I swiped a piece a couple of years ago from the American Journalism Review site. It was by Steve Buttry, Writing Coach, Omaha World-Herald. Thanks Steve, your work has got me going many times.

It’s all good advice, but for me the keys are the following two paragraphs:

“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.”

Google tells me I’m not the only one who saved this article: http://www.copydesk.org/words/writingclearly.htm