By: Luke Betts, Sam Michaud, Alyssa Richard, Corey LeBlanc, Jazmin Davis.

Definition: Prominent news story written like a short piece of fiction. Combines factual with creative Unseal topics Inverted pyramid is sacrificed

News Features: follow up or side bar on a story linked to breaking news. (Side Bar: accompanies and appears beside the main news story) Timeless Story: Does not have to be used immediately. It can still relevant later on. News stories are usually developed around News Pegs. (News Pegs: The relationship of a feature to, or how a feature is pegged on, something else in the news)

“Don’t write about man, write about a man” –E.B. White Localize and personalize your stories Readers place larger importance on stories that affect them Strongest features are ALWAYS about people.

Popular type of feature writing. Profile description: Short, vivid character sketch. A good profile includes: impressions, explanations, and points of view. Emphasize what is unique about the person Organize the material by “using flashbacks” or “highlighting the individuals many roles.”

You are a reporter, then a writer.

Must pull the reader in. Honest, then compelling. “The problem with the concept of a lead is that it is most often seen as a separate entity” –Leonard Witt Lead does not need to be viewed as a gimmick or a hook. (Hook: A detail that draws in the readers attention) Five categories of leads…

Similar to using a lead in a news story Introductory paragraphs indicate the direction of the article Who, What, When, Where, Why, How

Shocking to the reader Astounded in skit and promised more detail later on

Constructed with concrete, vivid details. Paint a clear picture of the scene, the individuals and their emotional states.

Most Popular Lead. Recounts stories in which things happens Incidents or anecdotes Dialogue can be used to draw the reader in.

Lead that use quotations and questions, generally ineffective choices for inexperienced writers. Quotations need explanation to be understood. As a reporter you answer questions, not ask them in an article. There are exceptions.

Finals lines must have lasting impression, readers always remember what they read last the best. Logical extension of what you have already said. Three types of endings…

Summary Endings: Story is quickly summarized at the close. Anecdotal Ending: Begin the story with an Anecdote and finish it at the end. Circle Ending: Ending is related to the start.

Importance of sources as a feature writer cannot be over analysed Every fact must be correct from the name of the photographer to the title Misquoting can ruin your reputation, to avoid this take notes or use a tape recorder Recorders can malfunction and notes can be misread. For potentially provocative questions ask the same question twice in different words. Be meticulous. Be right

Begin a selection process that will separate the telling details from the ones that will go thud on the page. Once a clear focus is set for the story you are more likely to not waste time in false starts. (Focusing: narrowing; in journalism reducing a large quantity of material to a usable amount) Avoid choosing an idea such as “School life” in favour of a narrower topic like “Detention: the newest vacation spot”.

Decide what you are trying to say by translating the focus of your story into a summary. Try writing a summary as if you were writing a headline. A useful strategy is to plan the ending of the story first.

Once the lead is written you need a good structure in which you can place the rest of the information. (Structure: The organizational pattern a writer uses to establish relationships between relevant pieces of information) Writing the story in scenes can be an effective approach to a profile. No matter which structure is chosen the key is to provide the reader with logical connections. Each paragraph must be connected to the previous paragraph

Writing can benefit from being seen with a fresh eye. Stories that flop usually suffer from bad organization Sometimes it’s just a bad idea and even the best writers have bad ideas.

Each table will be given the same feature story. It will be cut into paragraphs and as a group you must put it in the order that you think it goes in. In the next slide we will show you the organisation that the story came in. A lot of different ways can work! Even if you don’t have the same organisation as the original feature it doesn’t mean it’s bad!

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There are many voices to choose from and as a writer/narrator you must choose one and take on a persona or character. (Persona: The character taken on by the writer) Voice you choose must compliment the story. Choice you make becomes the tone of the story (Tone: The mood of the story) Listen to your voices and trust them

Use vivid descriptions Details chosen should appeal to taste, sight, smell, hearing and feeling Notes should not only be filled with facts but also observations you make about things that are out of the ordinary (Put meat on factual bones) When sorting through details eliminate observations that are unnecessary or do not contribute to the readers understanding

Humour when appropriate can bring life to the story When choosing amusing details, always exercise good judgment Never use humour at the expense of others Other peoples feelings outweigh any desire you have to get laughs.

In this activity we will assign each of you a card. On the card will either be a definition or a word or two that matches a definition. You must find the card that matches your definition or word. The person who has the matching card will be your partner in our next activity.

In the groups you have from the previous activity you will write a feature. We will give you a Name and a situation to go with the name. You must take these two small pieces of information and write a feature. At the end we will read a few.