I’m obsessively organized in most areas of my life, and I do the same with reporting and writing. I like the comfortableness of having a routine and that’s how I typically produce my best work. Even though the process is sometimes elongated (for a story I report for a month or longer) or condensed (when doing 15 minutes of research prior to football availability), the steps stay consistent.
I have a reminders list on my computer that is called “Stories to write.” It’s essentially anything I’m curious about and think could turn into a story. This reminds me of how Clark said he had bins with big-picture themes. I leisurely explore those topics, simply because I’m interested, and slowly I’ll make additions to the bullet point, such as a possible source to talk to, a stat I need to I look up and sometimes even an entire lede.
I read a lot. I do a ton of background research, particularly if it’s a story that’s fairly large. It gives me a feel for the angles that haven’t been explored and it helps me create better questions. This is the step I never skip, even if it’s just rapid research at a football availability. I don’t write unless I’ve read something on that topic. In terms of reading to become a better writer, I try to do that whenever I have the time. There are a few stories that I’ll read every month or so simply because I think they are so well-written that there’s no way I can’t continually learn something from it.
For a few of my biggest stories I’ve done, I print my transcriptions. I read them, highlight and make notes. I constantly ask myself, “What is the story? Who are the characters? Why do they act they way they do? Is there a conflict?” That’s helped me more than anything, just asking myself, “What is the story here?” I outline because in the long run it saves time. I outline when I’m on deadline, and I outline when I have all the time in the world. I don’t do sophisticated Roman numerals or anything of that nature, but I think of all the main points I need to hit and write them down. That way, it’s easier to make structural changes. When I write, it’s quick because of the work I’ve done on the back end.