Recent content by hackhack

How do you know what she reported was what he said? If she was willing to lie to get in, wouldn't she be just as willing to make up stuff? Slippery slope. Paging Janet Cooke.

here's a link might help: http://www.rcfp.org/

Might want to think about: -- a timeline of what's happened up to this point. that way you have the skeleton of the story up to this day. what makes this kid different than others? what makes him the same? -- seeing this day like a movie director might. what are the details you would want to...

Hubris-ridden. Love it. Think there should be a contest for whoever can get that into a story. 2 cents on the story: When you're going back and forth in time, be sure to make clear *when* something is happening. Easiest way to do this is to put the time at the beginning. Even use it as a...

For your audience, this guy has been such a success that this story deserves its length. What kind of reaction did it get? Was it what you hoped for? Wondering if you didn't pick a quote for your ending, how would you have ended it?

OK so ignore, for a moment, the word Poynter. You're stuck working for a small paper run by idiots. Can you rise above that? Or do you focus on all the reasons you can't? What're the options? Just asking.

Re: random column Chastising a successful coach for being too deferential -- that's interesting -- the Mona Lisa line is great. I'd like to hear more about how you decided on the ending. How it works tying your point of view to the image of him as a teenager.

From new book "Writing Tools" by Roy Peter Clark....organized into 50 short chapters ... includes one on how he collects materials for projects -- what he calls "saving string." This is a good practice for anyone, a beat writer, small paper, big one, whatever. Roy collects topics that...

want respect? don't wear graft.

This has nothing to do with your structure, but could be string for another story on ethics in (high school) sports.. or golf, which on this level of few rules officials, is determined even more by honor. You wrote: The coach's reaction to the illegal drop: " since they had come to that...

How do you handle readers who send nasty emails? Would you ever send a reply like the following by Neil Steinberg, a Chicago Sun-Times (non sports) columnist ? Dear Reader: I received your e-mail message. Sadly, I no longer permit myself the pleasure of personally responding to snide remarks...

If you want to get past the feature retreads that pass for "enterprise" these days, read the whole paper and think about the sports implications... when communities change, the ripples hit your world in sports, and if you notice before the ME does then you'll look smart. example...

I liked , no loved the topic. Well reported. 2cents: At first I didn't get the story because of the hat. Then I reread it, and I didn't get the hat at all. So a guy has a curly head with a hat askew .... and because he chatters a lot .... it's amazing the hat doesn't fall off? That is...

“Everyone here is high regardless of whether they took drugs,” one concertgoer noted. STARTING OUT WITH A QUOTE IS A GIMMICK THAT ALIENATES SOME READERS. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHO IS TALKING, WHERE THEY ARE OR WHY THIS MATTERS. IF THIS IS A REVIEW, IT'S YOUR OPINION SO WHY NOT SAY...