RESOURCE DESK · FIELD-TESTED BASICS

Good habits,
made handy.

Start with one practical guide and make your next piece of work more useful, accurate, and clear. No gatekeeping. No ten-hour course before you can begin.

01 · STORY FINDING

Find a story worth reporting

A topic becomes a story when you find a specific question, a real tension, and someone who needs the answer.

Name the change.
Find the people affected.
Make the question answerable.
Explain why it matters now.

02 · INTERVIEWING

Ask questions people actually answer

The strongest interview is a sequence that helps someone remember, explain, and show you what they know.

Open with something easy.
Move toward a specific moment.
Ask “What makes you say that?”
Leave room for the missing piece.

03 · VERIFICATION

The 5-minute pre-publish fact check

A calm final pass catches the mistakes your brain stopped seeing after the fifth edit.

Names, titles, and places.
Numbers, dates, and units.
Quotes and paraphrases.
Links, context, and fairness.

FIELD TOOL 001

Story Spark Starter Checklist

Keep the essential reporting prompts beside you from the first idea to the final publish decision.

Find the useful question.
Prepare the interview.
Track every source.
Check before publishing.

The Handy Method

Find · Verify · Interview · Structure · Publish