So You Want To Tell A Story... But What Story?

"Stories are all around us, people."

Cheesy, I know.  I couldn't resist.  It's a variation of the opening line of a disastertation dissertation my husband once reviewed.   But seriously, stories really are all around us.  Not just on the fax machine or in the email inbox.  You just have to train yourself to see/hear/feel them.

Sometimes, having the outsider's perspective helps. When I moved from Orlando to Birmingham to work at WBHM, I was shocked - SHOCKED! - at how much it cost to register my kids for school.  Hundreds of dollars per kid. For public school.  What?!?

I figured if I was stressed about this, surely there were other parents feeling the pinch.  So I started asking questions. Why do we have to pay so much for public school, in a district that already has higher property taxes?  What does all the extra money go for? What happens if a parent can't afford it?

Pretty much everyone I talked to agreed it sucked, but they mostly shrugged and said "it's always been this way."  But does that make it right?  What about families that have lots of kids? Families that live paycheck to paycheck?

My questions turned into this story for NPR.

It's tough, knowing when something's just a bugaboo that bothers you and when it's something bigger. It's tough, pulling yourself away from the press releases and newspaper headlines.  But it's so worth it.  It's where you'll find the most compelling stories.  You just have to learn how to trust your gut.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_mcmt/

I'm starting this blog as an online repository for some of the ideas, tips, techniques I've collected over the past quarter century (damn... that makes me feel old!).  I hope you'll find something useful here and that you'll contribute your stories as well.  Because that's what we do in public media. We work together to bring voice to the voiceless, to tell stories others won't and to support and inspire each other in the process.