A discussion regarding feature writing.

1. Feature Writing
THE ART OF TELLING STORIES

2. In-depth
Special
not time-senstive
SO WHAT IS FEATURE?
A longer piece of writing vs a newstory.
Detailed description and vivid writing.

3. The plight of the homeless people in Cebu City
News Feature
F a c t s a n d
f i g u r e s a n d
r e v e a l t h e 5 W s
a n d 1 H
S p e c i f i c a n g l e
( e . g p o v e r t y ,
h e a l t h , h o u s i n g )
a n d g o d e e p i n t o
i t

4. News vs Feature
Content
Intro
Sources and Angle
Structure
Length
Language
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Recent or breaking news
Summarises the story in a nutshell
Can, but doesnt always, contain
more than one source and angle
Inverted pyramid
Around 400 words
Simple and factual
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
News Story Any issue: could be news-related
or human interest
Often has a human focus or tells
an anecdote
Always contains a variety of
sources and angles
More flexible: can take linear or a
non-linear structure/include story-
telling. Conclusion is important
Up to 2,000 words
Uses more description and colorful
language; can take a more
personal tone; uses anecdotes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Feature

5. 01 Linear
02 Non-
linear
Chronological Order:
Start to end
Nut Graph
Structure
Least
important
facts
More
important/interesting
facts
Most important/interesting
facts
Lead
Body
Conclusion

6. Nut Graph
He heard the shot and then felt the pain, but only for a moment. Within seconds, junior Jeb Constantino
blacked out and went into shock.
“I don’t remember much of the shooting. I remember it felt like someone punched their fist right through my
face, but then I went black,” he said.
Last week, Jeb’s five-year-old brother accidentally shot him in the face with this father’s loaded 57-magnum.
Jeb lost his right eye and part of his right ear in the accident but suffered no permanent brain damage.
“I was extremely lucky,” Jeb said after the doctor said the bullet missed his brain by an inch.
“I still have a long way to go with my reconstructive surgery, but i am just glad I am alive,” he said.

7. Types of Feature
An in-depth look at a person’s
lifestyle, characteristics,
emotions, hobbies,
appearance or just what
makes the person tick.
PROFILE
Gives vivid description of a
person, place or situation so
that the reader creates a
mental picture of it.
DESCRIPTIVE
Involves persons rather than
things. It’s a story that will
make the reader THINK and
FEEL.
HUMAN INTEREST

8. Types of Feature
Educational in essence.
Provides knowledge about
process or activity.
HOW-TO/WHAT-TO-DO
Direct or indirect experience
of an individual.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Lets the story unfold through
character, scene and action.
NARRATIVE

9. Profile

10. Descriptive Feature
Imagine basking in the warmth of the sun, with a gentle breeze blowing through the air, and a
stunning vista surrounding you as you hold a cold refreshing cocktail in your hand. The fragrance
of lavender and citrus wafts by tantalizing your senses, while the flavors of cold brew, orange
juice, and juniper berries tickle your taste buds.
Now, picture this idyllic scene taken to the next level; an elevated experience that leaves you
feeling not just refreshed, but also slightly intoxicated, in the best way possible.
This was from the workshop curated by the Tanqueray Terrace with illustrator Soleil Ignacio and
bartender David Abalyan, where you can enjoy a bespoke drinks experience that immerses you in
a world of art and inspiration.

11. Human Interest

12. How-to/What-to-do

13. Personal Experience

14. Narrative
Source:
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/specials/content
/227/ten-years-later-a-love-with-nowhere-to-go/

15. The substance of the Feature
1 Facts and/or
opinion 2 Quotes
3 Description
4 Anecdotes
5 analysis
6 Intro, Body &
Conclusion

16. Effective Feature
Should be able to hook the
readers.
An introduction with a punch
LEAD/INTRO
Should sustain the interest.
Background information.
The thread of the story-
connect the beginning, body
and conclusion
BODY
Should help the reader
remember the story .
Summarize the key points of
the story.
CONCLUSION

17. Lead
Striking piece of information in
a short punch format. It adds
suspense.
If you that children do not
understand google maps, think
again.
Striking statement
Sets off his subject with two
apparently contradictory pieces of
information. This is to emphasize two
contending ideas or events.
Three days ago, Mang Kanor was
driving his boss to work. This
morning, he was seen driving his
own car, the very first souvenir he
bought for winning the jackpot prize
in lottery.
Contrast
Can draw the reader into the story by
creating a strong image in his or her
mind. The words are colorful and
concrete enough for the reader to
appreciate and feel the ideas
presented in the story.
The island wears a human face. Its
tranquility is mirrored by the blue
ocean. Its white sands and waving
palms can comfort a weary soul.
Descriptive

18. Source: https://vogue.ph/magazine/apo-whang-od/
Lead
Body
Conclusion
Descriptive
Feature

19. Tulips drop their petals, mums fade to
brown, and foxtails simply blow away.
Jane Miller is ready.
“Well, there’s an end to everything,”
says the self-taught botanist. “Good
God, I’m 96 years old. I ought to die.
And I don’t do it. I don’t know what’s
wrong wtih me.”
But then Miller has never followed
convention.
When she realized as a child of 12
back in 1920 that animals were killed
for meat, she turned vegetarian. When
she later read that the world was
heading toward overpopulation, she
vowed never to have children. When
bookshelves arrived at the St. Louis
schoolhouse where she taught, she
filled them with plants and bugs.
And when, approaching her 50th
birthday, she began searching for land
on which to plant her dream garden,
she settled on 2.5 acres of steep,
rugged slopes descending into Boat
Canyon—conditions that would have
even the most daring gardener
wringing her hands.
Miller led the troops (longtime friend
Marsha Bode recalls that her first day
working in the garden, she watched
Miller climb onto the roof to rake off
leaves—at age 82) until several springs
ago when she broke her leg. It
happened while showing the garden, in
fact.
“I think it just cracked,” Miller says. And
before she knew it, she was eye to eye
with a pot of geraniums.
Now she sits in a wheelchair at her
kitchen table, at once funny and
philosophical. “You don’t really have
any choices. You get old whether you
want to or not,” she said.
Narrative Feature

20. Filipino
Descriptive/Informative
Lawa ng Bulusan
Ni Perlegio Paderes
Unang Gantimpala, NSPC 1993
Kung sinasabing ang pluma ay higit na makapangyarihan kaysa anumang sandata, sa pluma man
ay may higit pang makapangyarihan. Ito ang ganda ng kalikasan.
Kahanga-hanga, makapitlag-puso, makalangit, kapita-pitagan at walang pinag-iwan sa isang
tunay na paraiso. ito ang lawa ng Bulusan, lawa para sinumang nilalang na ibig mapag-isa
upang lasapin ang biyaya ng tunay na katahimikan sa buhay o di man kaya’y upang lunasan ang
hapdi ng puso sa pamamagitan ng walang sawang pagmasid sa mapag-aliw at masaganang
kagandahan ng buong pusong inihain ng kalikasan.

21. Writing the
Headline
One-word title
Brief sentence/question Unique Catchy

22. Tips
01
Animate verbs and work
for sounds.
Drank quickly (gulped)
walked quietly (tiptoed)
02 Vary
sentence
length
03 Appeal
04 Be
creative 05 Impersis
hability
Descriptive
Feature
06 3 Fs
Flow
Fairness
Fact
05
07 Figures
of
Speech
05

23. Thankyou