Moran’s advice on game stories: Be prepared

Malcolm Moran’s session on writing game stories was very insightful. He stressed the importance of preparing before a game and sometimes even over-preparing. He stressed that having information ahead of time allows writers to prepare for any unexpected turn of events in a game. And since readers today want information instantly, knowing storylines ahead of time is essential to writing an informative and timely game story. 

Over the last two years, I learned the importance of gathering information ahead of time when covering high school sporting events for The Washington Post. I was able to write better and feel confident in meeting deadlines when I did research on a team or called coaches ahead of time to get information. Pre-reporting also allowed me to tell a story that offers more than just play-by-play.

Another thing that I liked hearing from Moran was the importance of providing detail on key plays. Being able to describe in detail a game-winning shot or a diving catch is important because it gives the reader a clear picture of what happened.