A good story starts with a good idea. Where do you get ideas? They come primarily from what interests or excites you and from what you think would interest your reader. Ideas should be fresh and timely or newsy; they should be of general interest, important and relevant to young people.

They should result in stories about things the reader has the right to know or a need to know in order to be a good citizen. These stories should inform, educate, guide or entertain.

So, now you have this great idea. You should start interviewing, right? Wrong. The first thing you need to do is research the subject as thoroughly as possible, at the library, on the internet and by talking to some experts.

Collect as many facts and as much detail as possible. Become as much of an instant expert as you can, but bear in mind that this is just the beginning of the process.