Weekly Blog Post - Finding a Story

As we are midway through the semester, and have written multiple news stories, I can look back on my work so far and consider the strengths and weaknesses of the writing. The biggest thing I seem to be struggling with is finding the heart of a story and presenting it in a way to grasp the reader's attention. Although I may have a solid general idea for a piece such as the new inclusion of table games in Maryland's first casino; however, the story lacks a voice and usually just reads as facts. I would like to be able to add a more personal touch to the writing so that the reader can picture the events as though they were there. 

Additionally, since a interesting and insightful news story must have a group of people that drive the point, its important to get good quotes from the right people. Although a quote from the director of marketing or human resources may be helpful, it does not always add that sense of purpose to the story. Sometimes, the quotes drag on and do not add any sense of personality to the piece, instead dulling it out. 

My focus is to find the most relatable and interesting aspect of a story idea, while using strong detail to describe the story. For example, rather than writing about the casino itself I could focus on a specific crowd that the table expansion will bring, as Professor Marsters suggested "the three little old ladies" that are now visiting the casino. This includes a personal touch to the story instead of simply listing facts and data that could be found easily online.