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.Get to know how things run on campus.Use the public relations people.Get maps and student–staff–faculty telephone directories of large campuses.2.Subscribe to the student newspaper on campus.Often these publications tell you a great deal about campus goingson.You can extend this suggestion by reading the campus magazines and faculty–staff publications, also.3.Get to know the director of the student center.There are many campus events that are coordinated through this office.4.Establish contact with various deans and chairpersons of departments.Do this in person if possible.5.Stop off for a visit at the campus research office.Many universities have offices for funded research programs, a campus clearinghouse for funded research.There is often a list produced of this work, or of grants received, that might propose interesting ideas before anyone else gets them.Swanson also suggests people on campuses are good prospects for profiles.Both faculty and students can become story ideas if you ask around to find out who is doing what.Columnist Dennis Hensley (1979) offered: "Colleges are the homes of the greatest minds we have in this country and the freelance writer who doesn't tap this source of free information is literally missing the buck—the royalty buck, that is."Page 46Listening to Ideas from ReadersMany times, readers suggest story ideas.You know you have become established as a writer when readers contact you to pass along their ideas for stories.Although some ideas will not be worthy of a story, or are just not practical given your resources, others will be workable and you should follow up on the suggestions.Never ignore tips from readers.Although one tip just will not work, the next one might be ideal.You cannot afford to forget about these suggestions.If you cannot follow up on a tip right away, pass it along to someone who can or, if time permits, write it down for later use.But you must take the time to check out each and every tip.Most reader ideas come in the form of casual conversations.Someone finds out you are a feature writer and want to pass along the idea.Or he or she calls.There are times when someone tries to be a public relations person for a friend or relative and write some sort of announcement or article to start you on your way.If you get a call, or a letter, or someone pulls you aside in an office, listen to the idea even if you are busy and cannot do anything about it right away.Write that idea down for action later.Cook (1986) said, "You [should] scramble for paper and pencil to capture this.You know better than to wait.Write it down now or risk remembering later only that you had a great idea but not what that great idea was" (p.26).Tips and other ideas for stories from readers need to be checked out.Occasionally, someone presents an idea to you that seems good, but it might be false, exaggerated, or otherwise problematic.You have to take the time, at the outset, to confirm and verify information before you dig in to begin work.The value of tips cannot be overlooked.Some feature writers make their living off them.Oregon's Gary King, a freelance magazine article writer and book author who specializes in serial crime, finds tips to be his bread and butter.He combines tips with other sources, such as the news media and online computer databases."At first I got all of my leads for article ideas by following the news—all of it: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines.If I found a particular case that interested me, I would follow up by contacting (either in person, phone, or mail) the primary persons involved," King (1993, personal communication) explained."After a while, however, people began contacting me, particularly those in the law enforcement community whose trust and respect I managed to garner.During the past two to three years, I learned about the power of the computer, and now make scanning the news wires part of myPage 47daily routine.Nothing, however, can fully take the place of the inperson interview."Getting Ideas from Other WritersThere's absolutely nothing wrong with looking at what other writers and publications are using as sources for ideas.An idea that you see in a west coast magazine or newsletter might not work in an east coast market, but then again, it might.You might be able to adapt it for your own purposes.Start by reading all of your local newspapers, magazines, and newsletters.If you live in a metropolitan area, this might be a chore, but you have to know what is happening locally.This keeps you informed about their potential for publishing when you have an idea, but it also gives you ideas that you can market elsewhere.Certainly, you should try to read as many outoftown newspapers, magazines, and newsletters as you can.This is especially true to help you learn markets where you might sell your work, but also to give you new ideas
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