Old / Forest Hunt

Writing complex news articles can be overwhelming. To tell the cleanest and most efficient story possible it's key to have a good process from start to finish. I'm constantly revising and building my own process for reporting and writing.

Currently, I use Scrivener to organize and draft information into potential stories. I use google sheets to manage my public records requests. I use otter.io to transcribe and manage my interviews and quotes. I use the Hemingway and ProWritingAid editors, warily.

Below are some examples from my "Evergreen beat" scrivener doc and my public records tracking doc to give you a sense of how I work.

I have three stages: threads to follow up on, collections of threads that have the potential to become a story, and stories that are ready to be actively reported on and written.

I use icons to differentiate threads. Blackboard: developing story, speech bubble: quotes, magnifying glass: followup, paper: notes, rectangle & circle: link, etc.

Let's take a look at a draft of a completed article.

I keep a dedicated section for long interviews. Checkmarks indicate I have finished transcribing them into Scrivener. I transcribe shorter quotes directly into my writing from Otter.

Drafting for the article. Folders indicate two major sections of the final article. Text icons indicate the body text. Documents & information are organized into their own sections tied directly to the writing they support.

Tracking public records requests is not just about keeping track of documents, it's also about accountability. I track every email records officers send me so I can quickly see patterns of public records law non-compliance and prove it if need be.

Forest Hunt

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