"It seems like sometimes when it comes to brainstorming story ideas, my staff and I sit around and stare blankly at each other," said Daniels, lifestyle editor for the Anderson Independent-Mail in South Carolina. "I'm hoping to find ways to get ideas off the news and re-energize the staff."

Daniels and other journalists attending AASFE's 59th annual convention in Denver at the Brown Palace Hotel found guidance at a workshop led by Chicago Tribune writer Louise Kiernan, who first advised the group to read.

"It's such basic advice that I'm hesitant to give it, accept that I meet so many reporters who don't read," Kiernan said.

Kiernan kicked off the workshop by reading a story published several years ago about a young girl who came in second place in a cookie-stacking contest. The narrative about the girl's wish to win contest money so her family could afford a home with a bedroom of her own originated from a press release, Kiernan said.

"It's an item of news that most of us would throw in the trash, but the reporter turned it inside out and asked the question, 'Who has something at stake?'" Kiernan said.

Reading also leads to borrowing. "There is nothing wrong with reading a good story and thinking of a way to do it where you are," Kiernan said.

But there's more to life than reading, Kiernan suggested. She offered additional strategies for developing story ideas:

• Get ideas from the people and experiences of work and life. "When you can do something in person instead of on the telephone, you should do it," Kiernan said. "The best ideas bubble up from being out somewhere talking to people."
• During work experiences, ask really specific questions when talking to people, such as, "What's everyone in your department talking about?" or "What's affecting you?" And the most important question Kiernan suggested reporters ask before ending an interview: "Is there anything I didn't ask you?"
• Don't be afraid to ask friends as well as yourself what's going on. "Personal experiences can translate to a larger story," Kiernan said.
• Talk to academics. "This is another quick source for stories that we don't use enough," Kiernan said.
• Work less. "Journalists should have lives," Kiernan said. "If you're engaged in the community in which you live, you will come up with more ideas than you need."
• Make sure you have an idea, not a topic. "If it sounds like the top of a high school paper, then it's a topic," Kiernan said. "Ideas should have movement."