Create a Block of Recent Stories

1. Go to add new view.
2. Give it the name 'recent_stories', description 'Recent Stories', tag 'story', type 'Node' and click Next.
3. Next to Fields click the + icon to add fields.
4. In the Groups section below, select 'Node', then check the following two fields: Post date, Title. Click Add. You will be taken through the fields you added one at a time. Make the changes specified below. (Click Update to go to the next field)
1. Post Date:
   Remove the label.
   Change the Date Format to Custom, and the custom date format to:
   F j, Y, g:i a
   (In Firefox and Internet Explorer you may also Ctrl+Click on 'the PHP docs' to bring up a new browser tab or window for more formatting options. If you simply click, and the PHP date help opens in the same window, you may lose Views unsaved settings when you press Back.)
2. Title:
   Delete the Title label.
   Select 'Link this field to its node. '
5. Next to Fields click the up/down icon to rearrange fields.
6. Drag the four-sided arrow next to Node: Title so that it appears above Node: Post Date. Click Update to save the new field order.
7. Click the + icon next to Filters, select ‘Node’ under Groups below, choose the Node: Published and Node: Type filters, and click Add.
8. Select the 'Published' checkbox, and click Update
9. Select 'Is one of' and check 'Story' in the Node Type field. Click Update.
10. Click the + icon next to Sort Criteria.
11. In the Groups section below, select 'Node', then check Node: Post date, and click Add. Alternatively, you may instead check Node: Last comment time, or Node: Updated/commented date, or Node: Updated date.
12. Select Descending Sort Order. Click Update
13. Next to the 'Items to Display' click 10. Change to 4. Click Update
14. Under Style, click ‘Unformatted’. Change to ‘List’. Click Update.
15. In the dropdown on the left, ensure that 'Block' is selected, and click Add Display.
16. Under Block Setttings, click Admin: None. Change Block: Block admin description to Recent Stories.
17. Save your view.

Configure your block via admin/build/block. (A quick way to get there is to replace everything in the URL from ‘view’ on, with “block”). Place your block in a region and press Save. You may press Configure to set the title, to determine which roles can view the block, and on which pages it appears. If you want your block on the front page only, enter .