Piecing together your story

1. Piecing together your story Utilizing quotes and building in appropriate transitions

2. Essential Elements of the Story Who: Mr. Salls What: tripped while walking in the hallway and threw a stack of newspapers into the air, causing them to open up and cascade to the floor Where: hallway near the tech wing in HSE When: between periods 6 & 7 Why: he was rushing to get to class and open the room for his students How: because he was rushing and not terribly careful, he tripped over the foot of a student moving in the other direction

3. Background Mr. Salls was bringing a set of Daily Gazette newspapers to the journalism classroom. His plan was to provide students with some quiet reading time the last ten minutes of the period. The teacher did not sustain any injuries as a result of the accident, with the exception of a mildly bruised ego.

4. Sources Mr. Salls: What happened? Were you embarrassed? Did anyone help you? “I tend to be a pretty clumsy individual, so this shouldn’t come to much of a surprise to anyone who knows me. Yeah, it was embarrassing, but this is pretty much par for the course.” “Whatever. I’ve done far more embarrassing things than this, and I’ll probably do far more embarrassing things in the future. It is what it is.” “Not many students stopped to help me pick up the papers, which is kind of a bummer. It would be nice to know that there are people out there willing to help someone else in need, even with something this small.”

5. Sources Faculty colleague: Are you surprised by this incident? Why do you think he tripped? “Yeah, he’s a klutz. He can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.” “Maybe if he wasn’t always running around like a fool, he wouldn’t find himself rushed for time.”

6. Sources Female student: What did you see, and what did you think of what you saw? How did people around him respond? “The papers went flying everywhere. It was pretty hysterical. What can I say?” “Some people stopped and helped him pick up the papers, but most people just laughed and kept walking.”

7. Sources Male student: What did you see, and what did you think of what you saw? How did people around him respond? “He was rushing around, as usual. I feel sorry for Mr. Salls. Every time I see him in the halls it’s like he’s going somewhere to put out a fire.” “People definitely should have stopped to help him out. I know I would have.”

8. TIPS for constructing your story • Start with the most vital information (i.e. the essential elements: who, what, where, when, why and how). The WHO and WHAT typically appear first. The WHERE, WHEN and WHY (which is oftentimes the same as the HOW) generally follow, if not in the first paragraph, the second.

9. TIPS for constructing your story 2. Create a structure that makes sense for your particular story. In my sample, I move from the primary source (Mr. Salls), to another faculty member, to two students, and then back to the primary source. Moving from teacher to student, and then back to the primary source, is far less awkward than bouncing from teacher to student, then back to another teacher, and then back to another student, and then back to the primary source. That’s far too much “ping-ponging.” Also, consider whose perspective is most important. That one should probably appear earlier in the story.

10. TIPS for constructing your story 3. Transition to sources tactfully. Instead of stating the question that the source was asked in the interview (When asked what junior female student thought of Mr. Sallstripping in the hallway, she said…) use the information offered by the source to set up the quote. For example…Other students, like junior student, confessed to begin too caught up in the humor of the moment to respond respectfully.

11. TIPS for constructing your story 4. End your story tactfully. This can include coming back to a source you’ve previously quoted (like in my sample story) or in some other way tying a bow around your piece. Ultimately, you want to make sure you haven’t repeated yourself or inserted a detail that seems out of place or forced.