I really like how my story turned out on the Rock Hill school board and how it represents what the entire country is going through right now. So, please allow me to pull back the curtain on it (1/??) https://apnews.com/faf6dadd380217f6ff44237bcfb6bd87

This seed of this story started with an editor suggestion. My boss and head of the South desk @ravinessman asked if I could go behind the scenes with a school board and tell a return to school story. (2)

I tried a few boards where I knew people. I thought they would know my work. I couldn’t get that kind of full, behind the scenes access I was looking for. Maybe they knew my work So I had to shift gears (3)

South Carolina reporters, I read your stories. In recent months, I’ve been reading lots of return to school stories with COVID-19, making notes of boards and systems across SC (4).

So when the behind the scenes thing fell through, another idea popped into my head _ let’s do this from what we can see and work my way from outside to inside. I needed a board where I could find old meetings online and was interesting (5)

The idea, well, here’s the delayed nutgraf: “This Board of Trustees in suburban South Carolina is like thousands of school boards nationwide, where members are tackling a simple but hefty question — do we return to school amid a pandemic? — with no right or even good answers” (6)

Rock Hill’s board was in the back of my mind already from reading about them the past few months. I liked a Florence board too and Sumter is interesting. (7)

But Rock Hill had what I was looking for: meetings online, a board with different views, but civil discussions. Jadeveon Clowney and Stephan Gilmore went there. Just a lot of interesting parts. (8)

So I listened to several meetings. I probably spent roughly 15 hours listening to them, mostly in the background while I wrote daily a daily COVID-19 story or monitored Hurricane What’s-Its-Name. (9)

And I took notes. Lots and lots of notes. Here they are, typed and printed out. (10).

On to the writing. I quickly figured Helena Miller as the leader of the board needed to be the way in. Person we can relate to + conflict is a basic story building block since cave pictures. (11)

I had so much, I outlined this time. Not a I. A. 1. outline, but a handwritten list of topics I wanted to hit. (12)

I thought about having a national expert weigh in, but instead I used the National School Boards Association for the pay figures only. There’s a reason for that. (13)

I wanted this story to have an authoritative voice. The things coming at school boards across the country are known if your eyes are open. I can show it instead of someone tell it. (14)

The school board is the main character, developed through its members. The back to school problem is universal. COVID-19, teachers, parents, the unrelenting march of time and even President Trump add conflict (like a good marriage counselor would tell you conflict ≠ bad) (15)

So the story gets turned in. This is where @JanelleCogan enters. I designed a three-bedroom bungalow. She said let’s add a sunroom, use the nice paint and go all out on the landscaping (16)

Her first bit of good advice _ add more Helena. The story gets better. Her second idea _ the graf about how everyone is talking about schools, but this is where the action is . There are many more. (17)

Janelle brilliantly revised the kicker so we ended on a positive note with the free books and hug, not my downer “doom and gloom.” (18)

A good edit from a great editor is a wonderful thing. It’s harmony _ like when Don Rich comes in with Buck Owens in “Under Your Spell Again” and makes it beautiful (19)

The story was pretty much locked in, but we needed visuals. So I headed to Rock Hill for Monday’s meeting to get pictures and videos. Here’s 4 of my photos that ran with it (20)

And the video, which our Atlanta desk put together from my iPhone clips (21)

I’m working on the visual side of things. You tell the story differently in those mediums. I wanted to highlight the board’s cohesiveness. Here are a few other pictures that I like but didn’t use (22)

One piece of advice I give reporters, is pay as much attention as you can. What isn’t important now, might be important later. When I first started noticing the Rock Hill board, I had no idea where it would lead. (23)

Maybe I’ll break down a spot story next. The elements of character, conflict, pacing and timing, again, the harmony to the melody of breaking news, really shine in a daily story if done right (24)

My next little project (I hope) involves a place, people and stuff tucked away in my head during flood coverage in SC the past 5 years (but has little to nothing to do with the floods). Stay tuned. It is my other favorite story type _ zig while others zag. (25)

Thanks for sticking with my little indulgence. Always thank your editors when they do good work. Always remember people are at the heart of stories and sources are people too. (26 / fin)