‘How to Say Your Story - A manual for South Asia’s NGOs, CSR teams & Government agencies on communicating through written stories’

A manual for
South Asia’s NGOs, CSR teams
& Government agencies on
communicating through
written stories
Ameen Ahmed

How To Say Your Story, 2013 Ameen Ahmed
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Disclaimer
This document has been written by the author in his individual
capacity. It does not represent the official stand or view of any
organisation. Any trade mark and creative content like
photographs included is the copyright of respective creator/
author.
Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC
This document can be remixed, tweaked, and built upon non-
commercially provided the new work is non-commercial and
acknowledges this document.
Published: July 2013 AD; Ramzan 1434 Hijri
Photo credits: As credited on each photo
Suggested citation:
Ameen Ahmed. 2013.
How To Say Your Story
A manual for South Asia’s NGOs, CSR teams & Government
agencies on communicating through written stories.

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Dedicated to
My beloved father, Alhaj Janab Muneer Ahmed Saheb
And
Late Mr. K.S.Shankar, my high school Principal.
Mr. Ravi Singh, CEO & SG, WWF-India.
Padma Shri Zafar Futehally, Birdwatcher and wildlife conservationist
Mr. T.V.N.Murthy, Founder, Wildlife Aware Nature Club (WANC),
Tumkur

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This book’s chief objectives are, to help:
1. Identify stories.
2. Write stories.
3. Edit stories.
4. Improve story writing skills.
5. Disseminate stories.

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How to use this book
Every chapter presents a broad idea and the following are
included towards the end of each:
a) Summarised highlights in boxes to help readers remember
the concepts in the long run.
b) Exercises which readers can use to test their knowledge of
the aforesaid chapter.
c) References as well as further resources to help readers
gain more knowledge of the various themes and ideas
presented.

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Author’s note
The development sector, or third sector as it is also known, is
helping south Asia face its various challenges today, ranging
from environment to children’s and women’s rights. The
sector’s work is being carried out by Government agencies,
non-government organisations and Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) wings of the corporate. These need to
educate their various stakeholders, both internal and external,
on the various issues that need urgent social attention;
probable solutions to them; as well as their strategic objectives
and individual goals. There are few better ways to
communicate these than through stories.
There are many books and essays written on communications
for the third sector in the West, particularly in the USA. But
there are hardly any in south Asia, though there is literature
available on corporate communication here. The sporadic
essays written on the third sector are mainly done so by
communicators who have only spent a small part of their career
in this sector. Over the years, the senior and middle level
communication people I have met in the development sector
have mostly made their beginning in the corporate and it is not
surprising to see them freely apply their corporate experience
and ideas in this sector. Though there is no doubting the need

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to imbibe the corporate work culture in the third sector, it is
imperative that the development sector’s communication is
devised by people who have been into this long enough. The
need of the hour is to assimilate the corporate work culture in
the third sector at the same time as ensuring there is a fair say
in devising strategies and action plans of development sector’s
communication by people who have been into this long
enough. On the brighter side, some of the communication
campaigns run by the Government agencies show a fair degree
of refinement indicating the maturity with which the
communicators, chiefly external agencies, are handling the
assigned campaigns. To sum up, the intricacies of
development sector can be better understood by someone who
has rich hands-on experience at the grass roots - the ‘ground
zero,’ of third sector. And the sooner (and longer) a
communicator working in development sector gains this
experience, the better.
This manual, probably the first of its kind in south Asia,
attempts to help key players in the development sector to
create and use stories, either to gain new audiences or
strengthen their hold over the existing ones.
Ameen Ahmed
Bangalore, India
July 2013

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Thank you!
Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your
life.
Rumi, the Sufi
This manual is an outcome of the unstinting support I have
received from my parents, wife and siblings; the affection and
encouragement of my friends and colleagues; and the endless
opportunities provided by my motherland India. I thank my
fellow nature club members of Wildlife Aware Nature Club,
Tumkur and my colleagues at Greenpeace India as well as
WWF-India. Special thanks to my journalist friends, in particular
R.S.Iyer of the vernacular Kannada press; Devaraju Hirehalli,
Girish Babu, Subhash N, Amit Upadhye and Shivaraja B.N.
Jayalakshmi.K, former editor of Deccan Herald’s Sunday
supplement, has catalysed the blooming of many young
writers. She provided me the space to write on many a Sunday
in that news paper at a crucial juncture in my writing life.
Speaking to my friends who share the same concern for our
nation’s welfare, particularly its wildlife, Guruprasad.T.V,
Prasanna Kumar.D.R, Mallikarjun Manjunath (Malli),
Gundappa.B.V (Mestru), Chandrashekhar Upadhyaya, Dr.

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Manjunath.K.R, Dr. Mahesh.G.S, Mallesh.R, Harish Bhat.R,
Manjunath.P, Dr.Aravind Raj, Dr. Hussain.K.A, Mohanraj.N,
Jayachandran.S, Gurunath Desai, Laxmeesha, Suresh K
Mohammed IPS, Sridhar.S and all those whom I have not
mentioned here, has always propelled me to walk that extra
mile in life.
My well wishers in the Indian Forest Service and the Forest
Department have always welcomed me with open arms to help
me learn more. I particularly thank Dr. Uday Veer Singh PhD
IFS, Yekanthappa.K IFS, Vijay Mohan Raj IFS, Samir Sinha
IFS, Udayan.A IFS, Santhosha.G.R IFS and Pooviah.A.T.
Thanks to Shubhobroto Ghosh for holding the mirror to the first
draft contents of this book.
A special thanks to Fowziya, my better half, for her
encouragement throughout this work.
Here are a few names that I can remember of the many that
have helped me shape my writings over the years:
Aishwarya Maheshwari, Ahmer Siddique, Anil Cherukupalli,
Anshuman Atroley, Anupam Sharma, Amit Sharma, Asad R
Rahmani, Ashish Fernandes, Ashish Kothari, Binu Jacob,

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Dakshina Murthy, Dipankar Ghose, Diwakar Sharma, Elma
Okic, Gene Hashmi, Gopakumar Menon, Jai Krishna R, Javed
Naqi, Joydeep Bose, Juhi Chaudary, Kiran Rajashekariah,
Kandpal.K.D, Krishna.M.B, Dr.Naveen.K.S PT, Madhukar Rao,
Malini Shankar, Manoj Ponnath, Mohan B Kemparaju,
Moushumi Basu, Mudit Gupta, Nandeesha, Palecanda M
Aiyyanna, Peeyush Sekhsaria, Prabhakar Achar, Pramod
Venkateshmurthy, Pranab.J.Bora, Prasad.J.N, Prashant.N.S,
Ravindra.A, Raghuram, Rohit Mishra, Saket Badola IFS,
Sandeep Vegad, Sanjay Balachandran, Sejal Worah,
Siddhartha Gogoi, Shivakumar L Narayan, Siddhartha Ghosh,
Shivaraja B.N, Shubhobroto Ghosh, Sonali Nandrajog, Soumen
Dey, Subhash N, Srinivasalu.P.V, Sunil Kumar M, Sunny Shah,
Suresh C Sharma, Suresh Heblikar, Susheela Nair, Tarique
Aziz, Veena Narasasetty, Venkatesh Upadhyaya, Vijay
Mahantesh, Vikram Hiresavi, Vinay P Chandra, Vismaya.

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Contents
1) The power of story
Stories for all; South Asia’s rich story-telling
traditions; Why a story?; ‘Do I really need to tell a
story?’; Is there science to show stories last longer
than other narrations?; Create your story, now!
2) Before narrating your story
Forms of story telling; Which ‘avatar’ for your
audiences?; Fitting your story into your overall
organisational strategy; Maintain scientific
temperament.
3) Ideating
‘Why write a story?’; ‘Whom do I write for?’; ‘Where
can I find mine?’; ‘Whom to feature and what to
write?’; ‘When to write (and use)?’; Sourcing stories
from colleagues or the field offices.
4) Writing your story
News or feature?; Length; Constructing a story;
Organisation and clarity; Choosing the header/ title;
Example of a feature story; Example of a news story;
Writing styles; Captions and cutlines; Pictures to
accompany stories.
5) Proofreading and editing
Revision; Editing; Proof reading; An example of
revision and editing.

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6) Disseminating your stories
Showcasing stories; Mediums to disseminate stories;
Journey beyond the story and the call for action;
Stories and social issues’ awareness, a case study;
Stories for NGO fundraising; A step by step guide to
write your story.
7) Improving your stories
Providing a personal touch to stories on animals;
Why it pays to be politically correct; Continue what is
working right for you; Accept feedback honestly;
Measure the response; See what others are doing
right; Write simple and to the point; Use pictures to
help readers visualise the story; Take help of pictorial
representations; Expand the horizons of your online
story; Writing for external channels; Balance between
emotions and rationality; ‘Practise makes a man
perfect’.
8) The Author

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Stories for all
Recall the last time you heard a story and the chances are it
might not have been long ago since you actually started to
browse through this book. May be you had a friend calling you
to tell what happened at the office today. Or may be you
overheard your sibling or spouse gossip about their colleagues
or family. Or you may just
have watched an ad on TV
by a multi-crore rupee
brand, which used a
narration to try and hit the
marketing bull’s eye in 30
flat seconds.
Stories are being narrated
1. The Power of Story
Multi-crore rupee
brands take the route
of narration in trying
to hit the marketing
bull’s eye in 30 - 60
seconds.

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since time immemorial in various forms. The Stone Age
humans painted on rocks to narrate their lives. Today’s movies
and the many albums - entertainment that many often resort to,
to break from the monotony of hectic modern day life, are
stories - some times on self and sometimes on others.
They exist in all
languages and
among people of
all lands. If not for
the impact they
have on the
masses, they
would not have
been used in
major religious
texts to preach
common man the
‘divine’ word;
Lord Krishna narrates The Bhagavad Gita through stories and
speaks of the principles that need to be followed by humans.
The Bible has stories on Mary, Jesus and their forefathers and
tells people how God has commanded them to follow the
righteous path. The Quran narrates many stories of the people
A performance of Ram Leela, among the
popular ways of narrating the tales of the epic
Ramayana.
Courtesy:
http://www.pravasitoday.com/countrys-oldest-
official-ramlila-will-stick-to-tradition

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mentioned in The Bible and furthers the word of Allah as
narrated by Prophet Muhammad.
South-Asia’s rich story-telling traditions
South Asians have been at the forefront of story telling through
ages. Ramayana and Mahabharata, the great epics of
Hinduism, have been narrated through the breadth of the
Indian sub-continent (and even beyond, in south-east Asia) in
numerous forms, from puppetry and dramas to poetry, well-
known among them being the Hari Katha and the Ram Leela.
The stories
from
Panchatantra,
the Jatakas, as
well as the
tales of the
great Moghul
Akbar and his
witty courtier
Birbal make a
delightful
reading even
today. Many of these have also been reproduced as
animations as well as television serials and some have made it
A 'Dastangoi' being performed in Basti
Nizamuddin, Delhi, in Dec. 2010. 'Dastangoi' is
dramatized Urdu storytelling that dates back to
medieval Iran (Persia).
(c) Ameen Ahmed

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to the big screen too. Among the many popular TV serials of
yesteryears that popularised dramatised story telling in India
are ‘Dada dadi ki kahaniyan’, ‘Vikram aur Betal’ and ‘Mulla
Nasruddin’, all on India’s state channel Doordarshan. Similarly,
Dastangoi a dramatised form of Urdu story has, over the
centuries, mastered Dastaan e Amir Hamza (‘The tales of Amir
Hamza’) in which the mythical world of fairies and magicians
comes alive. Stories from Arabian Nights have been translated
in many languages and are popular across south Asia just like
they are in the West.
Be it the bed time tales of grannies, folklores of the traditional
story tellers or qawwalis of the Sufis, story telling has been an
integral part of the way of life in south Asia.
Why a story?
We remember many of the world’s events that have left a mark
on us due to stories we have been told – many of them through
pictures. Few who have seen the picture of Phan Thị Kim
Phúc, the terrified girl child running down a road with her back
on fire during the Vietnam War after a South Vietnamese Air
Force napalm attack can forget it. Many in the western world
actually hear about the jungles of India and their tigers for the
first time through the stories of Sher Khan, Mowghli and other

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characters of The Jungle Book. These are just a few examples
of what stories can do to people’s perceptions. According to
Shubhobroto Ghosh, a science writer, “Story telling is an
ancient art and if one can hone their skills of sharing stories, it
could have a magnetic effect on enrapturing people’s attention
to social issues. Can you recollect how the master story tellers
frame their plots, unweave the mysteries and lay out the
intricacies for their audiences be it laymen or children? Well
known naturalists and scientists like George Schaller, Jane
Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birute Galdikaas, Billy Arjan Singh and
Gerald Durrell, all of them in their writings evoke a powerful
emotional bond with nature that is reflected in their stories in
popular books that are far more effective than any number of
scientific papers.”
Using stories will not only help you further your organisational
objectives, it also will help focus the public spotlight on various
issues affecting our country.
‘Do I really need to tell a story?’
Here are a couple of simple ways to find out if your existing
communication is actually achieving its stated goals.
a) Ask your digital media analyst to analyse your e-
communications – the e-mailers, e-newsletters/ e-
bulletins, web pages, social networking posts among

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others to see which pages or issues have received
higher hits.
b) Find out how many compliments your corporate
communication team received through emails or verbal
feedback.
If the numbers are low, then obviously there is something that
needs to work better.
Then, sit back and try recalling these:
- How many times have you received compliments after
despatching your annual report to your donors and
trustees?
- How many of your individual or high end donors have
actually called and offered more support after browsing
through your periodical – your monthly magazine or e-
newsletter?
If the above has not happened often, check if you have stories
in the documents you have sent. If they are indeed present,
ask yourself if they have been told in a way that actually
inspires your audiences. There is always scope for you to
improve the way you communicate your work by improving
and telling your stories more effectively.

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Is there science to show stories last longer than other
narrations?
There are quite a few resources available in the public that use
the help of science to prove the better grasping power of the
brain when fed with stories. An interesting discussion is in
Kendall F. Haven’s Story proof: the science behind the
startling power of story on how brain is wired to understand
stories better than a plain, non-story narration. Dawes R also
says the human brain is built to process stories better than
other forms of input. Thomas Neuman, Professor of
Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Paediatrics, University of
California, advocates the power behind stories and the way
many doctors can find them useful. You may want to explore
the ‘Further resources’ section at the end of this chapter to
learn more.
Create your story, now!
A good story is a bridge between the situation on the ground
and the bigger picture. It can be a tool using which anybody,
from an ordinary citizen to a decision maker, can be made to
understand the issues affecting the society and the nation at
large. A good story can move a legislator to act, it can provoke
the mainstream media to further write about it, it can create
new donors or make the existing ones dig deeper into their

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pockets; and for corporate donors it can help educate their
shareholders the reach their CSR can have, or has had.
This is the time to discover the potential of stories to
communicate your work. Buttress the drab statistics on your
website’s home page with a small narration, a picture and a link
to a story that will provoke interest in those stats. Reach out to
those pictures sent by your field officer of a child smiling in a
narrow alley of Mumbai’s Dharavi or a labourer toiling in a
Tughlaqabad sweat shop in south-east Delhi. Weave a story
around them. Upload a photo gallery on your website. Post
them on face book. Tweet them. Go ahead and say aloud to
the nation the issues facing their fellow citizens. Inspire others
with what you have done, what you are doing and what you
plan to do.

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Go ahead and tell your story!
(c) Ameen Ahmed

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Chapter exercises
1. Prepare a list of story telling traditions around you.
Hints:
- Start with your family.
- Speak to your colleagues and learn about the
story telling traditions in their families. Chat with
your neighbours and find the same.
- Some of the best sources are the elderly.
FURTHER RESOURCES
John Kotter. “The Power Of Stories.” Forbes.com, 2006
Dan heath, Chip Heath. ‘Made to Stick – Why some ideas survive and others
die….’
John Baldoni. "Using Stories to Persuade" Harvard Business Review. March
24, 2011.
John Seely Brown. "Storytelling in organizations: why storytelling is
transforming 21st century organizations and management.” Butterworth-
Heinemann, 2005, 192 pages.
David Lee. "The Mysterious Power of Stories." Blog, August 30, 2010
Terrance Gargiulo. "The Power Of Stories In Communication &
Management" linkageinc.com
John Seely Brown...[et. al]. “Storytelling in organizations: why storytelling is
transforming 21st century”. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

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Thomas B Newman. "It's good to talk. The power of stories over statistics".
British Medical Journal 327 : 1424 doi: 10.1136/bmj.327.7429.1424
(Published 18 December 2003)
Trish Groves, deputy editor, BMJ. "Editor's Choice. The power of stories".
BMJ 2009; 339:b4887
John F. Steiner, MD, MPH. "The Use of Stories in Clinical Research and
Health Policy.” Journal of the American Medical Association 2005
John F. Steiner, MD, MPH. "Using Stories to Disseminate Research: The
Attributes of Representative Stories". J Gen Intern Med. 2007 November;
22(11): 1603–1607. Published online 2007 September 1
Kendall F. Haven. “Story proof: the science behind the startling power of
story.”
Dawes R. ‘’Message from psychologists to economists: mere predictability
doesn’t matter like it should (without a good story appended to it).” J Econ
Behav Organ 1999;39:29-40.
Salma Khadra Jayyusi. 'Classical Arabic Stories: An Anthology', December,
2010, Columbia University Press
Paula Richman. ‘Ramayana stories in modern South India: an anthology,
2008, Indiana University Press.
Paula Richman. ‘Many Rāmāyaṇas: the diversity of a narrative tradition in
South Asia’ 1991, University of California Press, 1992

26

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Forms of story telling
Poetry, prose/ written essays, puppet shows, photographic
images, paintings,
illustrations are
among the many
ways to narrate. For
example, puppet
shows can be used in
melas or jatras
(village gatherings) to
convey to
communities a host of
messages ranging
from Government
2. Before narrating your story
The effective short film on Mukesh
Harane an oral cancer patient who
died at 24, due to tobacco chewing,
was telecast on TV channels in India in
2011-12.
Courtesy: World Lung Foundation
website on YouTube

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regulations on child marriage to dangers of AIDS. Illustrations
can be used to drive the message of road safety among kids. In
2010-11, the Government of India started using graphic images
of individuals with symptoms of cancer along with their stories
to create a greater understanding about the dangers of
consuming tobacco. Movies, particularly the short films,
increasingly are animated and tell stories.
Which ‘avatar’ for your audiences?
Find out who your audiences are and decide the best way to
reach them. Do you want
to write a feature story?
Prepare a colourful audio
visual presentation? Or,
create a photo gallery on
your website? How about
going a step ahead and
making a 1 or 2 minute
animated movie instead? Would having a narrative in the movie
and extending it, to maybe 3 minutes, help you convey the
message better? Asking your audience what they would like to
read and see is the best way to answer the above questions.
Conducting an online survey can be a big help. You may do
one yourself through commercially available web sites like
Find out who your
audiences are and ask
yourself what is the
best way to reach
them.

29
monkeysurvey.com or, if resources permit, you can ask a
marketing company to do the same for you.
Fitting your story into your overall organisational strategy
It is extremely important that you ask yourself where your story
fits into the organisation’s strategy or bigger scheme of things.
Is it to convey the need to introduce your audience to a
particular way of thinking of yours that you would like to get
registered in the audience’s mind? The answer to this question
will be yes if you are the planning stage of the project, to test
waters and see how your stakeholders react, Even beyond the
planning stage and into the initiation stage of the project, such
a story can be told to convince your stakeholders of your
conviction in the idea and that it is going to work.
What if you are at a stage where you would like to inform them
about the way things are progressing or perhaps not
progressing? For example, if you have invested in a micro-
credit project to support a small, impoverished community and
if the same is not making an impact in the lives of your projects
beneficiaries the same within the timeline it was supposed to
wouldn’t it be prudent for you to convey a story that informs the
audiences of the same and the factors behind it? Writing an ‘all
is well’ story at that stage and then letting the force of the issue

30
suddenly hit the stakeholders will do a great disservice to your
brand.
Maintain scientific temperament
To maintain a loyal reader base who put faith in what you write
and look forward to reading your stories over a period of time,
have the essence of a scientific essay in your story. Here are
some pointers in this direction:
1) Make sure the facts you quote have the relevant and reliable
references. Avoid theories and ideas that can not be backed by
scientific (measurable, repeatable) evidence.
2) Choose the words for your story carefully and ensure they
convey exactly what you want to. There is a difference
between, “This locality has the largest number of poor in the
city,” and “This is among the localities with the largest number
of poor in the city”.
3) Ensure your audience understands your language. Avoid
jargons and abbreviations or acronyms that are not easily
understood.
4) Use a dictionary to see how a word you have rarely used or
never used in your earlier write-ups, fits into the context of your
latest sentence as well as the overall story. Make sure nothing
is said, and nobody is quoted or paraphrased, out of context.

31
5) Before you start keying in, you might want to choose the
right language dictionary in the MS word (in windows). If you do
take the help of a dictionary, ensure the dictionary language is
set to the country of your choice. I personally use an English
(India) dictionary to help me edit. Be careful to check your draft
thoroughly after keying in using the ‘auto-correct’ option, as
there is a risk of the dictionary ‘auto-correcting’ a typed word to
an almost similarly spelled word but conveying a something
that you don’t mean.
Chapter exercises
1. Prepare a list of different story telling forms in your
state.
2. List the different story based campaigns run by the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government
of India, since 2007.

32
FURTHER RESOURCES
Writing Process - Brainstorming, Oracle, Think Quest Education
Foundation
National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP). “Specified Health
Warnings spots for Tobacco”
YouTube channel of Website of World Lung Foundation

33
Why should you write a story?
OK, let me ask you to
perform this small task.
Take a pen and a piece of
paper. Jot down the
reasons ‘Why’ you want to
write your story.
Need help? Try answering the following questions:
- What do you want to achieve from your story?
- What should your target audience do after reading your
story?
a) Should they change their lifestyles or attitudes to help
the situation?
b) Should they write to their legislator to intervene?
c) Do you want them to help you, either financially or as
volunteers?
3. Ideating
Reasoning why you
need to write a story
is a way to identify
your stories.

34
d) Any other thing you want them to do?
Answering the ‘Why’ will help you answer the five Ws (Whom,
Where, Who, What, When) and 1 H (How) and help you
complete your planned story.
Now, let me help you answer your questions.
‘Whom do I write for?’
There is obviously somebody who is going to read your story.
Try identifying the ‘whom’. For a health campaign by a
Government or Non Government agency the targets can be
very specific –first time parents for a children’s immunization
campaign or a campaign to have the right time gap before the
second child; smokers and their relatives for an anti-tobacco
campaign; High risk groups like the youth and long distance
lorry (truck) drivers to prevent STDs, etc. Like wise, a corporate
CSR wing might want to reach out to their shareholders on how
the company’s profits are raising the levels of primary
education in the communities surrounding a plant in a remote
part of the nation or how increased numbers of people from a
community have access to potable water.

35
‘Where can I find mine?’
Stories are present all around you. Look around to source one.
Ask why this issue, event or the action you have taken or plan
to take, is unique in the bigger context? Try quantifying it. For
example, if 95 of 100 kids
aged 6-35 months found in a
particular community or
village are anaemic, against
India’s national average of
79%*, the high rates of
anaemia can be the reason
for your story.
Speak to the people you are working with to know the impact
your work has had. If you see a story some where, the chance
is your audiences will also be able to see it too, provided you
convey the same in the right way.
How about giving an ear to the experiences of your
beneficiaries? Find out if the problems persist, have decreased
or even increased. Start asking questions and you will realise
getting out stories is not difficult.
Stories are present
all around you. You
just need to look
around to source
one.

36
Needless to say, stories need not be rosy all the time. There
might be stories of your project not making a big difference in
your beneficiaries’ lives, the reasons for which can be many. If
the chief reason is insufficient funds, that can be a story to tell
your donors the urgency of the situation, inspire them to walk
that extra mile and request them to pitch in again with the
amount needed to make the difference.
You can make a story even after some time has passed by off
an event or achievement. Recall the story of six blind men and
the elephant. Your new story of an event gone by might show
your audiences a hitherto
unknown facet of the
issue. Each part of the
elephant’s body in the
above context means a
story with a different
angle of the same event
or project, or
achievement, but
ultimately pointing out to
the bigger picture, that
the elephant is a huge
Remember the story of
the six blind people and
the elephant? Your
story of an event gone
by might show your
audiences a hitherto
unknown facet of the
issue.

37
land animal with different parts of its body contributing to its
strength.
* NFHS3, National Family Health Survey, India, 2005-2006
‘Whom to feature and what to write in my story?’
If you have seen the Bollywood movie Swades, recollect the
part where Mohan Bhargav (Shahrukh Khan) accompanies
Mela Ram (Daya Shankar Pandey) to recover the rent of Kaveri
amma’s (Kishori Ballal) farmland from her peasant tenant in a
village in India’s hinterland. This followed by the child selling
water in earthen cups to the train passengers. You have
multiple characters and plots that you can relate to in those
scenes. You could be the well settled NRI who is hit hard and
left speechless on witnessing the struggle for a couple of meals
a large no: of Indians face daily. In the half-naked kid selling
water you might see the street kids that you run into every day
on the way to your office. I for myself relate my grand parents
and great grand parents to the poor farmer finding it hard to
feed his family. It took a lot of hard work for their generations to
break away from the cycle of abject poverty and destituteness
and for my father, his siblings as well as cousins to come up in
life. So, whom do you identify yourself in those scenes with?
Do you see your project beneficiaries facing or having faced a

38
similar scenario and can you try conveying this as a story to
your audiences?
In the above scenes,
you have the
following that make
up the story:
a) Actors or
characters: These
answer the question
‘Who should feature
in my story?’
b) Plot: This
answers ‘What to
write in my story?’
c) A central thread: This answers ‘what connects the different
actors and plots’.
Now let us go a bit more deep into the above three.
a) Actors/ characters: These are the ones that your plot
encircles. Though there can be multiple actors or characters,
all present within the main plot, there needs to be at least one
The Bollywood movie Swades has
multiple characters and plots that you
can relate to in the popular ‘child and
train’ scene.
Source: www.swades.com

39
character whom your audience can readily identify or associate
with or even replace them selves with.
A central character adds the
much needed personal touch
to make your story attractive to
your audiences. It helps your
audiences feel the emotions –
the pain, joy, sorrow, hope, of your beneficiaries and show the
urgency of the problem and the subsequent need to intervene
and make a positive difference. The actor can even be you.
There can be more than one central character, as in a group of
volunteers or a group of jawans (soldiers) involved in rescue
and relief operations.
Note: In the part of the movie Swades mentioned above, the
actors are the individuals whom I have highlighted.
b) Plots: Plots are the different scenarios of the issues and
characters you are working on. And guess what? Finding them
is not difficult. Your plot can be the narration by a contented
child on how benefits from your project help her prevent
sleeping on an empty stomach. Hearing this will give immense
satisfaction to your donors. The other way round, in the
Actors are those
whom the plot
encircles.

40
absence of your project the same child could be desperately
looking for
help as she/ he is being forced
into manual labour to feed
herself in the absence of
support from her/ his poor
parents. This plot can make a
story for your donors on how
your intervention is needed as
is their financial support, to help that kid.
two plots I have referred to are of the farmer not having money
to pay his land rent and the boy struggling to meet ends by
selling water.
c) A Central thread: There is
one thread that binds the
lead, body and conclusion. It
is the central theme that
connects the character/s to
the plot and ensures nothing
in the story is present without a purpose. It can be the poverty
in a city neighbourhood; a disease epidemic that has hit a
Plots are the
different scenarios
of the issues and
characters you are
working on.
Central thread
connects the
character to the
plot.

41
remote village; or, the lack of education among the youth of a
certain section of the society - something that stands out in the
bigger scheme of things.
central thread is poverty.
When to write (and use)?
As mentioned earlier (Chapter 2, Fitting your story into your
overall organisational strategy) you don't necessarily need to
have achieved the objectives of your project or funding before
starting to tell stories to your stakeholders. Stories can be
sourced and told either before intervention or at various stages
into it.
1) Before: A story before you
begin your project can show
your stakeholders the gravity
of issues facing your
subjects and the potential
to make a difference. It can
therefore be used to invite
funding from would be
donors. In the case of issue-based campaigns, such a story
can be a launch pad to gain public support, as seen in the case
Stories can be
sourced and told
either before
intervention or at
various stages into it

42
of the ‘Save our Tigers’ campaign by telecommunications
company Aircel.
2) During: As the intervention is happening, a story can show
the progress you have made. It can make the fence sitters–
both among the donors and public, switch to your side and aid
your campaign objectives. The other way around, for some
reason if the results are not coming in as expected, one good
way to convince your stakeholders of the challenges you are
facing is by giving a name and a human face to these
challenges. This can help you prepare your stakeholders for a
potential extension of the project deadline.
3) After: Once you have completed your project, you can use
stories in many ways to show the benefits your work has
brought to the target audiences or communities. Or again, if the
results have not been as projected, these can be a good way to
explain your stakeholders the failures and the lessons learnt.
So…have you thought over the stories you want to start
writing? Go ahead. Construct them. Present them. Use their
power to captivate your audiences.

43
Sourcing stories from colleagues or the field offices:
Below is a ‘STORY INFORMATION FORM’ that I developed for
the communication team of the Species and Landscapes
Programme, WWF-India in Oct. 2011 to help generate stories
from the field. You may use it to develop a similar one for your
organisation to help generate content for stories.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) Story type: (please tick one)
Category Significance Subject/ Header
[ ]
Category 1:
Media &
news section
stories
Most urgent
These stories are
of pressing
events and most
urgent news,
hence given
prominence.
They need to be
sent out
immediately and
should not be
delayed even by
a day.
Examples:
- Sikkim earthquake
relief;
- Tiger report release;
- Dudhwa floods;
- Sundarbans cyclone;
- Awards etc.
[ ]
Category 2:
Important
These are also
Examples:
- Brown bear sighting
in Kargil;

44
Interesting
developments
and sightings
usually
uploaded on a
priority basis,
although not the
same day as we
receive them.
- Snow leopard
sighting in Kargil;
- Black pika sighting in
Arunachal Pradesh.
[ ]
Category 3:
Success of
our
interventions
Normal
Any positive
impact of our
work can go as
a story provided
there are
eyewitness
accounts of the
people who
have benefited
from the same.
Examples:
- A forest guard telling
us how our support
in the form of a
wireless set has
increased the
efficiency of his anti-
poaching efforts.
- A Pardi student from
Panna who is telling
how she/ he has
benefited from our
support to the school
for Pardis, in turn
eliminating her/ his
need to hunt wildlife
or reduce
dependence on the
forest resources.
(ii) Date of event: ______________(or) Date range of
activity: ____________to ___________
(iii) Names and designations of WWF-India staff involved:

45
1) _____________________
2) _____________________
3) _____________________
(iv) Names and designations of Forest Department or
Government officials involved:
1) _____________________
2) _____________________
(v) Multimedia available: [ ] Video [ ] High res photos (5
MP & above)
(vi) Impact of the activity/ event seen or measured (or
expected):
__________________________________________________
___________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________
(vii) Statements by eyewitness (WWF-India staff, Forest
Department/ Government officials, villagers/ community
dwellers, tourists or any one impacted by the activity/
event):
1) ____________________________________________
___________________________

46
_______________________________________________
___________________
2) ____________________________________________
___________________________
_______________________________________________
___________________
3) ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________
(viii) References, if any:
__________________________________________________
___________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________
(ix) Contact person for further information:
Name - _________________________ Email:
____________________________________
Phone No:s – Cell - _____________________ Landline - (
) ____________________
Best time to call - __________________
(x) Additional info/ Comments: (Please use extra sheet/s if
needed)

47
-
__________________________________________________
_________________________
-
__________________________________________________
_________________________
Chapter exercise
1. Make a quick trip to one of your project sites and
list three different stories that you have come
across.
2. Can you identify 3 different types of audiences to
tell your stories?
3. List five reasons why you want to write a particular
story for your donors.
4. Identify a story and your target audience. List the
main characters and the plot.
5. Open your annual calendar of projects,
a) Prepare a list of ‘curtain raisers’ or stories
that can be written before each project.
b) Prepare a list of probable stories that can be
written half way through each project.
c) Prepare a list of probable stories that can be
written at the end of first week and first
month, after the projects’ conclusion.

48
FURTHER RESOURCES
Bruce Itule & Douglas Anderson. “News Writing and Reporting for
Today’s Media”. 3rd. Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Official website of Swades, 2004
Health worker Guide, National Tobacco Control Programme, 2010
* NFHS3, National Family Health Survey, India, 2005-2006
Six Blind Men And The Elephant, Teaching English, British Council

49
News or feature?
What are planning to write about? Is it a freshly concluded
event or a success of yours that you have ‘discovered’
recently? Answering this will pave way for the creation of either
a feature or a news story.
In a famous study, Galtung and Ruge (1973) have identified a
set of conditions, informally known as ‘news values’, which
need to be fulfilled for an event to gather enough attention and
be called ‘news’. We shall leave the details for the mass
communication students to explore and list only the basic
differences between news and a feature story for our vested
interest here.
A news story has ‘shelf life,’ beyond which it will not make an
interesting read. It can go out in the immediate aftermath of an
4. Writing your story

50
event, to convey its urgency. Also, a news story is written in the
inverted pyramid style, meaning the most important information
or the information about the incident or event is told in the very
beginning followed by the least interesting parts appearing
towards the end. This means the five Ws: Whom, Where, Who,
What, When and the H: How appear at the beginning of a news
story.
Illustration: Inverted pyramid style of writing used in news
story

51
But when things settle down you can select the different
characters and plots to make feature stories out of them. In a
feature story, unlike news story, the most important facts are
included in the body and explained in detail after taking the
readers through a small journey to the event/ achievement. A
feature story might give you more time to research and use
your creativity than news, as there is a time gap between the
actual event and the point of time when it is being told or retold.
Please see examples further ahead in this chapter.
Length
On the widely used computer monitor screen of 600 x 800
pixels, any feature story more than 2 screen lengths might
make your readers loose interest. Hence, don’t make the story
too long, unless it is a blog where you are expected to say
more than what is said so in other narrative forms. I normally
write a 700-word story for the web. This runs into two A4 sized
pages with 6 paragraphs in New Times Roman point 12 font
separated by 1.5 point space.
Constructing a story
Stories, both news and feature, traditionally are composed of
the following three parts:

52
1) Lead
2) Body and
3) Conclusion
The following bring sense to the story parts:
a) Transitions and
b) Quotes
All the above need proper organisation and clarity to bring
sense to the story.
1) Lead: A lead is the
introductory paragraph of your
story. In a few brief sentences it
should tell the reader what the
story is about or hint at what to
expect as they read further. Use
words and construct your sentences in a way that interests
your readers to complete their reading of your story.
In a two screen length web story of 650 – 700 words, you may
want to use 4 to 5 sentences totalling about 100 words as lead.
These sentences can be built in the following way:
A lead is the
introductory
paragraph of your
story.

53
i) One or two sentences introducing your subject or actors:
Show the subject or actor/s as a part of the bigger picture,
which your audience can relate to or knows of. Is it a
geographical location or a person? If it is a location, then is it a
village, city, area in a city, district, state or is it an interstate
region? Is it an island or is it located among the hills, or in the
plains fed by a perennial river? If it is an actor/s, is that
person/s a city dweller/s, resident/s of a village or tribal/s who
is/ are far away from modern amenities like satellite TV and
internet. Is that person/s, a government officer/s or a
volunteer/s?
ii) One or two sentence on the importance of your subject/
actors: Explain why that place or person is important. Is the
place the scene of high incidences of water borne diseases? Is
the actor an eight-year old boy who is doing hard labour
instead of being in school? Or are the actors a group of
villagers living in a perennially water starved place? Is the place
home to rare wildlife?
In a feature story you can keep the suspense by restricting your
lead to the first two paragraphs and revealing the plot in the
body.

54
In case of a news story you will have to add plot and conclusion
in the lead, as mentioned below in point iii).
iii) Speak about the achievement/ event: Add a sentence or two
on these events, incidents or achievements. Have the
Government authorities done something good that has not
been done in other parts of the region, country or world, in that
particular situation? Example: The building of an underpass on
a national highway to allow, elephants to pass through
smoothly without fighting with humans and vehicles for space?
Has the person, organisation or community in focus done
something against great odds? Example: A community or
group of villagers living in a water deficit area who have
volunteered time to build a community structure like a rain
water harvesting unit, pooling in their own money. Or is a rural
community facing an unusual situation, something that needs
urgent attention? Example: The
sudden spike in the number of
people having respiratory illness in a
particular village.
Note: The above part (iii) is
applicable to news story only
In a feature
story the body
reveals the
main plot.

55
2) Body: In a feature story the body reveals the main plot of
the story and it is the section where you give out all the details
relevant to the overall thought process behind creating this
story. In terms of percentage of the word content of a feature
story, I allot 85% to the body and conclusion (550 to 600 words
in a web-story) and the rest to the lead. Body is the place
where you include the different quotes to give your readers a
‘horse’s mouth’ perspective, as well as transitions that tie the
different quotes and make readers to look the way you want
them to and think the way you want them to.
a) Quotes: Quotes allow you to make full use of your
interviewing skills. In a feature story this is where you
go into the details of these five Ws: Whom, Where,
Who, What, When and the H: How. At the beginning of
the interview ask open-ended questions and allow the
other person to speak freely to rake in as much
information as you can (which can always be edited
later on). As you progress, you can take help of close-
ended questions - whose answers end with either a firm
‘yes’ or ‘no’.

56
b) Transitions: They bind
various parts of a feature
story and allow readers to
shuffle seamlessly between
its various sections. They are
the threads which tie those
parts of the story that resemble one another and help
better understand the similarities i.e. the ideas in the
story that are common. You can use facts you have
acquired from different sources as well as through
research and interviews of people to reinforce your
views.
Transitions are paraphrases of actual statements of
your sources or refer to a quote introducing a new idea
in the story. They give you the flexibility to paraphrase
quotes your audiences may find difficult to grasp, by
converting them into reader friendly language and as
said earlier they help your audiences look in the
direction you want them to.
Transitions
bind various
part of a feature
story.

57
3) Conclusion: This is where you
have your ‘final word’ on the
feature story and take the reader
beyond the plot to draw inferences
from it (the plot). Restricting the
conclusion to two sentences of the
last paragraph may be a good idea
to pack the needed punch in it.
Here are some situational
examples. If the local communities
or the Government authorities have done something that is
very unique to that part of the world or situation, would you
recommend other people to replicate the same? Or, has your
agency or organisation supported the above and would like
your donors to take satisfaction in their association with your
work?
You can have an interesting end by using the last sentence to
convey the meaning behind your entire story. This can be the
paraphrasing of a quote, or better, the quote itself, which
completes the cycle of your story and connects it back to its
lead.
The final
sentence
completes the
cycle of your
story and
connects it back
to its lead.

58
Lead
Body
Conclusion
Ilustration: A visual representation of the feature
story cycle
Organisation and clarity
The story parts need to be organised and there should be a
clear purpose of everything included.
i) Clarity of thought: Ensure the thoughts you put in your
sentences are clear, precise and succinct. Choose the right
words. Ensure your sentences are complete and leave no
doubt about the point you are making.
ii) Length of sentences: Anything above twenty words in a
sentence might bore your readers, particularly on the web.
Maintain the right balance by suitably blending small and long

59
sentences to ensure the story is not monotonous. Imagine how
a story teller or your grandparents narrated you stories. Put
yourself in their place and presume the audience you are
writing the story to, is actually sitting in front, looking into your
eyes and keenly listening to you.
iii) Alternate text forms and graphics: Including tables or boxes
highlighting text can supplement or compliment your story’s
content. The same goes with maps and images. And, if you
choose to include them, ensure they are clear and convey the
information you intend to. Use discretion to ensure there is no
excessive duplication of information with text and illustrations/
images.
Choosing the header/
title
1) Include a title that
tells your audience
what your story is
about.
2) The title is the
‘gateway’ to your
story. You should
ensure it is
The title is the
gateway to your
story. It is your
invitation to your
audience to walk
through it and
witness the beautiful
world that lies inside.

60
decorated enough to invite your audiences to walk
through it and witness the beautiful world that lies
inside.
3) You may also want to use a sub-title, which offers
additional space to inform audiences the issue and
your solution, or the follow-up action you have taken.
4) Care should be taken to ensure the sub-title
supplements the title and not be the title or header by
itself.
5) If the story you would like to make is for a project that
is yet to be initiated, the title can be the problem/
issue and an initiative you have taken to resolve that
problem can be the subtitle. On the other hand, if you
have achieved something significant, then it makes
sense to have the same as a bold header and a line
below it telling the magnitude of the problem solved.
6) Section or paragraph headers can be included to
summarise contents of the upcoming text. It is a good
way to guide the readers in the direction in which your
story is moving.

61
Example of a feature story
Published on WWF-India website, on 14 April 2010
Pardis - hunters in need of help
How changing times have turned against a traditional
hunting community
Ameen Ahmed
An adventurous people
Hardly has a community in India’s recent history been more
affected by changing laws and times, as the Pardis, a nomadic
tribe of Central India, have. Spread across the states of
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh as well as along the latter’s
borders with Rajasthan; the traditional occupation of a majority
of Pardis is hunting and selling wildlife derivatives, including
meat.
The erstwhile Maharajas used their skills in their hunting
expeditions. Pardis used to drive the wildlife towards the kings’
hunting parties. They would also indulge in hunting expeditions
or ‘hakas’ and provide meat to royal kitchens. They would be

62
rewarded in return. Many farmers in Central India used Pardis
to guard against crop raiding wild herbivores. The Pardis would
halt over in farmlands and trap the crop raiders. In return, they
would benefit from temporary shelter to stay around villages as
well as get to retain the hunted animals’ meat, which they
would consume and also sell. Over centuries, they honed their
hunting skills this way.
Their various
occupations and
hunting practises
evolved them into
different sub-
castes. For
example, the
Phaandiya Pardis
hunt their quarry
using a rope
noose. The Teliya Pardis sell meat and oil extracted from
reptiles which they capture. But, the most remarkable aspect of
hunting by Pardis is their total dependence on traditional means
and basic equipment, like twines, wooden clubs (lathis) and
The Teliya Pardis sell meat and oil of reptiles
that they hunt.
© Ameen Ahmed/ WWF-India

63
knives to bring down wildlife. They rarely use a search light,
vehicles, guns or electricity. There are also some among them
who moved away from nomadic life and settled down to
practice agriculture.
Troubled times: Post independence and Wildlife Protection
Act (1972)
Some Pardis like Langoti Pardis have been attributed with
thievery since a long time. However, the British treated a
majority of Pardis as social pariahs. Most of their sub-sects
were included in the list of ‘criminal’ tribes in the Criminal
Tribes Act notified in 1871. Though the act was over turned in
1952, after Independence, and they were ‘denotified,’ the
historical stigma continues to haunt them.
Pardis had to endure more post-1972, when the Government of
India brought into effect the Wildlife Protection Act. They were
not only prohibited from entering many of the Government
controlled lands that are now designated as protected forests -
national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, but they were also
required to stop hunting overnight. With hundreds of years of
practice and perfection in making a living out of hunting, they

64
were suddenly left without a profession they could legally
practise. With no formal and organised training and assistance
provided to them to earn their bread in any other way, they
covertly continued with
their hunting practices.
According to
Mr. Golla
Krishnamurthy, IFS,
who has served for
Panna Tiger Reserve in
the past “They mainly
hunt big game and
trade their skin with
middlemen located in
cities for further illegal
export. They hunt
animals like deer, wild
boar and other small
herbivores for staple
food on a day to bay basis”.
The Wildlife Protection Act’s
implementation in 1972 suddenly turned
the Pardis from traditional hunters to
poachers.

65
Added was the problem of them being an ex-‘criminal’ tribe
and the fact that they were nomads. Village after village across
their vast land of existence viewed them suspiciously and
prevented them from living close to their habitation. There are
reports in the media of this happening even to this day. This
discrimination and blanket denial of opportunities may have
actually prevented them from giving up poaching as well as
criminal activities and may have even encouraged them to
indulge in them for their survival.
The way forward
According to
sources in the
Madhya Pradesh
Forest Department,
a vast amount of
the wildlife
poached in that
state, particularly in
and around Panna
Tiger Reserve, has links to Pardis. Most of India’s big wildlife
WWF-India has been helping run the schools
for Pardi kids
© Diwakar Sharma/ WWF-India

66
traders and illegal trade mafia have used them to source their
wildlife. Their links to poaching have surfaced in many other
forests across India, even in the core of well-known sanctuaries
like Karnataka’s Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) National Park, over
a thousand kilometres away from Panna.
The challenge lies in rehabilitating them into the social
mainstream. Many wildlife lovers and NGOs have thought on
this and are making concerted efforts to save both the Pardis
and the wildlife around Panna Tiger Reserve. The strategy has
been to wean their children away from turning to hunting as a
profession by providing them formal education. To initiate
formal education for their children, WWF-India along with the
forest department has been conducting a ‘Residential bridge
course’ (RBC), at two locations around Panna, under the
Government supported ‘Sarva Shiksha Abyiyaan’ (‘Education
for all’) scheme. The bridge course is 9 month long and
prepares these kids to enter a state-administered formal
education system. Their stay at the student hostel helps them get
into the mainstream by inculcating physical hygiene. Says Mr.
Krishnamurthy “They live for months without bathing. Most of

67
them lack general hygienic habits”. A residential school has
been specially set up for this in Panna District.
Simultaneously the adults are being trained in alternative
professions. It is felt that those who do not wish to do either
should be dealt with a firm hand according to provisions of the
law. “This school for Pardi kids has few parallels as it not only
aims at mainstreaming a nomadic tribe but also aims at holistic
development of the entire area by attempting to interlink
solutions for the
problems faced by
the wildlife and
forest department”,
adds Mr.
Krishnamurthy.
The devastating
impact which the
Pardis have had on
the wildlife around
them is undoubted,
Learn more on WWF-India’s initiatives
to conserve the tiger in Central India:
 Increased protection for Panna
 Satpuda-Maikal Landscape
 Kanha-Achanakmar Corridor
 Education and awareness
campaign in MP and
Chhattisgarh.
 Marathon for Tiger in SML
 Strengthening law enforcement in
Maharashtra’s tiger areas

68
especially after the degradation of wildlife habitat outside and
within some of the PAs. The irony however is, there is no future
for wildlife, particularly tigers, in vast parts of India, without
rehabilitating these people from hunting. Their future
generations have to be weaned away from poaching to save
India’s wildlife. These schools are a step by the MP Forest
Department and WWF-India in that direction.
------------- End of story -------------
Example of a news story
Published on WWF-India website, 29 Mar 2011
Increase in tiger numbers reported
Experts’ meeting at New Delhi to help save the tiger
concludes
New Delhi, India – The Government of India released new
tiger population numbers since the 2007 estimate, indicating
that numbers have increased in the country that has half of the
world’s remaining wild tigers. The findings were presented by
Dr. Y.V. Jhala of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) on the
opening day of the International Tiger Conference held at New

69
Delhi on 28 and 29 Mar 2011, to a gathering of dignitaries from
the Government of India including Dr. Montek Singh
Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Shri.
Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Environment and Forests
and Shri. Salman Khursheed, Union Minister for Water
Resources,
international
delegates from tiger
range countries,
senior forest officers,
Chief Wildlife
Wardens, Field
Directors of Tiger
reserves and
members of NGOs
working for tiger
conservation
including WWF and
TRAFFIC.
The government estimated current tiger numbers in India at
1,706, up from 1,411 during the last count in 2007. However,
Dr. Jhala from WII explaining the tiger
estimation results as dignitaries of
Government of India Dr. Montek Singh
Ahluwalia, Shri. Jayaram Ramesh, Shri.
Salman Kursheed and Shri. Rajesh Gopal
watch.
Photo: WWF-India

70
the 1,706 figure includes an additional tiger reserve in the
count, the Sundarbans that contained 70 tigers. This area was
not counted in 2007.
Therefore, when comparing the previous survey with the current
one, the official estimate stands at 1,636 when leaving out the
Sundarbans, or an increase of 225.
Figures were broken down by site with some populations
showing increases, and others falling.
“As seen from the results, recovery requires strong protection of
core tiger areas and areas that link them, as well as effective
management in the surrounding areas,” said Mike Baltzer,
Head of WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative. “With these two vital
conservation ingredients, we can not only halt their decline, but
ensure tigers make a strong and lasting comeback.”
The count was conducted by India’s National Tiger
Conservation Authority with key partners, including WWF, in
the largest tiger population survey ever undertaken.

71
“In its detail, this tiger estimation exercise shows the
importance India attaches to this prime conservation issue,”
said WWF India CEO Ravi Singh. “The results indicate the
need to intensify field based management and intervention to go
beyond the present benchmark, bringing more people and
partners into the process,” he added.
Several areas in India, including those that are not Tiger
Reserves and outside national parks, were intensively surveyed
for the first time. The Moyar Valley and Sigur Plateau in
Southwest India’s Western Ghats Complex, that has been a
focus of recent WWF conservation efforts, was found to contain
more than 50 tigers. Similarly, the Ramnagar Forest Reserve
outside Corbett National Park showed a good number of tigers.
Numbering more than 100,000 at the turn of the last century,
tigers have lost more than 97 percent of their population and 94
percent of their home range in just 100 years. They live in
increasingly isolated pockets of land in Asia and the Russian
Far East in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos,
Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, China
and Russia. The Global Tiger Recovery Programme marks the

72
first formalized international initiative to save the species from
extinction.
------------- End of story -------------
Writing styles
The channel of dissemination and the target audiences guide
the writing styles.
If you are writing for a magazine or newspaper outside your
organisation, the publication’s submission guidelines need to
be read carefully before you begin to construct a story. Next,
browse the last few issues of the publication and work on a
story style which the editors have a taste for.
If you are writing something for your own website, journal or e-
magazine, you have at a greater liberty to let loose your
creativity. To convey your message you may want to choose
your own style which conforms to your organisation’s accepted
writing style guide.
Some tips to decide the right mix for your audiences:
1) If you write frequently (or intend to do so) for a medium
like your website or magazine, or have plans for a

73
regular feature for a newspaper, change your story style
over a period of time. The monotony of repeating the
same style each time might lead to your readers loosing
interest in your writings sooner or later. Balance the
style between first person and third person accounts as
you progress.
2) Have you ever thought of narrating any of your journeys
as you have eye witnessed it? How about trekking
through a jungle to reach a primary school in a tribal
hamlet or wading through the slush filled narrow lanes
of a city’s slum and narrating your audiences the things
you witness, as you take those steps? If you are
working for animal rights or wildlife issues, how about
having an ‘eyewitness’ account of an animal ‘narrating’
its plight?
3) Even with first or third person accounts, you can choose
to be different with each successive story. You can
alternate between starting with narrating your own
experience or describing the subject i.e. the place,
person etc first. For example, if you are describing a
walk to a slum area where children are in dire need of
basic needs and education and you are focusing on a
girl called Khushi you may start a third person account
in one of the following ways.

74
a) Khushi is not a normal five-year old though she
could have been one, like many others of her age.
All she remembers of her childhood is begging at
the traffic lights
along the only tarred
road her
neighbourhood has;
being abused by
unknown faces;
sleeping hungry on
the streets; and
watching her year-
old brother freeze to
death in one of the
five winters she’s
seen in her life after
being forced to beg to feed him. Her mother died a
few weeks ago and her alcoholic father needs help
himself! She is one of the many kids living in
Kushalnagar, a slum of twenty thousand inhabited
by some of the city’s educationally and financially
most backward communities, right in the heart of the
state capital. It seems the city’s planners and
Do not repeat your
stories in the same
style every time.
The monotony
might lead to your
readers loosing
interest in your
writings, sooner or
later.

75
development authorities have long forgotten
Kushalnagar. The problems are compounded by the
area’s many residents being mostly poor migrants
from faraway villages, being uneducated even to file
an application under Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Writing letters to the authorities or filling petitions in
courts to get their civic rights is obviously a far cry
for them. But Khushi, and other kids from her
neighbourhood, will soon return to being like others
of her age, thanks to the intervention of this
Government aided NGO.
OR
b) Kushalnagar is a slum of 20 thousand inhabited by
some of the city’s educationally and financially most
backward communities, right in the heart of the state
capital. It looks like a neighbourhood long forgotten
by the city’s planners and development authorities.
The area’s many residents are mostly poor migrants
from faraway villages with their education level not
even helping them file an application under Right to
Information (RTI) Act, let alone writing letters to the
authorities or filing petitions in courts to get their
civic rights. Khushi, a five year old girl, is among the
many children who are in danger of following the

76
footsteps of their parents into poverty and
deprivation. She is one among the many children in
this slum who are forced to beg, sleep hungry, get
abused and even see their siblings freeze to death
in the cold winters, due to poverty. With her mother
dead a few weeks ago and her father an alcohol
addict, she is in dire need of support to lead a
normal life and get into school. Thanks to the
intervention of this Government aided NGO, she will
soon return to being like any other kid.
Caption and cutline
While some refer to the text appearing below an image
describing it as both caption and cutline, often interchanging
them, some others prefer to differentiate the two. According to
the later school of thought, caption is the small headline
usually consisting of three to four words that is followed by a
brief text explaining the photograph, called as cutline. I prefer
to use the caption with a cutline for images in photo-stories,
while sticking to only a caption for images used in feature
stories. See examples below.

77
It’s our world too!
A group of indigenous people stand in front of a replica of world
atlas at the Press Club in New Delhi on 28 Aug. 2010. Various
environmental and tribal rights groups under the umbrella of
Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) held a press meet
highlighting the growing threat of Global Warming and the urgent
need to address it.
© Ameen Ahmed/ WWF-India

78
Captions (and cutlines) explain something in images that are
not self-explanatory; or they refer to the text in the story. Many
readers rush through the title, the lead, paragraph headings
and the images before deciding if they want to go through the
body, hence the captions should explain the image in a crisp
and brief manner. Sometimes a sentence or a quote from the
story is used as the caption. Please see the above example.
The Teliya Pardis sell meat and oil of reptiles that they hunt.
© Ameen Ahmed

79
Also, when using still images in a movie or an audio-visual
presentation, captions come handy in the absence of
background narration or voice over.
Pictures to accompany stories
If you have images accompanying stories, ensure the images
are directly related to your story line, place, theme or the
characters. If you are using an archived image, make sure you
mention the same. The rapid urbanisation sweeping India has
changed the face of many a place. You do not want an image
showing swanky malls and newly refurbished roads for a
neighbourhood whose approach is being described in your
story as unhygienic and filled with pot holes. Editing the image
for colour saturation, brightness and contrast, sharpening etc
is a good idea to ensure the stories’ subjects are clearly visible
to the audiences. Although this is the job of a photo editor or a
designer, if you work for a set-up which can afford the luxury of
in-house specialists it is imperative that the stories authors’
ensure the colours are as close to the original.

80
Chapter exercise
1. Open your annual plan and prepare lists of events
that can have news stories and those which can
have feature stories.
2. Identify an event and write a lead for:
a) News story.
b) Feature story.
3. Choose a story from a news magazine and rewrite a
conclusion. Get it reviewed by a colleague to see if
it leaves an equally lasting impression.
4. Choose a story from a news magazine and list the
transitions.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Shouse, Deborah;Fenner, Susan Ph.D.;Zoglin, Ron. “Making
Your Message Memorable: Communicating Through Stories”.
2003
Practical Magazine “Feature Writing/ Documentary Forms,”

81
The University of Winchester
Abraham Aamidor. “Real feature writing: story shapes and
writing strategies from the real world of journalism”. LEA; 2nd
edition, 2009.
Joseph J. Marks. “Writing Features.” University of Missouri.
Extension. 1993
“Feature writing”. University of Missouri Extension.
‘Feature writing’. Vancouver University Island.
Dr. Lourdes D. Servito. ‘What is feature writing?’
‘How NGOs can use the images that Photographers produce!
(5 ideas)’
‘How to create simple digital stories’
Lecture notes of macro editing, Rowan University copy editing
class
http://web.ku.edu/~edit/captions.html William Allen White
School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University
of Kansas.

82

83
Revision
After writing the first draft, you need to ensure your story
conveys what you want it to. As a first step, revisit the ideation
part and see if your story includes the original ideas. Open
your story cycle and make sure the end (last paragraph) is
connecting with the issue mentioned in the lead (first
paragraph). Make sure the body contains the important facts
that need to be there. Ensure the central thread connecting
different parts of the story and the flow of your thoughts is
maintained as you originally desired. Ensure you have not
included any words or statements out of the context before you
to take the next step and have it edited.
Editing
A story is first edited to ensure it meets the word limit i.e. the
number of words allotted to you or the limit you have set for
your self. Be cautious and ensure only the non-essential
5. Proofreading and Editing

84
sentences are removed or are altered in such a way that the
ideas you originally wanted to convey remain undiluted.
Self editing: You can edit the story yourself or ask some one to
do it for you. Organisations that do not have editors prefer to let
their writers do the editing as well, particularly when the
deadlines are shorter. If you are editing your own story it is a
good idea to step away from it at least for a day to ensure you
are able to see it afresh in an unbiased manner. I personally
finish a story and preferably work on another to ensure minimal
hangover of the first one before I come back to first, usually
after a day.
Levels of editing:
a) Basic copy editing is done to ensure consistency and
correct any mistakes in the following - spelling,
grammar, punctuation, speech, capitalisation, uniformity
of fonts and numerals, abbreviations and captions.
b) More detailed editing involves additional checking for
smooth continuity and flow of ideas, organisation of the
story, ensuring smooth transitions and proper
conclusion, matching the paragraphs with their headers
and correcting incorrect figures of speech. This might
also involve getting back to the author to ensure correct

85
attribution of quotes, verifying factual accuracy of
statements, buying OK to replace jargon with more
commonly used words and suggesting replacement and
addition or deletion of statements.
Like brand guidelines, many organisations have their own
‘writing style guides’, which are rule books that help write
stories or similar writings. Following a style guide helps in
uniformity of your organisation’s writing style, particularly with
grammar, punctuation and language use. Having such house
rules not only help you and other writers maintain consistency
in writings but also ensure minimal need for a copy editor.
Proof reading
Proof reading is the final step before submitting your story for
publication. It identifies the mistakes that have eluded your
eyes during revision and copy editing. It corrects any errors
like typos, misnumbering or other errors which a copy editor
might have overlooked. Again, if you are from a small
organisation where there is no dedicated proof-reader, it is a
good idea to have a colleague proof read your stories before
you send them to the press or before you publish the same
online. I personally run my stories through a colleague while
ensuring the corrections do not change the story’s inferences.

86
Additionally, in case of an online story, once it is published I re-
read it on the browser to ensure there are no major bloopers
and that there is no need to initiate damage control later on.
An example of revision and editing:
Saving the Red Panda in Arunachal Pradesh through
Community Participation
Local villagers come together to form a unique red panda
conservation alliance
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), classified as a Vulnerable
species by IUCN*, is found in parts of Nepal, Bhutan,
Myanmar, Southern China and India. In India, it is found in the
states of Sikkim, northern West Bengal, Meghalaya and
Arunachal Pradesh. Majority of the population of red pandas in
India occurs in Arunachal Pradesh. However, increasing habitat
loss poses a major threat to the survival of the red panda.
WWF-India has been working in the Western Arunachal
Landscape (WAL), which covers nearly 7000 sq. km area of
Tawang and West Kameng districts in partnership with local
villagers, Indian Army and Forest Department, for the
conservation of the rich biological diversity of the state, since
1992. In WAL, maximum forest area is under the customary

87
tenure of local indigenous communities. In 2004, WWF-India
facilitated the establishment of Community Conserved Areas
(CCA) to ensure sustainable management and community
protection of such forests. One such CCA is the Pangchen
Lumpo Muchat CCA, which comprises of Lumpo and Muchat
villages. According to Nawang Chota, Secretary of Pangchen
Lumpo Muchat CCA, “After the formation of the CCA, we
stopped hunting and fishing in it, especially by outsiders. We
also started community based tourism to provide a source of
income to the villagers.”
Recently, three other villages, Socktsen, Kharman and
Kelengteng came together to form the Pangchen Socktsen
Lakhar CCA. Together, the two CCAs control 200 sq km of
area. The forests that are part of this CCA harbour a wide
variety of wildlife including the red panda. While formation of
the CCAs stopped the hunting of wild animals, the continued
loss of habitat posed a threat to the long term survival of the
red panda. To prevent this villagers from the two CCAs came
together to form a unique Pangchen Red Panda Conservation
Alliance with the support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and WWF-
India. The aim of this community initiative is to help in red
panda conservation by not only banning hunting or capturing of

88
red panda but by also preventing habitat loss and protecting
the plant species on which the red panda is dependent.
Pijush Dutta, Landscape Coordinator, WAL, WWF-India said,
“With this one of a kind initiative it is hoped that conservation of
red pandas can be undertaken in a scientific manner with
proper records maintained of sightings by villagers. The next
step is to prepare a detailed master plan in consultation with
the villagers for the management of the forests in a sustainable
manner”.
By preventing habitat loss the alliance also hopes to mitigate
man-animal conflict caused by animals such as wild boar,
porcupines and monkeys raiding crops and villages. A Yak
dung briquette unit is also under construction in the area to
reduce fuel wood consumption as well as provide additional
income. In addition, a Pangchen Tourism Package involving
the 5 villages from the two CCAs is being developed to attract
tourists and thereby provide an alternate source of livelihood
for the locals.
WWF-India will support the Conservation Alliance by
undertaking a biodiversity documentation of the CCAs,
conducting training courses for the villagers for sustainable

89
management of local forests and support community based
tourism as a conservation incentive.
* Wang, X., Choudhury, A., Yonzon, P., Wozencraft, C. & Than
Zaw 2008. Ailurus fulgens. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>.
Downloaded on 09 December 2010
------------- End of story -------------
The above story was edited with the following
changes and published on WWF-India’s website:
a) The introductory paragraph was revised and one sentence
summarising each of the following was included, in the same
order:
1) The uniqueness of red panda.
2) Ecology of red panda.
3) The issues it faces.
4) Community Conservation Areas (CCAs)
5) What WWF-India is continuing to do to conserve it.
b) Three paragraph/ section headers were included to help
readers better understand the ideas.

90
c) The final sentence was put directly as a quote, to have a
better impact of the story and to complete the story cycle by
connecting it to the lead.
Communities stand up for the Red Panda in Arunachal
Pradesh
Local villagers form a unique ‘conservation alliance’ for
India’s own Panda
A rare beauty
Known for the beauty of its reddish-orange coat and white
‘teardrops’ falling away from its eyes, the red panda (Ailurus
fulgens) is found in parts of Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Southern
China and India. In India, it is found in the states of Sikkim,
northern West Bengal, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh,
where a majority of its population occurs. Classified as a
Vulnerable species by IUCN*, increasing habitat loss poses a
major threat to its survival. WWF-India is currently working with
its stake holders to conserve this rare animal in most of its
distribution range across North East India.
Communities for nature
Since 1992, WWF-India has partnered with local villagers,
Indian Army and Forest Department in the Western Arunachal

91
Landscape (WAL), which covers nearly 7000 sq. km. area of
Tawang and West Kameng districts, to conserve its rich
biological diversity. The maximum forest area in WAL is under
the customary tenure of local indigenous communities. WWF-
India facilitated the establishment of Community Conserved
Areas (CCA) in 2004 to ensure sustainable management and
community protection of such forests that also form the habitat
of the red panda.
One such CCA is the Pangchen Lumpo Muchat CCA, which
comprises of Lumpo and Muchat villages. According to
Nawang Chota, Secretary of Pangchen Lumpo Muchat CCA,
“After the formation of the CCA we stopped hunting and fishing
in it, and prevented outsiders from indulging in these as well.
We also started community based tourism to provide a source
of income to the villagers.”
In November 2010, three other villages - Socktsen, Kharman
and Kelengteng, came together to form the Pangchen
Socktsen Lakhar CCA. Together the two CCAs control 200 sq.
km. of area. The wide variety of wildlife found in these forests
includes the red panda. While formation of the CCAs stopped
the hunting of wild animals, the continued loss of habitat posed
a threat to the long term survival of the red panda. To prevent

92
this, villagers from the two CCAs came together to form the
unique Pangchen Red Panda Conservation Alliance with the
support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and WWF-India. The aim of
this community initiative is to help red panda conservation not
only by banning its hunting or capture, but also by preventing
the habitat loss and protecting the plant species on which it is
dependent.
By preventing habitat loss the alliance also hopes to reduce
human-wildlife conflict caused by wild animals such as wild
boar, porcupines and monkeys raiding crops and villages. A
Yak dung briquette unit is also under construction in the area to
reduce fuel wood consumption and provide additional income.
In addition, Pangchen Tourism Package involving five villages
from the two CCAs is being developed to attract tourists and
thereby provide an alternate source of livelihood for the locals.
WWF-India’s continuing support
Pijush Dutta, Landscape Coordinator, WAL, WWF-India said,
“With this one of a kind initiative it is hoped that conservation of
red pandas can be undertaken in a scientific manner with
proper records maintained of sightings by villagers. The next
step is to prepare a detailed master plan in consultation with

93
the villagers for the management of the forests in a sustainable
manner”.
“WWF-India will support this Conservation Alliance by
undertaking a biodiversity documentation of the CCAs,
conducting training courses for the villagers for sustainable
management of local forests and support community based
tourism as a conservation incentive,” adds Pijush.
* Wang, X., Choudhury, A., Yonzon, P., Wozencraft, C. & Than
Zaw 2008. Ailurus fulgens. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>.
Downloaded on 09 December 2010.
------------- End of story -------------
Chapter exercise
1. Prepare a list of five important things you would like
to look for in revising your story.
2. Write a story. Edit it within an hour of its first
revision. Keep it aside and re-edit it at the end of
third day. Compare the changes between the first
edit and the later one.

94
3. Write a story. Proof read it within an hour of editing
it. Have the same document proofread by a
colleague or friend whose English is equally good
or better. List the number of corrections done by
the other person.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Kim Cooper, “Editing the Essay”. Writing Center at Harvard
University, 1999
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/edit1.html
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/edit2.html
Kim Cooper, “Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and Style.” Writing
Center at Harvard University, 1999
Editing and Proofreading, The Writing Center, University of Missouri
thinkquest.org The writing process
Editing Resources, Bay Area Editors’ Forum
Salem State Style Guide, Salem State University

95
Showcasing stories
Stories can be used to:
a) Inform the communities with whom you work or intend to
work, the benefits they will get working with you for a
common cause.
b) Tell your donors (and shareholders of corporate) of the
benefits their contributions have brought or in case of
potential donors, the benefits they might bring.
c) Stimulate fellow citizens, other NGOs or the corporate
sector/ profit organisations to take up the various causes
crying for attention in the development sector and help
solve the issues.
Mediums to disseminate stories:
1) In print, they can go in your organization’s annual reports,
monthly magazines or even in flyers and brochures. You may
6. Disseminating your stories

96
also want to place them in mainstream media to highlight the
issues and your initiatives. Supplementary sections like
Science and Technology, Environment, etc of prominent dailies
are good avenues to showcase the issues, the possible
solutions or the actions you have taken.
2) In New Media, apart from electronic communication, they
can be used in social networking. Stories in e-bulletins or e-
newsletters can have great impact and can be used to push for
an organisation's campaign objectives - both donor campaigns
and issue based ones.
A view of Jungle Express, the e-bulletin of WWF-India’s Species
and Landscapes programme

97
Supplementary sections like Science and Technology,
Environment etc of prominent dailies are good avenues to
showcase your stories, issues, the possible solutions or the
actions you have taken. Above is a story on the efforts of
WWF-India and partner agencies in a Rhino translocation
programme, in the Environment section of Deccan Herald,
Bengaluru.

98
Journey beyond the story and the call for action
At the end of the conclusion you may like to invite your readers
to take action. This is a journey away from the story cycle, to
help solve issues and make a difference. In a brief but clear
way explain your audiences how their small contribution fits
into the bigger picture of resolving development sector issues
as well as your long term strategy. Here you can reveal them
your plan of action.
For example, if your story focuses on the health crisis facing a
community, it would help to be ready with answers to the
following questions:
- Do you want your stakeholders to help you?
- If yes, how should they do so? Should they intervene
directly or you want them to do it through you?
- If through you, do you want them to volunteer time and
skills or should they help you with money and resources?
- Whom and how should they contact?
- In case they do, do you have a well defined plan ready to
share with them clearly conveying how you are going to
use their support?

99
Stories and social issues’ awareness:
Stories are a powerful tool to create awareness on issues,
apart from raising funds for them.
Here is a case study on using a story for a campaign to
generate awareness around an issue:
The tiger is one of
India’s best
recognised symbols,
not only of its
wilderness but of its
culture as well. The
animal today is
facing a threat to its
survival due to a
host of issues
including poaching,
development and
infrastructure projects like highways and dams, apart from the
growing human population eating into its habitat. In January
2010, Telecommunication giant Aircel’s ‘Save our Tigers’
campaign raised the profile of this charismatic big cat using a
Source: Aircel

100
simple yet powerful 1 minute video story striking at the
emotional quotient. The story, which appeared as
advertisement in all the major TV channels of India, showed a
helpless tiger cub waiting for its mother to return, which
probably would never do so, with a gunshot sound indicating it
being hunted on its way back home. A few weeks after this ad
was aired, a series of video clips of some of India's well-known
celebrities including Indian Cricket team’s captain MS Dhoni
appeared on TV, appealing to save the tiger.
The media campaign was launched in partnership with WWF-
India and as the communication liaison of WWF-India with
Aircel, I kept track of the tremendous support this campaign
generated from people across the breadth of India and even
beyond. While some showed their support in the form of cyber
activism, others came forward to commit their time and skills
towards this cause by offering to volunteer with NGOs including
WWF-India. This campaign successfully raised the public
profile of the critical issue of tiger conservation. Speaking of
the response in numbers, by 22 March 2010, 51 days after the
campaign was launched the following figures were recorded:
1) Signups on Aircel’s ‘Save Our Tigers’ (SOT) campaign
website: 2,03,361
2) Blog comments: 2,825

101
3) Fans of ‘Stripey’ the cub’ page on Facebook : 2,04,919
4) Twitter followers: 5,619
The numerous requests from volunteers and the overwhelming
media queries as well as positive media reports pleasantly
surprised our team.
Stories for NGO fundraising:
Stories are probably the best
way to raise funds for an
NGO. Among the Fund
Raising experts vouching for
this is international NGO
consultant Sean Triner. In his
article ‘The power of
storytelling’, Sean Triner tells
how ‘Charities have the best
stories to tell’ and ‘they can be
powerful fundraising tools.’
Though e-newsletters & e-bulletins for donor and issue based
campaigns is the norm in west, we are yet to see many of
India’s NGOs do the same. Though the scope of this book does
not encompass delving into the details of using stories to raise
This fund is any
NGO’s dream. Think
out of the box on
how you can use
stories to raise the
much needed
‘unrestricted
funding’ for your
NGO.

102
funds, I would like to make a passing reference to the positive
impact of raising funds through online donations and individual
fundraising for a type of funding that is commonly termed as
'unrestricted' funding in NGO circles.
Unrestricted funds can be used by an NGO for any project or
purpose it deems fit within that organisation’s broad objectives.
The NGO is not answerable to the donor on where it puts this
money into, unlike regular funding where most donors are very
particular about how and where their money should be put, like
not exceeding a certain percentage of it for administration
purposes or not using it as a capital to buy hardware, etc.
Hence, unrestricted fund is any NGO’s dream. Think out of the
box on how you can use stories to raise the much needed
unrestricted funding for your NGO.
Now that you have an idea on how to use your stories, go
ahead. Pen your stories. Publish them. Disseminate them. See
what your outreach communication has been missing all these
days

103
A step by step guide to write your story
Step 1: Information. is received from the sources and the same
is cross verified to ensure the names of subjects and actors -
communities and regions as well as names and designations of
people are correct;
Step 2: Cross verifying events and dates (for example, has the
World Heritage Site status been given for Manas Wildlife
Sanctuary or the entire National Park? Or, when was the World
Heritage Site tag given to the Taj Mahal?);
Step 3: Story is written according to the organisation style
guide;
Step 4: Matching images are sourced and embedded in the
story with appropriate captions and cut-lines;
Step 5: If the story has been sourced from your field office, the
same is sent to the concerned persons in that office for review
of facts and picture credits and get their sign off. The same
process applies if facts are sourced from your own office.

104
Step 6: After receiving back the story from the field or from your
office, proof reading and editing is done by a person other than
the writer.
Step 7: The concerned custodians read and sign off the story
for release.
Step 8: Follow up with external editors or media persons (if it is
being to an external publication), PR agency (if you are using
the services of a PR agency to disseminate the story) or your
own web admin (if it is your web story) to ensure it reads the
same as submitted as well as trouble shoot any issues.
Step 9: Once the story is published share it on the pre-decided
media and channels including social media sites like facebook
or twitter.
Step 10: Monitor for any positive feedback or adverse
comments, particularly on the web page on which the story is
hosted (if it is posted online). If it has been published in the
print media, look out for letters to editor. Have a plan ready to
respond to the same, if and when needed.

105
Chapter exercise
1. Identify a story and make a list of the different
channels in which you would like to disseminate it.
2. Ideate a story that you want to use to seek support
of your audiences. List the number of ways in which
the support can be sought. Make a plan on how you
want to use the support, keeping in mind your
organisation’s objectives for the year.
3. Research and prepare a list of the most visible
campaigns in the development sector in India in the
previous calendar year.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Rosita Cortez. “Got Stories? 3 Secrets to Successful Fundraising”.
Fundraising. On 06.10.10
Sean Triner says how ‘Charities have the best stories to tell’ and ‘they
can be powerful fundraising tools.’ www.resource-alliance.org

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There are certain ground rules that one need to follow to
ensure the objectives of writing stories are achieved. These
can range from formal sets of policies binding on you as an
employee or volunteer of an organisation, or they can be
feedback as a member of an informal social group like a club
or association. A few are listed here:
Providing a personal touch to stories on animals
Personal and individual stories about animals – wild or
domesticated, make a positive impact just like individual
stories of people. British anthropologist and zoologist
Desmond Morris has said that the story of Elsa, the lioness
raised by Joy Adamson, changed the public perception of the
lion as a species. Same for Tara the tigress and Prince the
7. Improving your stories*
*With Shubhobroto Ghosh

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leopard as written by Billy Arjan Singh, Dian Fossey's
description of the gorilla Digit, Jane Goodall's affection for the
chimpanzee David Greybeard and the individual orangutans
studied by Birute Galdikaas. Keiko's personal story as shown
in the Hollywood movie Free Willy has done much more to
raise awareness on killer whales (orcas) than a lot of research
papers put together could have ever have done on them.
Why it pays to be politically correct
The stories of any organisation reflect its policies. Hence, it
pays to sound politically correct to your stake holders or at
least ensure your choice of words conveys the meaning in an
inoffensive way. This is more true if you are working with the
Government or if your project or organisation needs the
support of the government at any stage. The way, and amount,
of editing of your stories by the final approving authority in your
organisation over a period of time is a reflection of not only
how your stories are being looked at from inside the
organisation but also how they would be looked from outside
by its many external stakeholders. Remember, many people’s
sweat has gone into building your organisation’s resources
and reputation. While the organisation will have its own checks
to ensure you are following the guidelines, ultimately it is your

‘How to Say Your Story - A manual for South Asia’s NGOs, CSR teams & Government agencies on communicating through written stories’

‘How to Say Your Story - A manual for South Asia’s NGOs, CSR teams & Government agencies on communicating through written stories’

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