First article

I wrote my first article for The Missourian over the weekend (Boone Dawdle raises money for True/False, builds community for cyclists). I covered a bike ride fundraiser called The Boone Dawdle. I felt nervous before the event, but quickly loosened up and realized that many people were happy to speak with me. Only one interviewee made some comments unfit to print (!). Here are the six things I learned from my first reporting experience:

1. A small notebook is much easier to write on than a large pad of paper.
2. Repeat name spellings back to people (or show them what you wrote down).
3. Do more interviewing than you think you'll need to do. I felt like I spoke with too many people, but actually used most of what people said in the story.
4. Before leaving, be sure you can answer the who, what, where, when, why, how questions. (Thanks to Lee Anne Denyer for this excellent advice, which helped me fill in the information I'd overlooked.)
5. Reporting is less scarier than it first appears.
6. I have much to learn.