Forget about reporting. Write what you’ve got.
But what you’ve got can be shaped, refined, and emphasized. Constantly focus on what English teachers call the theme of the story. Constantly ask yourself what the story is about. Keep it simple but deep. Think of the story within the story.
The man who joins the Krishnas is looking for something and he is also rejecting something. The zydeco enthusiasts are trying to preserve something traditional in an urban setting that is completely different from their rural origins. The video game addict is addicted to something less dangerous to his physical health, but what about his mental health?
It always seems crude to reduce a story to a mere headline and subhead, but that’s essential to the writing process. Where are the headlines in your story? In Matt Miller’s story, the theme of the ghetto kids is “being real.” That’s a theme worth sticking with and exploring throughout. Keeping it real.
Look for the emotional struggle at the bottom of the story and bring it out. People need to dance to zydeco because their lives are hard, whether they’re working in an oil refinery or fishing in the bayou. The folks at Onion Creek want a simpler, laid-back life in the midst of a sprawling, monotonous city. Every story has an element of desire at the bottom of it. Need is another version of desire.
Now that we’re at the end, fatigue sets in. How do you revive your enthusiasm? Discover what your story is about. Not through research but by thinking about what you’ve got.
