Meden F.

Fadriquela SPA- NEUHS Department Quezon City

If you ask the question "how and why" things happen, then you probably like reading feature stories in newspapers and magazines.

What is a feature story?

A feature takes an in-depth look at whats going on behind the news. It gets into the lives of people. It tries to explain why and how a trend developed. Unlike news, a feature does not have to be tied to a current event or a breaking story. But it can grow out of something thats reported in the news.

 It

may be a profile of a person or a group -- an athlete, a performer, a politician, or a community worker or a team, a choir or a political organization. Or perhaps its an indepth look at a social issue -- like fraternities in schools or eating disorders among young women. It could also be a story that gives the reader background on a topic thats in the news -- like a story that explains how land mines work and the history of their use in war.

feature story is usually longer than a news story -- but length is not a requirement! Whats more important is the form the story takes.

Think of the feature as the journalistic equivalent of an essay. Follow these guidelines
start

with a premise or theme present information and opinions that back your point, bring the reader to a conclusion.
The feature often explores different points of views, even when the story is about one particular person.

The story behind the news

Heres an example of how a feature can explain and explore a story that makes news:

Your local newspaper reports on the front page that school enrollments are dropping in your small community. The reason? Many people are being forced to leave the town to look for jobs in bigger cities and obviously, their children go with them. As a reporter you can go beyond the facts and figures in the news story by talking to one of the families who are leaving. How do they feel? What made them decide to go?

What will they miss about home? What are they expecting in their new community? How do the children feel about leaving their school and their friends? Or you can look at the story from the point of view of the people who remain in the town. Whats it like to lose friends and family to far-away cities? How does it affect the school? What about the local economy?

 The

news story tells the audience what happened. The feature will tell them why and how it happened, how the people involved are reacting, and what impact the decision is having on other people.

Personality profile
Indulge

your curiosity -- and that of your readers -- with a profile of an interesting person.

You can look at someone whos making news in your community, province or country. Or it could be someone who's relatively unknown to the public but who has done something unusual or remarkable

Heres one example: Your town elects a full slate of councilors to represent and serve the community. One is a 19-year-old student who was active in youth parliament and student politics. That makes him the youngest elected official in your province. But thats not the whole story! He gets the most votes of any of the councilors, and according to the election rules, that makes him deputy mayor. Whats it like to be a politician when youre still in your teens? What does your life experience add to the council? Are you seen as a spokesman for your generation -- but not the community as a whole? What do the other councilors think of their young colleague? Do people take you seriously?

That young politician may not be famous. But hes certainly done something new. And his experiences will be something that others will want to learn more about. Take a look at people from the world of sports, entertainment, politics, science, technology, business, health, international development, community activism, education, the military, the fine arts or any other field that interests you.

You can choose a subject and find out the basic facts of the persons life and work. What have they learned so far? Are there any surprises? Is there an area of this person's life or work that the student would now like to focus on? Write your profile by telling your readers the facts of this person's life while adding the color and details that make them unique. Talk to the person themselves whenever possible and use their own words to help tell their story.

Tracking a trend Many of the best stories come from reporters observations of the world around them. Heres just one example of how you can come across a great feature story in your daily life: YOU are hanging around with friends at lunch time and talking about plans for the weekend. Someone says theyve heard that the town council is considering a curfew for teens. Everyone under 16 has to be off the streets by 11pm on weekends. You have your own curfew - set by your parents - but you are surprised to learn that the mayor wants to put one in place for everyone.

You talk to some of your friends to find out what they think. You and other concerned teens go over to the town hall and ask the mayor or one of the councilors why they see the need for a curfew. You surf the Net and find out what other towns and cities have been doing.
You find that this is a bit of trend in the US.

What you now have is the basis for a really interesting feature. You have taken a little piece of information and investigated further to find out whats going on. The story will focus on the issue and the thoughts and feeling of the people involved namely local teenagers and the people who made the decision about the curfew.

 Feature

writing tips

The basic guidelines for good writing apply to all types of writing. However, if you expect to hold your readers attention for 1,000 words or more, your writing must be must be lively, specific and clear.

As a student writer you have to start with a lead that captures your readers attention. It could be an anecdote you have heard during the course of your research. It could be a description of a person, place or thing that draws the reader in and encourages them to learn more. It could a newsy lead that highlights the point of the story.

 Move

your story along with descriptions of what happened, quotes from people involved in the issue, and details that place the reader in the midst of the action. Make sure your ending is meaningful. Your closing words should make an impact on your readers and tie the various strands of your story together.

powerful quote can often make for a good ending. Or you may want to come full circle and refer back to a word or an image used in your opening sentences.

A good feature writer has SHORTS

Stores a journal

Has a nose for good stories

Observes accuracy Reads a lot Takes charge

Simple in writing

STEPS IN WRITING AND ORGANIZING THE FEATURE ARTICLE

Steps in Writing and Organizing the Feature Article

Narrow

down the topic Start with a lead that hooks the readers
Quote

I want to die with my boots on, says an 85-year old English teacher.

 Chronology of events

Being part of a big family, Lani Patricio has always aspired of becoming a successful businesswoman here in the Philippines and abroad.

 Shocking moment

It was in this moment when all hope had faded, that Kat Baron crossed the finish line, giving the Sophomores the championship medal for the 4x100 relay run.

 A rhetorical question College education is a privilege, not a right, isnt it?

A surprising fact 80% of Filipinos spend at least 50 pesos a day for cellphone load, despite inflation of basic food prices.
An irony The arrival of the Japanese soldiers signaled no resentment from the Filipino war veterans.

Steps in Writing and Organizing the Feature Article

Body
Background and other vital

information A thread should be present Transition words Dialogue Voice

Steps

in Writing and Organizing the Feature

Article Test

your limits, push your use of language and your ability to set a scene.
You are the Storyteller now.
Theres no one right way to write, and

theres no single best way for you to tell your story.

Steps in Writing and Organizing the Feature Article

Try

to make your reader feel like they are there.

Your writing can trigger all five senses! You can think of a feature story as a series of

mental images, presented one after the other. Well-described scenes results to a beautiful montage

Tips for Writing Feature Articles

What

differentiates a feature article from any regular informative or news article is the novelty of style, delivery and wordplay that the author uses to create a light, informative reading. Feature articles give writers more breathing space to express one's writing style and to tackle the topic in question in a more creative and less straightforward manner.

 Originality

is vital to a successful feature article, which is something a writer builds through time and experience, but for starters, there are only a few fundamental steps to keep in mind, and you're on your way to becoming a good feature writer.

1. Keep a brainstorming notebook handy

It's

always handy to keep a pad of paper or a small notebook within convenient reach. Ideas don't just come whenever we want them to, and they often hit us at the most unexpected places and during the most unexpected times.

 If

you've ever been hit with a brilliant idea while you're on the road or out on the hiking trail, you know what I mean. Besides, many potential ideas take time to nurse and develop so you can come up with a good article. It's a huge advantage to always have something to scribble those fleeting thoughts on whenever they come along, so you can go back and review them when it's time to wind down.

2. Do your research The most important step to any successful article is, more often than not, the one that's most overlooked. Do your research! What decides an article's worth is its credibility, and only good, solid research can give you that. Whatever discussion you tackle must be backed by accurate facts and data that you can reliably source should your article come under fire.

3. Start with something light, like an anecdote or a descriptive passage

What

good will writing a thousand-some word article be if you can't entice an audience to pick it up and read? Any article should start with something that would pique the interest of readers and endorse your article as an interesting piece. Your first paragraph, or your first sentence for the matter, can either make or break you.

 It's

your most potent and effective marketing tool in getting your article across to more readers. One of the most popular techniques would be to start by relating an interesting or comical anecdote that would introduce your topic. A catchy scenario or passage will also do the job perfectly. Also, after reading your first few paragraphs, your reader should already be able to grasp what your article's about.

4. KISS (Keep it short and simple)

Don't

subject your reader to the equivalent of linguistic torture. A feature article, after all, is supposed to be light, entertaining and informative. A winding article that goes through all the nitty-gritties of your topic is testing the patience of the reader.

 Choose

only a good amount of detail to include in your discussion; you don't have to tackle the less important aspects of your topic. Give the most vital pieces of information that you want to get across, and choose the details that go along with it.

 However,

be careful that you don't omit too much detail that you end up with a vague outline for an article.

good technique is to always keep in mind your target audience. If you're writing an article on diving for general sports enthusiasts, you don't have to go through the trouble of explaining technical aspects because it will only bore your readers. On the other hand, the detail is something you'd consider writing about more profusely if you're writing for a diving magazine.

5. Hold it with the highfalutin language

It's

good to drop profound vocabulary into your article now and then, because aside from enriching your readers, they do add to the aestheric effect of an article. It's good, too, to know your limits. Dropping in too many "big", highfalutin words is the equivalent of suicide; you'll drive your readers away without even trying.

 Think

of the experience of reading through a medical textbook without any medical background; the technical jargon will be enough to give you a headache and work as a natural soporific. Knowing when and how to impress is the key when it comes to word selection, so save off the temptation of loading up on the big guns.

6. Reread your article

As

any writer knows, mental fatigue can set in pretty quickly doing this sort of work. Rereading your article will give you time and space to objectively reevaluate your article, add new ideas and tweak it to come up with something better. This also gives you time to proofread your article for grammatical or typographical errors.

 There's

no surefire way to ensuring a successful article, and a writer's only tools are vocabulary and creativity. These steps are but a simple guide to the writing process, which is a complex and sometimes grueling undertaking.

 Remember

this: It takes a lot of patience and experience to overcome hurdles and produce good quality output, but at the end of the day, you'd find that writing can be an extremely noble and rewarding task.