Your Note-Taking System

I second what mustang said. I sometimes have trouble reading my chicken scratch writing, but on the other hand listening and re-listening to the recorder on deadline takes a while, and I sometimes notice I'm so focused on transcribing I loose track of what is really important for the story.
When I was early in my career, a competing shop's SE covered the same game I did. We were interviewing a football coach after a game. I glance over between questions and notice random squiggly looking lines on said SE's yellow legal pad. Others told me later the SE could look at his lines and know exactly what the quote was. In essence, he had a photographic memory and used notes as his back-up system. I wish my mind worked like that.

 

Can't remember ever accidentially erasing anything from my recorder or found it not to be working. Simple: check to make sure everything's in working order BEFORE you use it.

But digital recorders are SCARY!!!! Just ask one of my former bosses, who still uses a cassette recorder.

 

Do you write all your stories in the crayon color of the team you are covering?

 

I prefer to use a legal pad on a clipboard. I've gotten used to holding the clipboard in the crook of my left elbow while I take photos, and I'm a big believer that it's good to have on hand for protection in case of light rain or a stray foul ball headed for the head/junk.

 

I've never used just a recorder. Always been too afraid that I'd be one or two pushed buttons away from a lost interview. Don't like that risk.

On both features and post-game interviews, I've hit "record" with the machine and take notes also. I agree, though, that the more you rely on the recorder, the more conversational an interview can be (and the more comfortable the interview subject).

What kills me is, I spent that time doing the interview ... then in the car on the laptop or in the office, have to go through the whole interview again. Waste of time ... so while I have a digital version of it, generally I just use my handwritten notes and be done with it.

 

If I'm writing a feature or something I'll have a while to work on, I tend to stick with just a recorder, then go back and transcribe the whole thing. It's too difficult to keep up with note taking for a long conversation, and I've found that if you're just using the recorder, it's much easier to actually listen to what the person is saying, process it and be able to ask intelligent follow up questions.

If I'm doing something like a gamer on deadline, I still use my recorder but also will take some notes (like UPChip, I go legal pad on clipboard). I don't try to write down everything but mostly jot down the gist of what is said so that as I write, I can look to see what kinds of quotes I have and where in the interview I can find them on the recorder.

 

I gave up on recorders real quick in college...quickly grew tired of doing an interview, then listening to said interview in slow motion.

I use a reporters notebook and for gamers, I have one side with a table for basic stat taking and I use the flip side of the paper for noting big plays, etc.

I've been telling myself for years that I should have one notebook for basketball and another for wrestling, etc, but have yet to do it. This next school year, that plan will go in place...too much time flipping pages looking for the right game

My editor and former sports editor always uses a large yellow legal pad because her handwriting is big...I prefer the smaller reporters notebook since it's easier to tote around.

 

Why do you listen to your interviews in slow motion?

 

Digital recorder and notepad (steno for football to hold stats, reporter's for other sports). I hold the recorder and notepad in the same hand and jot down who said what and when, down to the second (advantage of digital). When I'm back in the office, I can just scroll to the :37 mark, for example, and transcribe just that quote.

 

My first few years, I relied way too much on my notes. Then I covered a coach who would call you out if you got so much as a preposition wrong. So I started recording and transcribing everything, with the only exceptions being when I was covering a game and on a super tight deadline.

My notes from a postgame presser would look like this

1. Opening comments 3:10
2. Question about QB play 3:15
3. Defense breaking down 4:25
4. Gets mad, lead quote 5:10
5. Goes off on defense good stuff 6:45
6. Talks about opponent boring 7:50

 

I found myself rewinding constantly to get the quotes and just found the recorder a bigger hassle than simply taking down notes in the first place.

 

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