes/anecdotes I think would work well in each section, and just leave them there until I’m ready to actually write. It both alleviates stress of whatever idea you have about some monstrous story and situates the narrative for you without writing much of anything. You can then identify whether the order you have, the sections you have and the overall flow makes sense in that structure. If not, tinker. Play around. Ask an editor.
• Then, the best part. Write. I think reading as many good stories as possible helps, not in an attempt to mimic them, but in finding what you like and don’t. Write true to your reporting, but in your voice. Don’t try to write like anyone else. Write like only you can.
• MOST IMPORTANT: Don’t force something that isn’t there. Give yourself enough time that if you hit writer’s block, if you’re forcing a structure that isn’t working, if it’s just not your day, you can close the computer and take your mind off it. Often, when I’m working on a big story my best lines and structures and ideas come at super random times — the shower, the car, before bed. So I keep a notes tab open on my phone to type them out no matter where I am. Eventually, the story comes together.

Editing:

• It sucks. First thing to check is the word count. Does this story warrant that word count? Don’t just write 2,000 words because that’s what you’re told a “feature” is. Write the story to the length it deserves. If it’s too long, read yourself very critically to identify what details are essential and which ones don’t actually add to the story. If it’s too short, what important details are you missing? Where do they fit in this story?
• I usually read on first draft simply for weird wording, grammar, sentence structure, quote length, etc. The basic stuff. Then I read it again from a broader look. This can be really shitty — you’ve written this thing you’re really proud of, and now you’re debating whether big parts (maybe even writing you’re really proud of) actually belongs in the story.
• For this, it can often be best to turn to someone you trust… For a big story you’re hoping turns out really well, always, always, always get as many eyeballs you trust on it before the night you file it. Listen to what they have to say, both praising and criticizing. You don’t always have to accept their advice, especially if it’s something arbitrary like cutting a graf or not, but often you’re so entrenched in the story it’s hard to evaluate something that, to others, might seem like an obvious change. Listen. Talk it out. Make the changes you think are necessary.

• Some more general advice:

• A “feature” is not defined by any word length, number of interviews, type of story, number of sections, none of that shit.
• A “feature” is almost never writing everything you know and have ever learned about one person. If you’re too broad, too vague or too extensive, the reader will lose focus. You’re not emptying the notebook, as one famous sportswriter who also created the Quality Start stat once put it, you’re diving deep into one note in that notebook.
• The art here is that there’s no formula. You can disregard literally everything I just wrote and write some banger features. Find your rhythm and figure out what works for you. Trial and error. Reps, reps, reps.
• Write a good feature and it’ll be the most rewarding thing you do at The Daily.