Category Archives: Story

Aristotle’s eye for story

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Jim Killam

The Greek philosopher Aristotle identified six elements of drama: plot, characters, theme, dialogue, rhythm and spectacle. Those elements still apply today, whether we’re talking about a stage play, a written feature story or a YouTube video. Here’s a quick look … Continue reading →

Posted in Story | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Aristotle’s eye for story

The call of adventure

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Jim Killam

If you haven’t noticed, story is big right now. Tell your story. Tell your company’s story. Live a better story. As a writer, I like this trend. I’m predisposed to see life as a series of story ideas. The best … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Faith, Story | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The call of adventure

In disaster aftermath, God’s stories don’t stop

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Jim Killam

I’m writing this on an airplane after spending the past two days in Covington, Louisiana, helping to train ReachGlobal’s Crisis Response staff to be reporters. Of all mission work, crisis response offers some of the best opportunity for bragging on … Continue reading →

Posted in Reporting, Story | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on In disaster aftermath, God’s stories don’t stop

Everyone has a purpose

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Lincoln Brunner

My wife’s grandma, Vera Lamb, died recently at the venerable age of 89. The funeral, held last week on a rainy morning in rural Minnesota, celebrated the life of a woman who had raised nine children, lost an infant daughter, … Continue reading →

Posted in Story | Comments Off on Everyone has a purpose

The stream and the banks

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Jim Killam

Historian and philosopher Will Durant liked to see the big picture. The history of the whole world, for instance. Between the 1930s and the 1970s, he and his wife, Ariel, wrote an 11-volume opus called “The Story of Civilization.” They … Continue reading →

Posted in Reporting, Story | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The stream and the banks

Life and death stories are the best

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Lincoln Brunner

I talked to a statistic today. He’s doing well, all things considered. My numeric friend has an office two doors down from mine. A few days ago, he survived a heart attack caused by full blockage of his “widow-maker,” the left anterior descending coronary … Continue reading →

Posted in Reporting, Story | Comments Off on Life and death stories are the best

Story criteria: Urgency of need

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Jim Killam

Before 24-hour cable news networks that label anything from a terrorist bombing to a celebrity divorce as “Breaking News,” news editors relied on The Associated Press. A big story would crossed the wire with the label, “URGENT.” Meaning: Pay attention … Continue reading →

Posted in Story | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Story criteria: Urgency of need

Story criteria: Is it unique?

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Jim Killam

Next on our list of criteria when choosing stories to pursue for Crossfield News: The story must be unique and distinctive. That means it’s either gone unreported or underreported elsewhere. We have little interest in attending press conferences, or in … Continue reading →

Posted in Story | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Story criteria: Is it unique?

Cultivating great story sources

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Lincoln Brunner

Yesterday Jim talked about two really important story questions: “Is it interesting?” and “Is it important?” If you don’t have those two going for you, find a different angle. Or story. But where to find good examples? The ocean of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reporting, Story | Comments Off on Cultivating great story sources

Elements of a good story

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Jim Killam

We’ve gained a few new audience members lately, so this might be a good time to run through some basics of how we do what we do at Crossfield News, and how anyone can better identify stories worth telling. Our mission: … Continue reading →

Posted in Story | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Elements of a good story