Uploaded byPirita Juppi
Finding an Idea for Feature
This document provides guidance on finding story ideas and narrowing down topics. It discusses starting with a general topic and choosing a specific angle or focus for the story. The angle should give the story an "inner logic" and point of view. The document also recommends sources for finding ideas such as personal experiences, events in one's community, libraries, social media, and traveling. An assignment is given to try something new or view a familiar experience with a fresh perspective in order to generate potential story ideas.
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Finding an Idea for Feature
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- 2. TOPIC What the storyis about (on a general level)? The object of the story, the issue, the subject matter.... Topic can be a person, a place, an event, an action, a trend, a phenomenon... Same topic can be approach from many different angles! Therefor one and the same topic can produce several different kinds of stories!
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- 4. ANGLE Feature story shouldhave one specific angle. Angle: a specific point of view, approach to the story, or focus or frame of the story. Angle does not mean inbalanced or biased! Angle binds the story together, bring it its "inner logic".
- 5. ANGLE What do youwant to say about this topic? What would be a fresh angle to the topic? Which things are relevant to the angle? Include only them! Start by coming up with more than one alternative angles, then choose the best one. Always have a back-up plan!
- 6. PREMISE the main statement youwant to make in the article, the "message", the reason why the article was written. Topic Angle Premise
- 7. NARROWING DOWN THE TOPIC Forexample TOPIC: Domestic violence in Finland ANGLE: In domestic violence cases women are not always the victims, but they can also be the aggressors who hurt their partners or children. PREMISE: Violence of women is still a social tabu and the shame attached to it prevents violent women and their partners alike from seeking help.
- 8. Finding an idea- how? Pay attention Be curious Use your senses Notice details Read a lot Talk to people! All kinds of people in all kinds of places! Listen to people's stories and discussions! Keep asking "why?" and "how?"
- 9. Sources for ideas1 Your own experiences Personal and professional contacts Your immediate environment: home, neighbourhood, streets, market places, daladala... Schools, university campus Church, community centre, clubs...
- 10. Various events, conventions,meetings Libraries (books, research journals, dissertations, specialized/ professional magazines, newsletter by organiations...) Other media (especially out of your own area/out of country) Social media and internet: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, discussion forums... Court sessions and documents of their rulings Travelling From both, new/strange and familiar environments!!! Sources for ideas 2
- 11. ASSIGNMENT (DUE 2.4.) 1)Try somethign new: visit a new place, attend a meeting of a club, visit a museum, concert or theatre, try a new hobby, cook something out of ordinary... Try this: change roles with someone, do what he/she would do! 2) Do something what you regularly do, but try to see it (a familiar place, event, persons, activity, ritual...) with news and fresh eyes, as if it was the first time you witness is, experience it, visit it. Try this: Imagine yourself as a foreigner or an alien from outer space, who witnesses this for the first time and does not know what it is. -> Based on 1 and 2, write a ca. 2 pages report describing what you did, experienced, observed, sensed, thought and felt - and what potential story ideas did these experiences give you?