In the highly recommended book of essays, "Telling True Stories," Washington Post reporter Anne Hull talks about the writer-editor relationship and how a good editor can help a reporter turn an average story into a great one. She writes:

"If you haven't done enough reporting, the story will look like a giant comb-over. Every reader will know you're trying to cover bald spots in your reporting."

The best writers aren't always the best reporters. Those are two different skill sets. Good writers sometimes get a pass from overworked editors, because -- well, because their copy is passable. It reads well. It's free of errors in grammar, punctuation and syntax. But that doesn't necessarily mean the writer nailed the story.

The best reporters find an editor -- even if it's not one they work for -- who will read their stories with a critical eye and then ask uncomfortable questions. What are the missing pieces? The missing sources? What is this story really about?

No writer likes having his or her masterpiece picked apart. Not during the process, at least. But great reporters understand the need for that process, and they appreciate it later when the final result is so much sharper than the early draft. Every writer needs an editor ... not a comb.

In his classic book, “Writing For Story,” Jon Franklin wrote:
“A story consists of a sequence of actions that occur when a sympathetic character encounters a complicating situation that he confronts and solves.”

Simpler yet: A good story consists of characters, conflict and resolution.

That’s every good novel, every good short story, every good TV drama, every good movie.
And if the story ends in redemption, even better.

What’s a movie or book that’s a powerful redemption story?

Writer Tom Hallman says: “Find the parable.”  If you can find confirmation of a basic human truth behind an already compelling story, that’s gold. The story’s about one thing, but it’s really about something a lot bigger.

Film critic Roger Ebert wrote: “All good art is about something deeper than it admits.”

And that’s the tricky part in writing about missions: not admitting it. Our instincts tell us to slam the reader or the viewer over the head with our message, so they don’t miss it. Instead, give them just enough compelling information to figure it out for themselves. This is where so many Christian books, movies and yes, stories about missionaries get it so wrong. They’re propaganda, and people can smell it from a mile away.

Don’t tell people what to think. That is not a journalist’s job. Lead them far enough that they can find the truth for themselves. Doing that effectively is the mark of a good storyteller — and a good journalist.

How does all of this translate to news stories about what God is doing through missions work?
Characters, conflict and resolution. And if we’re lucky, parable.

Once you develop an eye for this pattern, you’ll start spotting these stories everywhere.