Aim for the Heart (Bonus Books, 2002) is a guide for TV reporters, producers and photojournalists who want to learn how to tell clearer and stronger stories. The highly practical book flows from Al Tompkins' 25 years as a reporter, producer, photojournalist and news director. The book is available for order now at online booksellers and will be in bookstores soon.

Aim for the Heart includes chapters about:

• Finding Tight Story Focus: Look for a laser beam theme that will cut through the noise of the day.

• Developing Strong Characters: They are the emotional heart of storytelling.

• Shoot for the Eye: How to shoot and edit pictures that hang in the viewer's mind. Producers will learn how to develop graphics that viewers will find to be clear and memorable, not busy and confusing.

• Use Active Verbs: Finally you will understand what it means to "speak in active voice" not the silly false present or gerund voice.

• Learn to Enterprise: How do great journalists take everyday stories and make them shine? How do great reporters find the "hidden stories" that others miss?

• The Secrets to Stronger Interviews: The best storytellers ask specific kinds of questions, just as skilled carpenters use precise tools for each job they perform. Learn how to skillfully and sensitively ask penetrating questions that produce enlightening answers.

• Making Tough Calls on Deadline: A survival kit for broadcast journalists who face tough ethics calls every day. How do you cover issues such as bomb threats, identifying juveniles or suicide? What guidelines does your newsroom have about the use of file tape or special effects in editing? How do you decide when and how to use confidential sources in your reporting?

• Surviving and Thriving in a Changing Newsroom: This chapter will help you think about how to make yourself more valuable in your company. Aim for the Heart gives you help learning to manage your boss and become a newsroom leader, even if your job description does not include management duties.