Stages of the Writing Process

1) Idea Stage
     What's the point?
     Why would readers be interested?
     How to report? Who to interview?
2) Reporting
     Gather and organize facts.
     Online research from trusted sources.
     Interviews — always multi-source.
     Press releases, resumes and other provided material.
     Past news or newsletter articles on topic.
     Writings by the subject of the story.
3) Organization
     Think through beginning, middle, end.
     Organize and prioritize quotes.
     Plan your ending in advance.
     Don't be afraid to outline.
4) Shaping the Top
     See accompanying post of that name.
5) First Draft
     Write to assigned length.
     Tight and direct sentence structures.
     Punchy quotes — prefer one or two sentence.
     Mostly two-sentence paragraphs.
6) Self-Editing
     Grammar:
          Police your commas.
          Check subject-verb agreement.
          Watch for dangling modifiers.
          Check verbs — right one?
     Spellcheck (only an idiot would not).
     Proper Quote Formats — float the quote!
     Tighten line by line — your goal is speed.
     Double-check all facts, figures and names.
     Last thing: Check AP style.
7) Reveal
     Share work with colleague for feedback.
     Turn it in for editing and mark-ups.
8) Re-Writing
     Make all of boss' suggested changes.
     Add your own changes — might include additional reporting.
9) Polishing
     Paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence.
     Tighten for speed, flow and natural rhythm.
     Consider word choice, punctuation, small details.
10) Last Task — Every Time!
     Double-check every name and CQ.