Sandra’s Brainstorming List

Long List: 20 Story Ideas

1. Why race?
2. Why raise?
3. How effective are charity races?
4. What are the intangible benefits?
5. How to train and raise simultaneously
6. What events are most effective?
7. Who are the big players?
8. How long does it take?
9. What draws racers in?
10. Solo or social?
11. Three stories to tell
12. Effect on the community
13. What’s new in charity racing?
14. What’s cool in charity racing?
15. The day-to-day: training and raising funds
16. In their words
17. Zeroing in: seeing if Athens has a small operation of a national trend
18. It all started when…: everyone has a reason to race and raise.
19. Bruce Wayne: charity racers’ day jobs
20. Snapshot to silver screen: one person’s story as a microcosm of a larger trend

Short List: Six Paragraphs

1. Profile:
   • Three stories to tell: I’d like to tell the story of three people: one who began raising charitable funds through exercise not having done either before, one who exercised but at some point starting using it as a conduit to raise funds, and the third a regular giver who raised funds by some other means but one day decided to do it using exercise. What event in their life caused them to make the change?
   • Effect on the community: I’d like to know what impact a certain individual’s charitable racing has had on his or her community. How has the community changed due to the event or someone’s story; how is it currently changing?
2. Trend:
   • What’s new? I’d like to know what trends are emerging in charitable racing. What is their impact? Do they focus more on the exercise portion, the giving portion, or both?
   • What’s cool? This may or may not go along with the previous one. What things are popular among participants of charity races?
3. Pick-em:
   • The day-to-day: Corresponding with the behind-the-scenes pick-em, I’d like to see a day in the life (not on race day) for the charity racer. How do they train? How do they raise funds? This could also spill over into an ending of the story detailing the day of the event.
   • Bruce Wayne: In real life, Batman, wasn’t Batman during the day; he was a rich tycoon. Corresponding with the off-the-beaten-path pick-em, who are these charity racers when they’re not racing and raising funds?