Feature Writing Compiled by Dianne Smith, MJE Alief Hastings High School Houston, Texas Edited by: Missy McClellan Calvary Episcopal School

Objectives The learner will be able to: Describe the special characteristics of a feature story. List ideas that could be developed into a feature story. Explain the importance of organization in the writing process Write a polished feature story for publication.

Key Terms Feature Sidebar News peg Profile Hook Focusing Structure Persona Tone

What is feature writing? Think of the feature story as a news story written like a piece of short fiction. You must combine the rigors of factual reporting with the creative freedom of short-story writing. The feature story’s form must be more fluid than that of a news story; the inverted pyramid style won’t work here because the story needs a definite beginning, middle and end. The readers won’t be able to scan a few paragraphs; they will have to read the whole story to understand it.

A feature story is a prominent news story written like a piece of short non-fiction. The story is usually not related to a current event, but it could be.

Feature stories place a greater emphasis on facts that have human interest. Features put people in the story; they make the reader think and care. You can write a feature story about anyone if you find an unusual angle that captures the interest of your readers.

Generally feature stories are of three types: Human Interest Story – a catchall category for stories that are unusual, offbeat or just the result of a good observation. Examples would be of people who survived disasters, long lost loves, pets who have been returned after years of being lost or people who pursue a life long dream. Informational Feature Story – stories that provide information. These types of stories often answer the question, “why?”. Examples of these types of stories are; nutrition, diet, exercise, home improvement and travel. Informational Story ex: How to lighten the nightly homework load, How to prep for the SAT without it costing an arm and a leg, How to dress for the prom for under $100, etc.

Trend Story – these types of stories result from observing what is going on around you. trend means “a current style”, what’s in vogue When reporting a trend, you try to explain how the trend developed. Student journalists work in a world of trendsetters. Keep your eyes and ears open. Fashion, local hangouts, music, and catch phrases are all trendy items with youth.

Characteristics of Features: Facts – they are factual and reported, they are not the reporters opinion. Relevance – usually not as timely as a news story, but will have relevance to readers. May grow out of a news event. Structure – have a beginning, middle and end. They have anecdotes that make the story come alive, quotes or dialogue that reveal character and explain. It is also easy to read.

A sidebar is an article that accompanies and appears beside the main news story. For example: There is a story about a power outage and school has to be dismissed, but then there is a sidebar, or a secondary story, about what the students do with their unexpected day off.

In either type of feature story, good reporting is essential In either type of feature story, good reporting is essential. You collect as many details as possible. You describe people, settings and feelings, the elements of storytelling. When all the details are added together, the reader is placed in the scene you are describing.

Finding Subjects that Matter There are no restrictions on subject matter. You are limited only by your imagination. Often a feature story is a simple story about a common person in an uncommon circumstance. The feature’s job is to find a fresh angle—to find the story behind the person.

Topics that deal with the ordinary Foreign exchange students Eating disorders Part-time jobs Unusual hobbies Teacher features Favorite movies Favorite celebrities Fast-food restaurants Fashion trends Top Ten Lists

Offbeat feature story ideas Talk radio Weird cravings The truth about goat cheese Cell phones Coincidences Psychotherapy Tattoos, body piercings Individualism Stupid human tricks Crazy answering machine messages The best books not to read

Profiles One of the more popular types of feature story is the profile. A profile is a short, vivid character sketch. Too many profiles turn into a tedious recounting of biographical facts or are unrelated anecdotes sandwiched between quotations. A good profile includes impressions, explanations and points of view. It should emphasize what is unique about the person. You can use a flashback technique or highlight the individual’s many roles.

Narrative writing: Feature writers often use a narrative form of writing when they report a story. Narrative storytelling is engaging, creative, present and compelling. It is written from the storyteller’s perspective. It is accurate, factual, precise, therefore journalistic. The story is told chronologically. Has three parts to the story; lead, body and kicker.

The Lead: The beginning of the story must pull the reader in. The first sentence must make the reader want to read the second sentence. The lead may or may not contain a hook, a detail that draws in the reader’s attention.

The Body: The middle, or the body, of the narrative story is where the writer develops it – with details and quotes.

The Kicker: The end of the story, wraps up what you were trying to convey to the reader.

As you prepare for your feature story, you will gather a large amount of information through interviews and background research. Before you begin writing, you will focus on the main idea you want to get across, and organize your information, eliminating that which does not go along with your focus. Focusing is narrowing your topic—reducing a large amount of informaton to a usable amount.

Structure After you have written the lead, you need a structure in which to place the information. A structure is an organizational pattern the writer uses to synthesize, that is to establish relationships between relevant pieces of information.

The structure that the “Bare Facts” uses is: Lead Quote (Use your most dynamic quote here) Transition or fact Quote Transition

Continue alternating quotes and transitions all the way through the story. End your story on the second best quote you have, to leave your reader with something to think about.

Finding the right voice You have many voices. You speak to your friends differently than you do your parents or your teachers. If you have a job, you have a voice for your boss. When you write a story, you take on a persona, or character. You must choose a voice that best imparts the information in that story. The choice you make becomes the tone, or mood of the story, and it should always match the content. For instance, you would not use humor to write about a tragic auto accident.