Using Twitter to write a sports story

Using Twitter to write a sports story

by Michael Blanchette

Twitter has become a common tool for writers to use, whether to research a subject or to get real time information on world events. It is most useful in the news business, where timing is a necessity in a cutthroat business. Twitter enables journalists to acquire information that may not be available to them otherwise. These are just a couple of the reasons sports writers can find Twitter useful to write stories. 

 In my research, I found that writers are using Twitter to write staggered novels, one piece at a time. You would think that the 140-character format would feel restrictive to most writers, but author Rick Moody didn't think so. "I really liked working with this limitation, the merciless brevity."

 Writing a sports story is different. There doesn't seem to be a lot of sports writers using Twitter to write a full story, just researching items. But Twitter offers a lot of options for sports writers who want to write full stories. So I am giving you a tutorial on the benefits of Twitter for sports writers.

1. Twitter offers the ability to continue a story at a later date- Most sports stories are done once the newspaper is delivered, never to be revisited. Twitter changes that concept. Now, a writer can follow a subject for weeks or even years at a time. A writer can follow a players career from high school to the pros.
2. Twitter allows the writer unprecedented access to an athlete or sports figure- Dealing with a superstar from any field can be a challenge. In the past, trying to run down an athlete for a quote or for a small bit of information was tedious. Twitter breaks down that barrier.
3. When a huge moment occurs, it gains gravity from Twitter- When a high school basketball player that a writer has been following makes the NBA, the players feelings and emotions become part of the story. The reader can feel more of a connection with the    player when he knows his true thoughts. The reader becomes part of that moment.
4. Twitter can add suspense to any story- When a story is to be continued the next day, Tweets are a great source for the writer. The reader will be more likely to continue following the story.
5. Twitter is here to stay, so follow or get run over-This sounds rough, but journalists love trends. And Twitter is a trend that should have some staying power. It's like computers and word processors in the 1980's. The journalists who embraced the computer age were one step ahead. This applies to the current social media trend. If you want to get ahead in today's world of journalism, you need to get on board.

 I hope this will give you some idea of how to use Twitter to write a sports story. Twitter may be a grammatical nightmare at times, but the pluses outweigh the minuses. I love newspapers, but I've found that Twitter is becoming as important a news source as any. Any writer would be wise to discover Twitter and its uses.

blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/11/30