Basics of Feature Writing

1. Basics of Feature Writing:
The Art of Telling Stories,
The Craft of Reporting the
News
Rupert Roniel T. Laxamana

3. What is your story?

4. “You have
to connect.”

5. Factual
Entertaining
Appealing to the emotions
Timely or not timely
Unusual
Reader-oriented
Explanation (extrapolation)

6. Freedom in Writing
• Feature writing allows the freedom in your
writing to explore and create. Feature writer
provides detail and explanation to your readers,
allowing them to get personally attached to the
story.
• Feature Story aims to educate and entertain the
readers.

7. Freedom in Writing
• It reflects the best in a writer.
•It can be personal, colorful, and
opinionated, but without deviating from
the facts.

8. The Featurization of
Journalism
FEATURE WRITING v.2.0

9. Feature journalism before is best understood as a
family of genres that has traditionally shared a set of
discourses:
•a literary discourse,
•a discourse of intimacy and
•a discourse of adventure.

10. • The genres of feature journalism today are more diversified and
complex than ever before, and that their impact on the social
function of news in general is greater than ever.
• The newspaper feature reportage genre, for instance, typically
encompasses a narrative structure, first-person accounts of
events and a "colorful" style of writing, while the profile
interview genre typically contains the in-depth questions and
answers of the journalist and the interviewee, colorful writing,
personal characterizations and a profile picture or caricature
drawing.

11. • Today, the genre of feature journalism is
undergoing significant changes, reflecting the
technological, social, economic and
cultural changes that affect the media industry
and the role of journalism at large.
• Feature writing now has its social function.

12. • The greatest change in the newspaper industry since the
classic study is the replacement of hard news with
an increase in soft (or feature) news.
• Examples are human interest stories, reportage,
celebrity profiles, colorful background stories, lifestyle
stories, personal columns, and the transformation of
news into infotainment.

13. • • According to a 1949 textbook on feature writing, the feature
article is a “creation of the present century” (i.e. the 20th
century) (Reddick, 1949)
• [...] the feature story deals with people handled intimately.
Items not sufficiently important to appear in news may often be
salvaged for good feature articles. The newspaper makes room
for such non-news material because it strikes a human note and
escapes the limitations of time and space. (American
Harrington, 1925)
• He further underlines the need for feature writers to have
literary skills.

14. • An interesting observation is how H.F. Harrington calls
the feature writer not a journalist, but a writer.
This may be interpreted to imply that feature writers
were not part of the journalism community to the same
degree.
• Many writers will say that feature articles fall
somewhere between news writing and short story
writing" (Garrison, 2004).

15. A feature writer reveals emotions and facts,
portrays ordinary people rather than officials,
and he/she is not afraid to use her own
personal experiences in his/her stories.

16. • Alexander argues that the feature writer gets to “the
heart of the reader” and puts something of himself
into the story
• Feature stories are emotional, and they involve
readers. These articles tell us much about the human
condition. These articles are often less objective than
conventional news writing, offering a particular point of
view or the author's personal impression, perceptions
and opinions.

17. • Feature Journalism was called 'Intimate
Journalism' by W. Harrington in 1997.
• Feature Journalism searches for the human
aspect.

18. • Reportage genre is significant in feature journalism.
• The reportage is a personal narrative based on the journalist's
own real world adventures.
• A feature writer does everything a news writer does, but he also
does more. He becomes a narrator, a storyteller and an
interpreter, not just a reporter" . This view of the feature
journalist as "not just a reporter" is also supported by Garrison,
who argues that feature journalism goes "beyond" news
journalism to be “special”
• Feature journalist has "the opportunity to research more deeply,
talk to more people - and quote them at much greater length"
than the news journalist has.

19. Fiction
• The reader has to have images in order to feel
oriented in the world of feature writing. At the same
time, without sacrificing the article's intent-to report.
• It's important to remain open to the unexpected.
• Once writing becomes an exercise of freedom, it's filled
with energy.
• To read a great feature article is an act of humanity. It's
an act of connection.

20. Non-fiction
• One approach emphasizes the facts of the event, while the
feature displaces the facts to accommodate the human
interest of the story. Most news broadcasts or publications
combine the two to reach a wider audience.
• Provide vital background information. If appropriate, a
paragraph or two of background should be placed high in the
story to bring the audience up to date.
• Feature writing: Crafting research-based stories with characters,
development and a well-written structural

21. How does Creative Nonfiction Differ from
Nonfiction?
• Most readers encounter non-fiction on a daily basis via
traditional journalistic outlets, such as newspapers.
• In essence, non fiction is any writing which uses real world facts
as its material, and non fiction's focus is to clearly present such
facts. Traditional journalism, technical textbooks, and academic
works of any subject are good examples of non fiction in its
standard form.

22. The
Hourglass
Structure

23. • As writers, we are always searching for the tools that will help us
create the magic that is ; "good writing", whether it's a breaking
news story, magazine article, personal essay, or fiction.
• The hourglass structure is one such device. A story shape that
journalists can employ when they have news to report and a
story to tell.

24. The Hourglass Structure
• Serving the News, Serving the Reader
• The hourglass form summarizes the news, then shifts to a
narrative. The top delivers the news, the turn acts as a
transition, the narrative tells the story.

26. Reporting vs. Storytelling
• We must be champions in data reporting via storytelling.
• Storytelling is a mechanism used for sharing "knowledge" in the
most engaging, memorable, and persuasive way possible.
• Data is set of observations (facts and figures) which have not
been organized, processed, and interpreted.
• Information-once the data is organized, processed, and
interpreted; it becomes useful and meaningful.
• Our job – make use of information as we “purposely”
deliver them in the article.

27. Feature Writing
• A feature story is usually longer than a news story - but length
is not a requirement! What's more important is the form the
story takes.
• Think of the feature as the journalistic equivalent of an
essay.

28. Choosing the Focus
• Has the story been done before (unconventionality)?
• Is the story of interest to the audience (popular culture)?
• Does the story have holding power (emotional appeal)?
• What makes the story worthy of being reported
(significance)?
• The theme answers the question, So what?

29. Basic Structure
of Feature Articles

30. • The introduction is the most important part - entice
your reader, hook them in.
• The body of the article needs to keep any promises
or answer any questions raised in the introduction -
try and maintain an "atmosphere" throughout the
writing
• While the introduction draws the reader in, the
conclusion should be written to help the reader
remember the story - use a strong punchline.

31. Titles and Headline
• The headline performs two important functions. An
effective headline:
• Grabs the reader's attention and persuades them to
read the article
• The importance of titles. Start at the beginning by
learning to generate captivating headlines with
a need-to-know-more factor.

32. • Develop a "working title", the name you use for
convenience in thinking about your article, and such a
mental label will do until you come up with a better one.
• A title can come from anywhere. From the air. the
subconscious. From the name of your main character.
Open the Bible or a volume of Shake and touch a verse
with your eyes closed.
• ex. "Absalom, Absalom!" (Faulkner)
• From Ecclesiastes "The Sun Also Rises"
(Hemingway)

34. Lead or Introduction
• A summary may not be the best lead.
• A lead block of one or two paragraphs often begins a
feature.
• Rather than put the news elements of the story in the
lead, the feature writer uses the first two or three
paragraphs to set a mood, to arouse readers, to
invite them inside.

35. Nut Graph
• The "So What" paragraph
• Usually in the third or fourth paragraph
• Know your PURPOSE. Explains the reason the story is being
written
• An article has a definitive goal and without it, it will just
produce little lasting fruit. Learn more on the importance of
developing a main theme for your article, and then wrapping
your content around it.

36. Body of the Feature
• Important components include:
• Background information (A paragraph or two of background
should be placed high in the story to bring the audience up to
date)
• The "thread" of the story (Connect the beginning, body and
conclusion of the story)
• Persona (Speaker)
• Dialogue (May be used to keep a story moving)
• Voice (Voice is the personality of the writer and can be used to
inject color, tone, and subtle emotional commentary into the
story.)

37. Details (Body of the Feature)
• The middle section consists of a number of paragraphs
that expand the main topic of the article into
subtopics. The usual components are:
• Subheadings
• Facts and statistics which support the writer's opinion
• Personal viewpoints
• Opinions from authorities and experts
• Quotes
• Anecdotes and stories.
• Specific names, places and dates

38. Conclusion or Ending
• The concluding paragraph should leave a lasting impression
by:
• Reminding the reader of the article's main idea.
• Suggesting an appropriate course of action.
• Encouraging a change of attitude or opinion.

39. • The ending will wrap up the story and come back to the
lead, often with a powerful line (punch) or a surprising
climax.
• Often, a feature ends where the lead started, with a
single person or event.
• The ending can be a comment, concluding quote,
pointed question, a summary of the article. (In a
contest, avoid using quotation or question.)
• Ending holds something significant back and make a
connection with the introduction.

40. Conclusion (circular ending approach)
1. Repeat the intro verbatim
2.Repeat and continue
3.Write a different paragraph but still
connected with the introduction

41. Some points
to keep in mind:

42. • Focus on human interest - the feel and
emotion you put into the article are critical. Don't
think about writing a "science" story think about
writing a "human interest" story.
• Be clear about why you are writing the
article. Is it to inform, persuade, observe,
evaluate, or evoke emotion?

43. • Write in the active voice. In active writing,
people do things. Passive sentences often have the
person doing the action at the end of the sentence
or things being done "by" someone.
• Accuracy is important - you can interpret and
embroider but not fudge.

44. • Keep your audience clearly in mind - what
are their desires, what really matters to them?
• Avoid clichés
• Use anecdotes and direct quotes to tell the
story - try not to use to many of your own words.

45. • Decide on the 'tense of your story at the
start and stick to it. Present tense usually
works best.
• Avoid lengthy, complex paragraphs. Your
article will appear in columns, so one or two
sentences equals a paragraph.

46. Substance of the feature
• Surprising Lead, Killing Kicker (SBEK)
• Facts, Figures, Research (with accurate sources)
• Case Study
• Quotes
• Subtitles, Breakers
• Images, Descriptions, Symbolism

47. • Writing Techniques
• Story, Anecdotes, Backstory
• Perspectives, Opinions
• Analysis (explanation)
• Call to Action
• Pay off, Take Away, Conclusion - reward for
reader persevering until the end (author's secret
to reveal in the end)

48. How to Evaluate
• Which has the most interesting fact?
• Which has the best story?
• Which has the most sensational quote?
• Which has the most surprising event?
• Which has 'did you know that..." factor?

49. Rupert’s 4Is of Winning
•Information
•Involvement
•Inspiration
•Innovation

50. "Feature articles are not just
dry facts, it provides story
and information from a
unique angle."