In Series...

A few things I'm learning as I work on an ambitious series to run at the end of the year:

1. Plan, plan, plan. Try to map out ahead of time what stories you will have and in what order; when you want to run them and how.
   
2. If you are working with someone else, be sure to delegate and let the other people pull their own weight.
3. Communicate. Bring the other reporters, photographers, editors and Web producers inside your head so they can know where the project is going and can offer help in their areas of expertise.
4. Make and meet self-imposed deadlines. Any series is going to require a lot of interview and writing time, so be sure to do interviews early and keep up with your notes and transcriptions. Give yourself early deadlines for each story so you don't try to cram all your information through a bottleneck of time near the publication date.
5. Pace yourself. Don't do all your interviews in one night. Try to seize on your free moments in the regular workday to make progress, instead of waiting to block off an entire day to work on the project.
   
6. Don't overdo it. It might sound awesome to have photos, graphics, video AND audio slideshows to go with all your text stories, but sometimes attempts at complementing can turn into redundancy. Determine the most effective way to tell each element of the story, and don't overtell it.
   
7. ASK for help when you need it. If you're beginning to feel in over your head, remember there are others in the newsroom who might enjoy a piece of your action.
8. Have fun. Remember why on earth you decided to take on this project in the first place, and love every minute of it.