This document provides an overview of feature writing. It defines feature writing as an in-depth look at a person, situation, or place that is not breaking news. Feature stories make the familiar new and the new familiar by exploring overlooked or underappreciated topics. The primary purposes of feature writing are to entertain, explain, teach, suggest, examine, narrate, tickle, comment, and analyze trends. Various types of features are described, including news features, personality profiles, human interest stories, and investigative features. Guidelines for crafting effective feature stories discuss using short sentences and paragraphs, easy words, personal words, active verbs, transitions, quotes, and more. The thinking and writing process for features is also outlined.

1. By NICOLASA SALAS - CAMAYA

2. FEATURE WRITING
is an in depth look at a
person, situation or place. It
is not a news, as in the latest
– breaking headline, but
some overlooked or under-
appreciated tale.

3. FEATURE WRITING
The feature story makes the
familiar new and the new
familiar. The feature story could
be the unknown personal side of a
public figure or could be a newly
diagnosed childhood behavior or
some odd happening around.

4. FEATURE WRITING
Its a human
interest because it
appeals to the
emotions.

5. Functions of
Feature

6. To entertain
The primary purpose of
feature story is to entertain or to
give the readers pleasure and
entertainment although it can
also educate, instruct, advise,
recommend and offer choices of
action.

7. To Explain
 Explain what is happening in the world,
nation or community. It does not only
inform the world as in the news but it
explains. Like the death of Cory, it does not
only inform the world of her death but also
explain the impact of her death to the
Filipinos, to the Philippine Government and
to the world itself as she is an icon of
democracy.

8. To Teach
Teach an audience how to do
something. This especially true
when your feature story is about
home and family life. Cooking,
Making your home looks
spacious with limited space and
other related topics.

9. To suggest
Suggest better ways to live. Topics
like Cigarette smoking is dangerous
to your health, Fighting Cancer and
Going Back to the Basic – Eat
Vegetables , Exercises and Simple
Lifestyles are just good features for
this function.

10. To examine
Examine trends. It caters mostly to
the younger generation. This is
mostly done in most magazines
creating the latest fads in dresses,
gadgets and even people. Usually
artists. Likewise new craze like
cremation, stem technology.

11. To narrate
Narrate a personal experience, a
tragedy or success story that
inspire. It could be a personal
story about rags to riches; a
battle on a sickness; a boy or girl
scout heroism.

12. To tickle
Tickle readers through humor and
witticisms. Aside from inspiring the
readers, we can also tickle them with
humor especially Filipino readers. This
is the reason why when reading a
newspaper they would first look at the
comic section before going to the
headline.

13. To comment
Comment on social, political and
cultural issues. Informative
feature often had this function.
When featurizing poverty and
unemployment has something to
do with social and even political
issues.

14. Types of features

15. News feature
– based on recent event or
development. News like Cory’s
Death, Acquittal of the accused of
masterminding the ZTE Scandal.
You can write a new feature like
Cory’s battle from Democracy to
Cancer.

16. Personality Profile
– written to bring the
audience closer to a
person in or out of the
news. This is one of the
easiest features to write.

17. Human Interest story
 – written to show a subject’s
emotional or human side. It
is usually a tragic story. Like
the tragic story of Sajid Bulig,
Rona Manghilum and other
children’s heroism.

18. Trend Story
 – are very popular because
people are excited to read or
hear about the latest fads.
Example : Cremations, Stem
Technology, Artificial
Insemination

19. Informative feature
– Topics that would fall under
this category would include the
extent of the drug problem in
the Philippines, poverty,
unemployment, abuses in the
work place and the plight of the
elderly population.

20. News analysis
– If you heard about the Trillanes
Revolt. It is an aborted coup at Manila
Peninsula Hotel in Makati last
November 29, 2007. You can then
write a news analysis of that
development like why trillanes did it
because of messianic complex or plain
stupidity?

21. How to article
– examples of which are
the following. The art of
making Oregami – Paper
folding. The making of the
famous tinapa from Talaga.

22. Personal Experience
– it all about your
experience.

23. Humorous feature
– One of the most
important functions of the
feature to entertain. This is
even difficult to write than
any other ordinary feature.

24. Investigative Feature
 – Stories about militant
killings and disappearances
and other violations of
human rights would fall
under this category.

25. Inspirational feature
 – This also stresses the
importance of education
and a positive outlook as
well as faith in oneself in
order to succeed in life.

26. Basic rules in
crafting the feature

27. Short sentences
 – 15 to 20 words per
sentence is easy to
read. Sentences longer
that 30 words may be
hard to understand.

28. Short Paragraph
 – Keep paragraphs short and
vary them from one word to
five average sentences.
Remember a 100 word
paragraph looks long in a
narrow newspaper column.

29. Easy words
 – When technical or
difficult word must
be used, explain it as
simply as possible.

30. Personal words
 – These are still good
technique for
holding the reader’s
interest.

31. Active verbs –

32. Transitions
 – these are very
important to make
a coherent
paragraph.

33. Interest building
 – providing quotes like
Im sorry, the Filipinos
are worth dying for, the
Filipinos are worth
living for.

34. The
thinking/writing
process

35. You need to think first.
Reflect on what you want to tell your
readers. It is like setting a purpose or a
goal. You would like to make it as
interesting to your readers as it is to
you. Feature that does not follow the
inverted pyramid. You can start with
the least important to the most
important.

36. Use a thread.
There is a need to see coherence in the
article to fully understand the article.
It is effective to weave a thread
throughout the story which connects
the lead to the body and to the
conclusion. The thread can be a single
person, an event or a thing that
usually highlights the theme.

37. Choose a theme –

38. Newspeg
 – It is called nut graph
because it explains
the reason the story
is being written.

39. Tools in building up
the theme

40. Dialogue and quotations
– Feature writers often use
dialogues or quotations to keep
the story moving and alive. It
gives the readers strong mental
images and keeps them
attached to the writing and to
the story’s key players.

41. Famous quotes
– The use of quotes from famous
persons or literary compositions
would add to the scholarly nature
of a feature story. It gives elegance
to the story and it gives the
impressions that the writer is well
rounded.

42. Idioms and anecdotes
 – can add spice into the feature
articles. They have to be woven
subtly into the story in order to
build up the theme. They must
be simple and brief; relevant
and have an intrinsic value.

43. Establish a voice
– Another key element that holds
a feature together is a voice the
signature or personal style of each
writer. It is the personality of the
writer and can be used to inject
color, tone and subtle emotional
commentary into the story.

44. Ending or conclusion.
The ending will wrap up
the story and usually
goes back to the lead
often with a quotation or
a surprising climax.

45. Literary devices or
techniques

46. Flashback
 – it tells of the events in the
past that has relevance to
the unfolding of the story. It
is like setting the
background for the story

47. Parallelism
– when you
compare parallel
events or events.
EDSA events

48. Contrast
 – When you make a
contrast or conflicting
situations to
emphasize a point in
your story.

49. Atmosphere
 – It speaks of a tone
of voice. It could be
harsh, grating, cool,
hysterical, loud,
angry and sarcastic.

50. Setting
 – this refer to the
time and place
when the story
happens

51. Imagery
 – The mental images
formed as a result of
the words used in the
feature story or any
form of literary piece.

52. Diction
– This means use,
choice and
arrangement of
words and phrases.

53. Figure of Speech
Metaphor – comparing objects
without the use of like and as.
Simile comparing objects with the
use of like and as
Personification – attributing
human traits to inanimate
objects.

54. A True Story
Mayor Jose Ramos of Lapu-Lapu City encountered an
old-timer from San Francisco, California at the Domestic
Airport in Manila.
Ramon Sanchez asked how he could go to Surigao to
visit his relatives he left 30 years ago. He had returned to
the Philippines as a Balikbayan.
The mayor volunteered to help him by taking him first
to Lapu-lapu City. Giving the old man P300 and a chaperon
from his office, he then made arrangements for the old
man’s flight to Surigao.
At this point, the balikbayan confessed that he was
not that poor. He gave the mayor $ 5000, and all of the
mayor’s staff $20 each.
The old man said he was happy to know that it is not
true that Filipinos have lost their hospitality in 30 years.

55. Golden Medicine for Giant Dilemmas
Penicillin for the bloody, powerful wounds. Eyemo for the dirty,
reddish eyes. Strepsils for fiend sore throat. Looking for the best
medicine for your heavy burdens? Does your head need to bounce on
the strongest wall? Or your stressed soul wants to be amnesic to forget
all your disputes?
There is no need to do that. The only thing recommended is to
sit, open your mind and your eyes then enjoy the colorful world of
writing. It will never leave a big hole in your pocket.
Turning on the page, the news articles will never let your life be
left behind by the latest issues. It will make your busy world stupefied
by the current events.
Well, after the shocking and surprising news, here comes the
world of opinions, the editorial page, You will surely say yes or no, be
either influenced or convinced with a lot of powerful words

56. Editorial cartoonists will never let you guess the topic after
reading the title of the amazing editorial. Each cartoon is always
there ready to guide you.
On the touch of your gracious hand on the exciting paper,
turning on the next page, your thirsty eyes will be overloaded
with the meaningful, colorful and interesting stories in the
feature page. After reading each, you may cry, laugh, inspired
and of course fall in love.
Do you love sports? Then the last page is yours. It can give
you exciting and nerve-breaking games and sports trivias. So
read more of the sport stories, for every dribble counts.
This is the world of JOURNALISM. It is just something that
contributes a lot of big things that give you remedy to your
chaotic world. It will definitely color your life and give extra
special joy. At the end of the day, journalism is still the golden
medicine that can cure your giant dilemmas.
So common, make friend with journalism. Let it rock!

57. Thank You….