Brainstorming for story ideas

Katie Johnston Chase of the Boston Globe was trying to come up with a travel/tourism story idea when it hit her: “What's one of the big expenses of traveling? Lodging. What's a way to cut those costs? By swapping homes with somebody.”

The brainstorming session that helped her focus on the importance of lodging costs, led to a story about Bostonians swapping homes to save money while on vacation.

Today’s Tip: Brainstorming by starting with general questions can help you develop story ideas. Follow up on those ideas with sourcing to see if they will work.

Katie describes her next steps:

“I called a home swap company and asked how they were doing during the recession, and the owner said he'd been getting record-breaking numbers since September 2008.

"And a story was born.”

Storytelling with court documents

James Bandler of Fortune magazine takes readers onto the scene as he tells the story of Dina Wein Reis, a woman accused of bilking several companies out of products totaling more than $20 million.


James says he first became aware of Wein Reis in 2008, but Madoff, AIG and other stories prevented him from writing her story right away. He started reporting this spring, he says.

“I wondered how one woman could have pulled off such a massive and complicated alleged fraud for so long,” he says.

He used court documents from civil litigation, company data obtained by authorities, wiretap transcripts and interviews with several people, excluding Wein Reis, to compile the article.

Today’s Tip: Court documents can help you piece together facts and provide details that bring your stories alive.

James says: “First read the docket sheet, and then the amended complaint. They provide a great guide to key arguments, exhibits and names of involved parties. Get to know the lawyers on both sides. They can help point you to interesting witnesses and documents.

“Transcripts are your friends, as are depositions -- if you can get your hands on them. They're often -- but not always -- entered in the public record.”

Writing Standout Ledes

Jonathan Weisman of The Wall Street Journal offers readers a snappy, relevant and insightful lede in his article about federal budget cuts: "With the budget deficit soaring toward $2 trillion, the Department of Justice has figured out how to play its part: double-sided photocopying." He narrows a list of 77 cuts by focusing on items with which his audience can identify: one-sided photocopies, unused e-mail accounts. And he creates suspense and surprise all within one sentence.

Today’s Tip: Look for the outrageous example that will resonate with your audience; it might just be your lede.

You can also employ storytelling techniques such as irony and suspense. Weisman keeps his audience guessing -- but not too long -- until his third-paragraph nut graf.

If ledes trouble you, seek out a “lede coach.” Early in my career, my business editor teamed me with a veteran reporter known for his crafty ledes. After a few sessions and some major rewrites, I was ready to fly solo.