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FEATURE WRITING

May 10, 2014

For teachers who like to write


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WHAT JOURNALISTS DOGet an idea for a storyDigoutthe informationTell thestory

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Fiction writers are

imagineers.Non-fiction writers are

reporters.


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REPORTINGISLIKEBEINGTHENEWKID

INSCHOOL.YOU'RESCRAMBLING

TOLEARNSOMETHINGVERYQUICKLY,

BEINGADETECTIVE, FIGURINGOUT

WHOTHEPEOPLEARE,DISSECTING

THESOCIALSTRUCTUREOFTHECOMMUNITYYOU'REWRITINGABOUT.

EMOTIONALLY,ITPUTSYOU

INTHEPLACETHATEVERYBODYDREADS.YOU'RETHEOUTSIDER.

Susan Orlean

New Yorker


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Pacquiao vs Marquez

Juan Manuel Marquezdefeated long-time nemesisManny Pacquiao with aknockout in Las Vegas on

Saturday evening.

In the fourth meeting betweenthe two evenly-matchedfighters, Marquez droppedPacquiao right at the end of

the sixth round to claim a win.

The unthinkable happened whenManny Pacquiao got knocked outby Juan Manuel El Dinamita

Marquez on Saturday night,sending shock waves from LasVegas to home.

As he unleashed a left jab, the

favored Pacquiao ran smack intoa thunderous Marquez right thatsent the Filipino flat, face down,to the canvas, motionless formore than a minute.

NEWS FEATURE

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NEWSFEATURE

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Filipino figure skater MichaelChristian Martinez finished 19th atthe 2014 Sochi Winter Olympicsmen's figure skating finals onSaturday morning (Manila time).The lone Filipino Winter Olympian,Martinez, 17, garnered 119.44points in his final free skate routinefor a two-day total of 184.25.

Martinez skated third and held anearly lead after six performances.

At the kiss-and-cry area of the Iceberg

Skating Palace in Sochi, young Filipino

figure skater Michael Christian

Martinez did his final spin capping his

auspicious Winter Olympic debut by

telling the whole world that winter-lessPhilippines is where he came from.The crowd at the skating arena, earlier

captivated by his not-so-perfect but

nonetheless elegant freeskate,

responded with a mild roar.A few minutes later, the international

media were making a beeline to

interview the Filipino athlete.

Michael Martinez


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NEWS vs FEATURES

Factual

Accurate

Fair

Hard Soft

Time sensitive Not time bound

Structured Loose

Brief Lengthy

Short deadline Long deadline

More objective More emotional

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IN THE ARCHITECTURE

OF JOURNALISM,

FEATURE STORIES ARETHE DESIGNER JOBS.

LIKE CATHEDRALS

AND CUSTOM HOMES,FEATURES STAND OUT

FROM THE HUMBLER

AND MORE UTILITARIANSTRUCTURES SURROUNDING THEM.

Cecilia Friend

Contemporary Editing


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FEATURE WRITING ISTELLING A TRUE,

FACTUAL STORYUSING THE

TECHNIQUES OFCREATIVE WRITING.

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WhoWhatWhereWhenWhyHow

CharactersPlotSettingChronologyMotivationResolution

TO INFORM TO ENGAGE

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When should you write a

feature story instead ofstraight news?


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Write a feature

storyto humanize

thenews.


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Write a featurestory if you

need to go into

details.


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Write a feature story to explain,

expand and analyze an issue or

a previous news item.


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When you have astory that is

too importanttoo inspiringtoo awesome

to write in just a fewstraight-to-the pointparagraphs

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Hasitbeenwrittenaboutbefore? Is it of interest to thereaders?

Will they finditrelevant to theirlives? Does it have emotionalappeal? Do you care about it?

CHOOSING A TOPIC


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What are the enduring issues of the day? What are the universal subjects? Is there someone whose life is like that of

someone in the headlines? Can this headline story be better understood

through the eyes or experience of an ordinaryperson?

When would it be worth going deeper?

Where is the close up on a story.

Where does mystery remain?

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