Types of Feature Stories

 One thing to remember is Feature stories, while journalistic, are first and foremost stories  With a ▪ Beginning ▪ Introduction ▪ Middle ▪ Rising action, climax, falling action ▪ End ▪ Conclusion

 There are two genres of feature stories  News Feature (Less common) ▪ Usually tied to a breaking story ▪ Has to be pushed out right away  Timeless Story (More Common) ▪ No sense of urgency, often written over longer time ▪ Can be held until the right time to publish

 Categories and appeals  There are at least 15 widely recognized types of features.  All can be either news or timeless features  Some categories are about “things” but people are more interesting  Effective writers will transform the “Thing” feature into a “People” feature

 The commemorative story  News features pegged to anniversary of an earlier news event  Usually at the 1 st anniversary and then in intervals ▪ 5, 10, 15, etc ▪ What are some examples of news events a commemorative feature can cover?

 Explanatory Story  Shows the reader how something works  Think of the show “Modern Marvels” ▪ How electricity or gas reach your home ▪ How chocolate, gum or cotton candy are made ▪ How bees make honey  These types of features require much research ▪ You need to know almost as much as the experts you are interviewing in order to fill in the story

 The first person story  Story written by the author about themselves  Usually dramatic or personal ▪ Requiring the use of “I” throughout the story  How I discovered…  How I found out…  When I… ▪ What type of events might be appropriate for this feature

 The Historical Story  Usually pegged to a breaking news event  When the news breaks it requires research for better understanding, leading to a feature ▪ Ex. Crews installing water line discover long buried street car tracks ▪ Construction of a new building is delayed while a pioneer cemetery is moved

 The Hobbyist story  What are some of your hobbies?  Most people collect something ▪ Any collectors in here?  When selecting a story like this ▪ Make sure you are talking about the person ▪ With the biggest or most diverse collection ▪ With vast experience in the hobby

 The How-To Story  Covers steps to do a task ▪ often a difficult, unfamiliar or uncommon task  If the how-to is something that people charge for ▪ You may have to talk to several people before getting enough info for a feature

 The Invention Story  A feature about people who have develop ▪ Unusual or helpful inventions ▪ How they came up with the ideas  Or the inventions themselves ▪ Discussing details of how they work ▪ How they were put together

 The Medical Story  Stories about illness (often costly ones) ▪ Chronicle the families financial plight ▪ In hopes of a donation ▪ Unusual illness ▪ Trying to find treatment ▪ Medical breakthrough stories ▪ Finding a cure ▪ Determining the cause of an illness

 The Number Story  You develop a feature story about the top ▪ 10 restaurants ▪ 5 deadliest intersections ▪ 5 causes of stress

 The Odd-Occupation Story  Think “Dirty Jobs”  What are some odd jobs you can think of  High rise window washers  More on Pg 9

 The Overview Story ▪ This is a feature that focuses on an issue/problem ▪ Includes statistics from official sources ▪ Gives reader an overview of the issue/problem ▪ Example- Feature story on domestic violence ▪ Start with a specific well known case  Interview police, social workers, etc ▪ Include stats showing frequency of domestic violence  Unknown to readers

 The Participatory Story  Story where the writer immerses themselves in the story ▪ Feature on a sanitation worker ▪ Writer works as a sanitation worker for a few days ▪ Well known story ▪ Nelly Bly writer for the New York World  Had herself committed to an insane asylum  To write about the conditions there

 The Profile Story  Story done on someone of interest ▪ Arrange interview ▪ Do some research on the person ▪ Interview subject and others who know them ▪ If people are uncooperative  You will rely on others only and research ▪ Should paint a word portrait of the person ▪ Reader should get a sense of how the person  Looks, sounds and thinks

 The Unfamiliar Visitor Story  Story where the perspective of the topic I given by a visitor  For example ▪ Your town has a high unemployment rate ▪ A visiting diplomat from China is in town ▪ You write about their perspective ▪ Show how is unemployment handled in China