One of the reasons I love journalism and writing is that it’s like a treasure hunt. When you first hear about a potential story, chances are there is more to the story than is obvious on the surface. In fact, much of the time, one article topic can yield up to two more stories that are connected to it.

A journalist is a treasure hunter. Looking at the first clue she is given, the writer follows it with an eye open for more clues that could lead to a hidden treasure in the form of a fascinating person, a piece of breaking news or a never-before-told story.

In my experience, it is not uncommon to discover three to five additional stories connected to the first one I hear about.

For instance, recently I received a prayer newsletter from a missionary in the island Kingdom of Tonga. There was a prayer request for a new ministry to fathers of disabled children. I thought this might make a good article, so I contacted the missionary for more information. As we corresponded and talked, I realized that the missionary himself had a fascinating life story that was connected to this ministry. And I realized that the ministry to fathers was an extension of a much larger ministry to families with disabled children that involves vocational training, rehabilitation and developing of social skills.

When all was said and done, we had three articles to publish in Engage magazine — a profile, a news story and a feature story.

Journalism is a treasure hunt and the journalist is a treasure hunter. Keeping an eye open for the clues will yield chests full of glittering stories if we pay attention and keep following the map.

Tags: clues, journalism, map, story, treasure