By STEVE BUTTRY, Writing Coach
Omaha World-Herald

If possible, write as you report. For instance, if you're working a story by phone, you're going to have some dead time, maybe a few seconds at a time, when you're on hold or waiting for someone to answer, maybe a few minutes while you're waiting for people to return calls.

Start putting the information from your last interview into story form. Even if you don't know where it will go in the story yet, start writing paragraphs that will fit somewhere. Write a lede based on what you know so far. In addition to starting your writing, this helps sharpen the focus of the reporting that remains.

Writing as you report allows you to continue your reporting closer to deadline. Writing in chunks, with frequent interruptions as you return to reporting, can lead to choppy writing. You need to fix this by using some of the time you save to read back through the story to make it flow smoothly. If you are at the scene and need to run back to the newsroom to report, you can't physically write as you report. But start writing or outlining the story in your head or in your notebook during moments when you find yourself waiting.

Identify the minimum story. Decide early what your minimum story is, the story that answers the basic who, what, when, where questions. This is the story that meets basic levels of journalistic competence and allows you to keep drawing a paycheck next week. This is your first goal.

Identify the maximum story. The maximum story is the story that readers will be talking about at work and in coffee shops the next day. This is the story that your editors and readers will remember, that marks you as a star performer. This story may answer difficult how, why, so what, or how much questions, or it may address the who-what-when-where questions in greater depth. The maximum story will have such enticing elements as setting, plot, characters, and dialogue. You are looking for elements that might make this story especially memorable.

Secure the minimum, then pursue the maximum. If you are not on deadline, you might gather the information for the minimal story fairly early, then build incrementally to the maximum story. Or you might start with some of the information for the maximum story and spend a lot of time with that, knowing you'll be able to fill in the basics later.

On deadline, you want to identify immediately the potential sources who could provide the information for the minimum story and get the information from them as quickly as possible. Then you zero right in on the sources who might provide the maximum story. Maybe you can't get the maximum story on deadline. It might be a second-day story or a Sunday follow-up. But go for it. If you don't land the maximum story, you're likely to gather material that will improve on the minimum story.

Reassess frequently. Before and after each interview, assess quickly what you still need to nail down the minimum or maximum story. Go quickly to those elements in your questioning. Go to the sources who will provide that sort of information.

If you don't have time to interview all the desired sources, avoid those who will waste your time with redundant information. For instance, in a crime or disaster story, one official source may provide all the basic information for your minimal story. Once you get that information, you might want to focus your energy on unofficial sources who can give your story greater human dimension, rather than going to other official sources. However, if you haven't identified the unofficial sources yet, other official sources may help lead you to them.

— This tip was used with permission from Steve Buttry, writing coach and national correspondent at the Omaha World-Herald. Steve also offers writing workshops; for more information, please contact him.