Like many competitions, The Sacramento Press Journalism Open 2012 can spark creativity and drive just as easily as it can spark apprehension and pure terror. On Tuesday, The Sacramento Press held a workshop to help writers develop ideas and answer any questions about the writing contest. Sacramento Press Editor-in-Chief Colleen Belcher went over the rules and criteria for this year’s Journalism Open. Because The Sacramento Press is a hyperlocal newspaper, Belcher emphasized keeping stories both local and relevant to the readers. When asked about the subject of target audience, Belcher said writers should think about how local residents would react to their story, and to frame it as if yo

In case you missed the workshop Wednesday night, here are some of the answers to some of the questions asked and some tips shared by Sacramento Press Editor in Chief David Watts Barton and Managing Editor Colleen Belcher with community contributors about Journalism Open 2011 entries. Q: Are quotes a must? A: No, but as for some basic guidelines: They make your story stronger. The more you get people into your story, the more it helps – even if you’re doing an opinion piece, because the more sources you can point to, the better. Q: Is there a limit to how long the story is? A: The limit is how long it’s interesting. One thing to watch out for is when you talk to people who are good talker

Food writer Becky Grunewald came to a full house at The Sacramento Press Thursday to share her tips on food writing with attendees, who got the chance to write reviews on food they sampled at the workshop and get professional feedback. Grunewald showed up to give everyone a little taste of good technique at the second food-writing workshop The Sacramento Press has given. Grunewald has been writing a food column for Midtown Monthly for four years, but it all started with her modest food blog. Now, she has her work featured in local monthlies and will have a piece in Sunset magazine next month. The workshop began with a buffet from Selland’s Market, where attendees chose snacks from an as

One of the first stories I was assigned as a new intern in late January was SMUD's installation of energy smart meters. SMUD customers were told the smart meters would provide them with more information about their energy usage, which could lead to better energy management for them and SMUD. The utility had just about finished testing the technology, and was ready to install more than 600,000 meters throughout the Sacramento area. SMUD contracted with South Carolina-based Utility Partners of America for the majority of the installation work, and my assignment was to find out why SMUD had contracted with an out-of-state company rather than a local one. Installation of the smart meters mea