writing Features

Compl et e, r eusabl e t ext – Do not al t er

Journalism Division
Defense Information School
For Meade, Md. 20755
Revised Dec. 1996

Contents
1
Overview................................................................... 3
The Interview: Step by Step....................................... 4
Note-taking Tips ......................................................11
Feature Time Schedule ............................................12
What is “focus?”.......................................................13
Focus Statement......................................................15
Feature Writing Terms .............................................16
Editorializing ...........................................................19
Feature Leads ..........................................................20
The News Feature ....................................................23
The Human Interest Feature ....................................26
The Personality Feature ...........................................28
The Auxiliary Feature...............................................35
Copyfitting Chart .....................................................37
Bibliography ............................................................38

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 Overview
Now that you’ve finished the newswriting part of the
course, it’s time to shift gears and begin writing features.

It’s important to have this skill because you’ll use it

often; military publications aren’t usually dailies, so you’ll
have to “featurize” lots of topics to make them interesting
to your readers.

You’ll write a variety of different features at DINFOS:

news features, human interest features, personality
features and features with photos. You’ll be taught the
basics of each feature form in classroom sessions; then
you’ll get a topic, decide on a focus, and suddenly, you’ll be
on your own! Your instructor will guide you, of course, but
the bulk of the work is up to you!

This booklet is meant to help you with tips on

interviewing and writing techniques. It contains helpful
things such as definitions of terms, how to and how not to
interview someone, a suggested feature time schedule,
examples of writing, and some good, old-fashioned advice.
You should bring this booklet to all your features classes,
and remember to refer to it often during the interviewing
and writing process.

Keep in mind that features offer an opportunity to use

your true writing finesse; it’s no longer “Just the facts,
ma’am.” You’re writing to express and entertain, not just
to inform, so it’s closer to “Once upon a time” -- but
without the made-up stuff!

Welcome to features -- and enjoy!

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 The Interview: Step By Step
The interview is your primary source of information for the features you
will write here and in the “real world.” Here’s an extensive checklist.

I. Before the interview:

1. Learn about the news peg/topic and the interview subject

a. Find out everything you can in the time you have. Research is the
backbone of your interview; you must have a working knowledge, or
at least an idea, of what you’re going to be talking about and who
you’re going to be talking with about it.

b. Primary sources of background info are the library and

biographical statements. The Internet can be a valuable tool, too.

2. Decide upon a possible focus; define the purpose of the interview

a. The more specific you can be when planning your focus, the better
you will be able to keep an interview on track.

b. In addition, when figuring out what focus you might want to

pursue, you will come across other possible focus choices; you
should keep these in mind, because the focus you originally decide on
may fall by the wayside when another possible focus becomes more
attractive.

3. Arrange the interview

a. Most interviews are arranged over the phone, but don’t be afraid to
approach someone in the hall or somewhere else public. Of course, it
would be a bad idea to butt into a conversation or bother someone in
the restroom! Set up the interview with the least amount of hassle
possible to your subject. Always be professional!!!

b. The first thing you need to is fully identify yourself. At a

minimum, you need to give your rank and name, the purpose of your
story, and a general time of the requested interview (i.e., “this
morning,” “this afternoon,” etc.). While you’re at DINFOS, you also
need to include the fact that you are a basic journalism student and
that the story you’re writing is for instructional purposes only.

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 c. If the subject does not have time to give you an interview, thank
him or her politely for the time he or she has already spent with you
on the phone. It wouldn’t hurt to ask that person if there is someone
else you might contact instead. Regardless, be professional! You
may need to contact this person for another topic in the future; you
don’t want to be remembered as “the rude reporter.”

d. If the subject seems receptive to the idea of being interviewed, get

into the details. Make it clear what your topic is and what focus you
think you’ll probably pursue. This will give the subject a chance to
gather his or her thoughts on the topic.

e. Set and confirm the time and place of the interview; be sure you
and your subject are crystal clear on when and where. Be sure to let
your subject know you’re working toward a deadline and when it is; it
could make a big difference in when/whether the subject can
accommodate you.

f. Settle on an approximate time limit for the interview. Most people

will want to know how much of their time they need to set aside.

g. To use a recorder during the interview, you must request permission

from the subject. The initial contact is an ideal time to ask. Plan to use
the counter method (explained in detail later) for transcribing.

h. Close the initial contact with thanks for their help and a sincere
comment showing you are looking forward to the interview. It
wouldn’t hurt to confirm the time and place one last time before you
hang up: “I’ll see you at 10:30 in your office, then.”

4. Write down questions

a. Rule number one: come up with more than you think you’ll need
to ask! Even if you think you already know the answer, it’s important
that you ask that question -- you may get an answer you didn’t
expect, or maybe you’ll get the answer you expected, but phrased
better than the way you envisioned. If your interview is supposed to
last an hour, you should have enough questions to go for two hours --
you’ll be surprised how fast you can go through a list of questions.

b. Avoid “yes” or “no” questions whenever possible. Remember, you

want the person to TALK, not just give you one- or two-syllable
responses. Ask lots of questions that begin with “why” and “what”
and “how.”

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 c. Don’t “lead” your subject to answer a question the way you want
him to. Questions that begin with “So, what you’re saying is ...” are
trouble. And never try to persuade your subject into your way of
thinking! You are there to listen, not trade opinions. The story is not
about you.

d. Write questions that mirror your focus. In the personality feature,

which is expected to roam a bit to show the person’s personality from
a wide view, your questions may wander from the focus (“So, what’s
your favorite color?” If you could interview anybody -- past, present or
future -- who would it be and why?”), but as a general rule, stick to
one path.

e. Organize your questions to the best of your ability. Try to ask

questions in logical order. But remember that there may be times
when you can’t do this because you have to ask a follow-up question
to something the person just said. Don’t get so wrapped around your
question organization that you lose sight of the story you’re supposed
to be getting.

f. Place the “verification” questions, like name spelling, past

assignments, etc., last. This type of question can help signal the
winding down of the interview.

II. During the interview:

1. Show up on time. Be professional.
a. Never show up late for an interview. If possible, be five minutes
early. If you absolutely cannot avoid being late (you’re missing an
arm, you’re in a plane crash, etc.), contact your subject and let him or
her know you will be late or unable to keep the appointment.

b. Do not subscribe the TV image of the journalist: cranky, all-

knowing, slouchy, casual. Look sharp. Know the questions you want
to ask. Don’t make yourself at home until or unless invited to do so --
and even then, remain professional: polite, respectful, even a bit on
the formal side. You are a guest -- make a good first impression.
Many times, the first impression you give determines how open the
subject will be with you.

c. Be organized. Use a neatly maintained notepad, one that you are

comfortable with and can use with a minimum of rustling, tearing and
flipping. Bring two reliable writing implements, preferably ones that
won’t break or smudge. Don’t bring every piece of equipment you
own; just bring the ones you’ll need for the interview.

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2. Break the ice -- easy questions first
a. If you have the gift of gab, icebreakers -- comments, short
exchanges, etc., that put your subject at ease -- will come naturally to
you. Some folks have to work at them. Others never develop the
ability. The bottom line is this: the icebreaker is meant to put your
subject at ease. If you find that you’re no good at them (be honest),
it’s best to just skip it and start right in with the easy questions (“How
did you get involved in taxidermy?”). It’s pretty apparent when you’re
just going through the motions of breaking the ice -- it looks and feels
fake. Your subject will pick up on it and may be a little less than
open with you because he or she feels you are faking enthusiasm for
the topic.

b. Don’t ask the “hard” questions first. The last thing you want to do
is immediately ask your subject to answer questions he or she may
feel uncomfortable with. You need to build up to this type of
question; give your subject time to get to know and trust you before
you pitch the fast ball. If you do it right, your subject will know
you’re building up to the “big one” and will have plenty of time to form
an answer that doesn’t make him feel put on the spot.

3. Keep your focus in mind, but be flexible.

a. Try to stick to your focus, but as has been mentioned before, don’t
lock yourself into it. There are lots of occasions when, during the
interview itself, you may come upon a much more attractive,
interesting focus than the one you started out with. Of course, this
may mean that your list of questions (or most of it) becomes useless
and you have to wing it, but what’s worse -- having to come back later
with a few follow-up questions, or ending up with a mediocre (at best)
story?

b. If your subject starts to ramble on about something that really

doesn’t have anything to do with your story and that really has no
potential for becoming another focus, gently steer him or her back to
the topic at hand. Don’t interrupt, don’t be rude -- wait for him or her
to take a breath, then jump in with both feet. Show appreciation for
the extra information -- and ask your next question.

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 4. Show interest, enthusiasm
a. Even if your story is something as ho-hum as the Officers Wives’
Club getting a new sewing machine for the post’s high school home ec
class, push your enthusiasm button. You need to be able to put
yourself into high gear for any type of story, because if you can’t, it
will show. Your readers can distinguish a story the reporter was
excited about from one the reporter only wrote because it was
assigned to him. If the reporter can’t even get excited about the story,
why should the reader waste his time?

5. Observe!
a. Part of reporting is being able to put your reader in a certain place
at a certain time during a certain event. To do this, you have to be
able to observe and record or accurately remember what you
observed. Use all your senses: see what’s around you; smell the
aromas that float past; hear not only what is being said, but how it is
being said and what is going on in the background; touch objects to
aid in describing textures. Then put those observations in your story.
Make it real.

6. Listen to your subject.

a. Show enthusiasm! Never fake attention. Don’t let the subject
think you think there’s nothing beneficial to be gained from the
interview, that the story is boring. If the subject thinks you think
this, he won’t be interesting in talking. Use body language: maintain
eye contact, lean toward the speaker. Don’t cross your arms (how
would you take notes, anyway?) or lean away. How you act is just as
important as what you say.

b. Don’t just listen for facts; pay attention to the underlying reasons,
ideas and principles. That is where the real story is.

c. You can think faster than someone can talk. Use that extra time
to think about what the speaker is saying, to analyze it: Is there a
follow-up question here somewhere? How does this tie in with what
I’ve got so far? Where might I go with this? Don’t let your mind
wander.

d. Don’t be afraid to ask the subject to repeat something if you miss

it or don’t understand it. You may end up with holes or pieces of
indecipherable information in your story. It’s your job to get it
straight. Better ignorant in person than in print ...

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 e. Don’t argue with, judge or criticize the subject. Your personal
feelings are not part of the journalism equation. If you disagree with
what the subject is saying, take down the information and move on --
without comment except to clarify points of fact.

f. Remember that this is not a showcase for your personal knowledge.

Do enough research that you won’t look like a total idiot during the
interview, but don’t try to sound more informed than you are. Even if
you are an expert on the topic yourself, you are there to interview the
subject, not the other way around. Although you can use the
common ground of similar topic knowledge as an icebreaker, that
should be the extent of the questions/comments including the word
“I.” You can draw on your knowledge to form questions and direct the
interview, but don’t show off. At best, your subject won’t be
impressed (remember, he/she does the same thing); at worst, the
subject will wonder why you are bothering him or her for information
you obviously already have.

7. Take notes: figures, names, certain quotes

a. Even if you have and are allowed to use a tape recorder, always
take notes. There are many things that can go wrong with a recorder:
power supply goes out, records too much or not enough, runs out of
tape, tapes over something important, etc. A recorder is not meant to
take the place of notes; it’s meant to augment them. A danger to
beginning writers is a dependence on recorders: they use them too
much with too few backup notes. You must take notes as if you didn’t
have a recorder, because after the interview is over, lots of unforeseen
things can keep you from using that tape -- provided you got the
interview on tape to begin with.

8. Close the interview just as carefully as you began it.

a. Keep an eye on the clock, without being obvious about it. If you’re
approaching the time you set for the conclusion of the interview, you
need to either wrap it up or ask the subject if it’s OK to continue. The
subject can get so wrapped up in an interview that he or she doesn’t
notice it’s time for the next class.

b. Don’t just pop up and say, “Hey thanks, it’s been great!” and then
waltz out the door. Ask for a moment to look over your notes to see if
you’ve missed anything. Ask the subject if he/she can think of
anything to add.

c. Ask if the subject knows anyone who might be another good

source of information on the topic. One interview is rarely enough.

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 d. Ask the subject if it’s OK to check back later if you have questions;
get a phone number and ask about convenient phoning times.

e. Wrap up by thanking the subject for his/her time and by collecting

all your things neatly. But don’t switch off interviewing mode yet!
Sometimes the best quotes are said just as you’re about to leave. Be
alert! Then get to a place where you can write down that info as soon
as possible.

III. After the interview:

1. Complete your notes; fill in gaps
a. Do this as soon as possible. You’ll be surprised at how much you
can remember without the aid of a tape recorder, but memory can
become contaminated over time. The sooner you go over your notes
and flesh them out, the better.

b. Try to avoid transcribing your entire tape, if you used a recorder.

This takes up valuable time that could be spent actually writing. If
you use the counter method (noting during the interview where on the
tape counter an important quote is said), much of the transcribing
process can be deleted.

2. Conduct other interviews

a. Just because you can back up what your primary subject said with
your research notes doesn’t mean you should. Quotes are almost
always preferable to your reader; they’re more interesting than your
regurgitation of what some book contains.

3. Outline the story

a. What you’ve been reading for the last few minutes is an outline.
Your outline doesn’t have to be as detailed as this; it’s just a
“blueprint” for how you want to organize your story. Usually, a story
will tell itself, if you let it; just write the story in the order you would
use to tell it to one of your friends.

5. Write the story ... then rewrite if needed and time permits
a. Use all the feature writing tips your instructor and this booklet
provide. Don’t fall so in love with your first draft that you feel obliged
not to change anything -- it’s the finished product that counts!

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 Note-taking tips
No one is born with the skill of note-taking. It’s not a skill you need to
survive as a human being -- but it is a skill you need to survive as a journalist!
You have to develop and hone this skill over a period of time. Here are 10
things you can do to improve your note-taking:

1. Practice by taking notes from TV or radio news. This helps you get
used to the fast pace of interviews.

2. Ask a friend if it’s OK to take notes during a casual conversation. This

helps you get used to interviewing a living, talking person.

3. Take notes while talking on the phone. There will be times when this
type of interview is the only kind you can get.

4. If you use the TV or a friend to practice, spend a lot of your time

looking at the screen or your friend; it’s important to be able to write at
the same time as you maintain eye contact.

5. Practice your memory: fill in your notes as soon as possible after a

“rehearsal.” Getting the information filled in after an interview is essential;
even the best memory starts to fade after a couple of hours.

6. Practice legible penmanship; there’s nothing worse than conducting a

great interview and not being able to read your own handwriting.

7. Use a reliable writing tool. In fact, it would be a good idea to always

take two; it doesn’t look very professional if you have to ask to borrow a
pen for an interview you’re supposedly in charge of. Ball point pens and
felt-tip markers are favorites of journalists. Pencil tends to smudge.

8. Use a steno or similar pad to take notes; you need to be able to flip
through your notes quickly and with as little mess as possible.

9. Write only on one side of the paper. The importance of this will become
clear when you begin organizing your information; you don’t have to keep
flipping the pad over to get at information.

10. Try to keep similar bits of information together in your notes -- a page
(or so)per idea. This, too, will help you in the organization stage; you can
tear the pages out and then shift them around as you outline the story.

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 Feature Time Schedule
This time schedule is a recommendation. Your instructor may add some
internal deadlines, but in general, you will be managing your time well if you
can follow this schedule with little or no deviation.
The schedule can be applied to any feature you do overnight; of course,
some deadlines, such as those that encompass a weekend or holiday, add extra
time to your schedule, but that should be considered mainly as extra editing
time, not extra writing time.

7:55 a.m. Feature lesson begins

10:30 a.m. Focus statement approved by instructor

11 a.m. Primary interview appointment set up

12:30 p.m. Primary interview completed

2 p.m. Lead completed and shown to instructor

4 p.m. Story draft completed and shown to instructor

6:30 p.m. Resume work on story; revise and rewrite

7 p.m. Headline completed

7:10 p.m. Copyfitting completed

7:10 to 9 p.m. Copy edit story:

First: Understanding & clarity
Second: Spelling: all words/names
Third: SB, CE, PE, GR, SS, FFI
Fourth: Facts
Fifth: Effect/tone

7:50 a.m. next DEADLINE

business day

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 What is “focus?”
When we refer to “focus” in journalism, we’re not talking about what you
do when you sharpen an image through the camera’s eye. But it is very
similar.

To focus in journalism means to fix or settle on one thing; to concentrate

on one detail of an otherwise wide-spread topic. It’s similar to focusing a
camera because you are picking out a small portion of everything you can see,
the part you think will be most interesting to your audience, and then
producing something from that small bit of the world.

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you are tooling around the office one day and your editor walks
out of his office just long enough to tell you she needs a 15-column inch
feature for this week’s newspaper, and she needs it yesterday. She doesn’t tell
you what kind of feature she wants, she doesn’t tell you what topic to cover,
and she doesn’t have any time to discuss it. She tells you to let her know what
you’re doing before you leave, then disappears into her office. What do you do?

No, not panic.

You have to find something to write about. And it has to be something

that is worthy of a feature story for a military audience -- something your
readers will find entertaining and interesting enough to read, even though they
don’t need to.

So you spend about 15 minutes thinking about possible topics with

military ties: the unit volleyball team, the ongoing construction project, the
new training technician, somebody’s woodworking hobby, the chow hall,
moving household goods, somebody else’s lunch box collection ... hey, that
sounds like something your readers might be curious about! Lots of them have
collections, and lots of them have probably had lunch boxes at some time in
their lives, but they probably never thought about collecting them! Plus, given
the natural curiosity of people, they’ll probably read the story just because it’s
something different. That’s a story worth doing.

Now you have a topic, but what about that topic? You might think that’s
not a question you have to ask, but wait till you try to do an interview without
breaking it down. There are all kinds of things you could write about lunch
boxes: what they’re made of; how they’re made; who makes them; boxes for
kids; boxes for adults; sizes; colors; shapes; special issues; cartoon characters;
movie stars; boxes with thermoses; boxes without; how much they cost; how
much collectors’ items are worth; which pieces are collectors’ items; why people
collect them; where do they keep them; how are the boxes kept in good

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condition; what’s hot now; what’s not; the history of lunch boxes; the evolution
of lunch boxes; the future of lunch boxes ...

Well, you get the idea. It just goes to show that even seemingly simple
topics can get very broad if you let them. So let’s say you decide to write about
what lunch boxes are made of. You can surely get a 15-inch story out of that,
especially since you can break even that narrow topic into more subtopics:
what’s the most durable material; what’s the most popular; what’s the most
expensive/least expensive; what was the first lunch box made from; what are
most lunch boxes made from today; advantages/disadvantages of the most
common material; etc. These things are all parts of that topic that you’ll need
to report about.

The next thing is to decide is where you’re going with the story. A writer
needs to know what he wants his readers to know or feel after reading the
story. So what do you want to leave the reader with? Maybe you want to
amuse them with an insight into the importance of lunch box materials.
Maybe you want them to be able to pick the most durable lunch box for their
children. Maybe you just want them to spend a little time contemplating
something they take for granted. Whatever your choice, you now have a point
to work toward.

Of course, the last step before you can actually step out of the planning
stage and into the doing stage is deciding who you can interview and what your
research sources will be. The guy down the hall who actually collects lunch
boxes would be a good place to begin; even if he isn’t an expert on the
materials, he can probably give you leads to people who can. And he can give
you his personal feelings on different materials and why he may value one over
another in his collection.

Congratulations! You’ve just come up with a workable focus. This is what

it’s like every time you do a feature. You have to go through the planning
stage before the doing stage; otherwise, writing the story will be like building a
house without a blueprint! You’ll end up with something that wanders all over
the place, and if anything is where it’s supposed to be, it’ll be purely accident.

At DINFOS, you’ll use a Focus Statement worksheet to guide you through

the process we’ve just described. You’ll need to have your focus approved by
your instructor before you start on the story so he or she can tell you if you’ve
got a solid, narrow focus that will be of interest to your readers.

On the next page is a sample focus statement using the information

decided upon in our scenario above. Use it as a guide whenever you get foggy
about what a focus statement is for. Remember: a story is only as strong as its
focus!

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 Focus Statement
Name: Joe Schmoe
Student # 37 Section 4
Deadlines: Lead 2 p.m.
Draft 4 p.m.
Final 7:55 a.m. Thursday
These are the questions most assignment editors ask their reporters, both
new and experienced. Provide your editor (instructor) with this information to
get you started, and learn to automatically ask yourself these questions about
every story. Be sure to keep your editor briefed on your progress with the story.

1. What is the story about?

the materials used to make lunch boxes

2. What is the focus? Complete this sentence: “ Readers will be interested

in this story because … ”
many may be surprised to learn what lunch boxes are made of and why; materials can make a difference in durability
and/or attractiveness

3. What is story's military tie to this installation?

lots of military people have used lunch boxes without a second thought

4. Who will be the main source of information for the story?

Name: Staff Sgt. Jerry L. Bailey
Telephone: 677-8333
Organization: Defense Information School
Job title: Radio Skills Instructor

5. What or who are your other sources? Give complete information.

Craig A. Weppler, vice president, Lunch Boxes America,
(201)555-BOXX

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 Feature Writing Terms
Lots of terms you won’t hear while writing news stories surface when you
start writing features. Many of them you probably remember hearing in high
school, but their definitions may have slipped your mind. To jog your memory,
here is a list of common feature writing terms and their definitions. While
you’re writing your features, refer to this sheet; these are the kinds of things
that make a feature a feature, and they are the kinds of things your instructor
will be looking for when he or she grades your stories.

Focus: The reason the story is written. There has to be some reason that
drives you to write any story, regardless of whether it is newsworthy.

Point: The story’s message; usually presented or supported in the conclusion.

Tone: The general feeling or impression a story creates; mood.

Feature lead: Begins a story by presenting the focus or setting the stage for it.

Focus transition: Also called the nut graf . Includes the focus and, in the case
of a news feature, the news peg, especially when the news peg is not closely
related to the focus or is much less significant.

Conclusion: The story’s ending. Presents or supports the point.

Flow: The speed and ease with which a reader can move through a story.

Organization: The selection and order of information; above all, it must make
sense to the reader; there should be no illogical jumps from topic to topic.

Transitions: Words or phrases that cue readers to change; they tie the story
smoothly and logically together. Transitions are keys to good organization.

Syntax: The way in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses
and sentences. Smooth syntax means sentences do not sound awkward or
confusing -- they are easy to read and flow together smoothly.

Voice: How the writer “talks” to his audience. When the writer uses words
like “I” and “me” outside direct quotes, it is called “first-person” voice. The
first-person account is used to relate someone’s adventure or misadventure.
When the writer addresses the reader directly using the word “you,” it is called
second person. When the writer takes himself out of the story and uses words
like “he” or “she” instead, it is called “third person” voice. This is the kind of
story most readers are used to reading; being “spoken to” either directly or
indirectly can be jarring, especially if the story mixes voices.
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Anecdotes: Short, entertaining stories within a story that give insight to the
subject. They give an example or capture the essence of a point. Usually, they
are personal or biographical accounts of certain happenings.

Figurative language: Not literal; used to illustrate without outright

description. Techniques of figurative language include:

Metaphor: An implied comparison between two unlike things. A

metaphor does not use the words “like” or “as” to make the comparison.
Example: The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon stormy seas.

Simile: A stated comparison, using “like” or “as”.

Examples: The waves rushed at us like hungry lions of green glass.
The king sat still as a spider in the center of his castle.

Personification: Giving life-like characteristics to something lifeless.

Example: The leaves wept tears of dew on the moss below.

Hyperbole: Emphasizing something by deliberately exaggerating or

understating it.
Example: Jerry can run rings around a cheetah.
Mark Twain wrote a couple of stories about life in the South.

Onomatopoeia: Forming words by imitating something’s natural sound.

Example: The “crrrrick! crrrrick!” of the frogs and the “screeeeeee” of the
crickets filled the September night.

Then and Now: Compares one time against another by showing a

connection between the two.
Example: Joe Brock’s grandmother attended this college in 1949 in the
old German school on Alamo Street.
Today, Brock, an architecture major, has designs on
renovating the structure into a museum for the Alamo
Community College District.

Pun: Try not to overdo it -- avoid cliches. Try something new.

Example: At the post office, a computer sorts the mail. But at a new
dating service, a computer sorts the males -- and females --
and attaches its own stamp of approval.

Contrast: Light vs. dark, good vs. evil, soft vs. rough, etc.
Example: Inside the igloo, it was warm as an afternoon in July. Outside,
the air was like a blast from an air conditioner packed inside a
freezer.

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Style: Not one “trick of the trade,” but a series of choices. Once you have the
use of strong verbs, grammatical consistency and tightly constructed sentences
down, style is what distinguishes one writer’s work from another’s. Finding
your own style will take time; it is a constant give-and-take process that
evolves from story to story. There are several factors that go into creating your
own style. Some of them are:

Liveliness: The use of strong, precise words, uncluttered sentences and

active voice.

Originality: Choosing detail, avoiding clichés and trite images,

and playing with words and their meanings when appropriate.

Cadence/rhythm/sound: Words can be slowed or sped by

manipulating sentence length and structure. Repetition can add
accent and meter to writing. Drawing parallels between ideas adds
power to your story. Words chosen for their sound -- as well as
their meaning -- can add unexpected spark.

Allusion: Make references to literary or artistic work to help show the reader
what you mean:
At first look, Paula Greif appears to be lifted out of a
sappy Walter Keane painting, all large eyes and long dark
hair, with the diminutive bone structure of a waif. She
doesn’t look like the type who would wear a bright red bra
and a G-string.
But it was Greif who lent Madonna the provocative
lingerie and directed the underwear-clad, flag-draped
Material Girl in an MTV public service announcement that
threatens nonvoters with a spanking.

Anguilla, 10 minutes by air from Saint Martin, is a Rip

Van Winkle of an island, a sleepy sand spit that was
dormant until about 20 years ago.

18
 Editorializing
One of the pitfalls beginning writers encounter is telling instead of
showing. This is referred to as editorializing: you're telling the reader what he
should see, instead of showing him what he could see if he were at the place at
the time you were.
The reason behind this problem is usually that it is easier to tell than to
show; the writer just puts down his or her own feelings and opinions, without
regard for the readers' viewpoint. It's easy for a beginning writer to fall into the
habit of believing everyone sees things the same way he or she does, so he or
she doesn't bother to observe objectively. To become an effective, truthful
journalist, you must avoid this like the plague.
The first step is to stop writing for yourself. You have to remember that
the story you're working on is going to be read by hundreds, if not thousands,
of people, all of whom have different outlooks on life and different ideas of what
is good, bad, beautiful, ugly, right, wrong, etc. This is true whether you're
writing for the typical military audience or the public in general; there are all
kinds of people and all kinds of viewpoints. Your job as a journalist is to
present an objective look at something, no matter what subject, so readers can
make up their own minds on how they feel about it.
The second step is to learn to see things from an objective viewpoint.
Pretend you're taking a mental snapshot of your story topic, whether it be a
person, place or thing. You want your readers to feel they were at the same
spot at the same time, witnessing what you witnessed. Record what you see,
hear, feel (not emotionally, but physically), smell … use all your senses! It will
take time to learn to do this, but if you keep at it, soon it will become habit.
The third step is to accurately show all these things to your reader when
you write the story. Use descriptive words, but not vague ones. In other
words, for instance, don't say something, someplace or someone is beautiful or
ugly – describe the aspects of that item or person in detail so your readers can
decide whether it is one or the other. A sky can be blue or gray, but don't
make the mistake of saying blue is beautiful and uplifting, and gray is ugly or
depressing; some people are more fond of blue than gray, but others feel
exactly the opposite. As the cliché says: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Readers don't care about something you tell them; they want to feel they were
there themselves, making their own judgments.
The fourth step is to go over each of your stories and weed out things you
may have missed when you were writing. Look for things you may have written
that could be viewed in a different way. Sometimes, just the way you word a
sentence can be interpreted in a way you didn't intend. Don't leave something
for readers to find between the lines.
The bottom line is: don't tell; show! You aren't writing in your diary.
You have an audience to please, and you can't please them by telling them
what they should feel or think.

19
 Feature Leads
Your instructor will go over more examples of these in your Features
Leads and Conclusions class, but here are some extra examples to use outside
classroom hours. Keep in mind that these are just examples of different types
of feature leads. Your lead doesn’t have to fit into any specific category -- it
just has to do its job, which is, first and foremost, to grab and keep your
readers’ attention long enough to get them into the story.

Summary: much the same as a straight news lead. It gives the reader the
overall idea of the story and lets him decide if he is interested enough to continue:
ˆShe entered college at 13, graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in computer science at 17 and became an Air Force
officer at 19.
Capt. Jackie A. Parker has been forcing exceptions to the
norm for a good part of her life.

ˆSwimming 50 miles wasn’t an easy task for Jeremiah

G. Hintin, 18, who has been paralyzed from the waist down for
six years.

Descriptive: when a writer paints a word picture of the subject or locale without
using action, he is using a descriptive lead. Many writers use this type of lead
when writing personality features:
ˆThe cubicle bulged with computer equipment, flimsy
overhead transparencies, thick notebooks and cardboard boxes
full of stapled papers. Pencils, books and more stacks of paper
covered the thin, white ledge that posed as a desk.
In the middle of it all, in a purple chair, 155 pounds of
slightly wrinkled, suntanned man were poured into a slouching,
6-foot frame. He sat with his left leg hooked snugly over his
right, and his yellow, nicotine-stained fingertips balanced an old
book on his lap.

ˆDark silhouettes of men crouch in a shallow gully tightly

clasping their weapons. The sweat and white sand on their
hands glint dully in the full moonlight.

Narrative: similar to a descriptive lead, but shows action. A descriptive lead is

a snapshot; a narrative lead is a video:
ˆDark seas 200 feet below stared menacingly at the young
airman dangling from a rope as the helicopter sped toward its
destination.

20
 ˆAs the young man shuffled to the door, the wind blasted
him in the face. Without hesitation, he jumped into nothing.

Direct address: speaks directly to the reader. The word “you” is implied or
placed somewhere in the first paragraph:
ˆIf you write a rubber check at a stateside commissary, you’ll
have pay a $10 service charge and stand the chance of facing
either a civil or military judge.
ˆIf you think the grass is greener on the other side of the
fence, you should talk to Sgt. Jim. E. Michner.

Freak: used as an extreme method of grabbing the reader’s attention. But this
type of lead may not work unless the writer can continue this tone throughout the
story. May employ a play on words, poetry or an unusual typographical device:
ˆOOPS!
That’s the word this morning as Fort Meade folks
continue digging out of the icy present from Mother Nature the
last three days.

ˆ Feet are slow

Cars are fast
That’s why most of us are paying more for gas.

Teaser: teases the reader in a jesting manner. It should raise the reader’s
curiosity and gently lead him into the story:
ˆIt’s big, cumbersome and has a heart of steel. It’s as deadly
as a Tyrannosaurus Rex on a rampage, and it’s “an enclosed,
heavily armed and armored combat vehicle that moves on two
endless metal belts.”

ˆHe’s not seven feet of iron-jawed muscle who fires a

machine gun from the hip while attacking the enemy single-
handedly. He doesn’t win skirmishes, battles or wars as the
lone hero. He isn’t John Wayne or Capt. Marvel. He’s none of
these in one, but all at sometime or another. He’s the average
American, the skinny kid from next door or down the street. He
comes from the cities and the hills; north, south, east and
west. He’s young in years, but when faced with the ultimate
test, he’s wise in the ways of war and death.
I’m proud of him because he’s done so much for me the
last 200 years. He’s helped make me what I am today ... a free
nation open to the people of all countries, colors, creeds,
religions. He’s my son, the Marine, and he will be 200 years old
Monday.

21
Quote: uses a sharp, eyecatching quote and/or an unusual source for that
quote to get the reader into the story. Care must be taken to select a quote that is
worthy of being used as a lead:
ˆ“I thought I was going to die the other day. I thought, ‘All
right, good-bye.’ Then I thought again, that I’d stay around to
see who wins the next election.” (personality feature on Robert
Frost)

ˆ“You really don’t know what freedom is until you have had
to escape from Communist captivity,” said Navy Lt. Deiter A.
Dengler, an escapee from a Viet Cong prison camp.

Question: works only if it arouses the reader’s curiosity or challenges his

knowledge. Avoid question leads that can be answered with a yes or no, unless
you ask a series of questions, one after another, all with yes or no answers:
ˆWhat do poverty, a log cabin and a high school dropout
have in common with a Defense Information School instructor?

ˆHow much time should a sailor spend at sea?

Combination: uses the best elements of two or more feature lead types:
ˆTeaser/Quote/Question:
 “Wow! What is that?”
“Think it’s one of ours?”
“I hope it doesn’t crash.”
Hundreds of Beal Air Force residents echoed these
comments Monday when the Air Force flying crane helicopter
came to the base.

:
ˆQuote/Descriptive:
“I never stole a cent of money in my life,” the soldier
shouted as he wiped tears from his eyes and mopped beads o
perspiration from his brow.

:
ˆQuestion/Freak/Summary:
Take blood from the dead to give to the living?
In Russia they do.
Sgt. Cynthia P. Clinger, a medical sergeant form Fort
Knox, Ky., says there isn’t a need for blood drives like there is
here. They take living blood cells from cadavers, and as long as
that person was healthy, they can use the blood for
transfusions.

22
 The News Feature
A news feature often replaces a straight news story when the event has
already been reported by another paper, the feature aspects outweigh the news
value, the story contains human interest or it just lends itself to being
featurized. A news feature should be tied to a relatively current news peg.
You will write lots of news features in your career as a military journalist
because most military newspapers are weeklies; you have the luxury of
printing “breaking news” on a daily basis. By the time your newspaper comes
out, the story could be “old news” to your readers, so you have to find a better
way of telling it. Featurizing the story is a good way to do this and still get
across the news story: you entertain your readers by showing them an aspect
of the story they may not have taken the time to consider.
Your reader can, without knowing he’s doing it, tell the difference
between a straight news story and a news feature just by the way it begins:

Straight news story:

A conspiracy trial jury decided Monday that seven defendants
did not conspire to incite riots, but found five of them guilty of
individual counts of crossing state lines to incite riots.
Each of the five men found guilty of the separate counts face
penalties of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, or both.
The jury of 10 women and two men delivered its verdict after
more than four days of deliberation to those present in the 23rd
floor courtroom of Federal District Judge Julius J. Hoffman ...

News feature:
It was 12:12 p.m. The 10 women and two men entered the
courtroom, their eyes wandering from the floor to their seats.
Not one of them looked over to the defense table, where seven
men fixed their eyes on the jurors.
Tension, strain and nervousness were in the air. The day of
the verdict was the culmination of the courtroom drama of the
century, the Conspiracy 7 trial. The 20 weeks of exchanges and
profanities unheard of in a court of law were over.
“Has the jury reached a verdict?” asked Judge Julius J.
Hoffman, the 74-year-old federal district court judge hearing the
case.
“Yes, your honor,” replied Edward F. Kratzke, jury foreman, a
short, rotund man who looked weary ...

You can see that feature writing skills come into play even with stories
that have a news peg. Even the way a feature looks is usually different,
because news is generally justified and features are usually set ragged right.

Here’s an example of a complete news feature:

23
 ‘World Series’ for Shepherds
by Dave Diehl, Stars and Stripes (Europe)

“I just couldn’t get them in,” shrugged Irishman Dennis Birchall,

his panting partner Eve, a black-and-white border collie, at his side.
His mood was more one of resolve than of disappointment.
A few minutes before, at Birchall’s command, 10-year-old Eve had
run some two miles, rounding up two flocks of sheep, running them
across rolling hills, through gates and misty rain to her master,
Birchall, a farmer and shepherd from County Wicklow, south of
Dublin, Ireland.
Birchall and faithful Eve were one of 14 shepherd-dog teams to
reach the finals of the three-day International Sheep Dog Trials last
month on the coastal hills of the picturesque Margam Park, near Port
Talbot in south Wales. They failed to “shed” five sheep required by
the rules of the final.
The gathering was the culmination of a summer of competitions
between hundreds of shepherds and their dogs. The 55 teams -- 15
each from England, Scotland and Wales, and 10 from Ireland -- were
vying for the coveted title of Supreme International Champion.
Among them were men like Birchall, and Scottish shepherd Eun
J.R. MacLachlan -- modest men to whom winning is not as important
as working at home.
“It’s a hobby,” said 40-year-old MacLachlan, a cattle and sheep
farmer from Castle Lachlan, near Inverary, western Scotland. He and
his 6-year-old border collie Tess made it to this year’s finals after
making the Scottish team. “She is used to doing this at home
anyway,” said MacLachlan of Tess. But unlike home, the shepherds
and dogs must do not only the job, but do it by the clock and in front
of thousands of others.
The job in competition was this: The shepherds must send their
dogs -- guiding them only with a series of birdlike whistles and an
occasional shout -- along an 800-yard course to fetch two groups of
10 sheep grazing a half mile up the undulating hillside. The dogs
must run the sheep through a 27-foot-wide gate and settle them at a
pole. The shepherd then whistles the dog toward the second group of
10. After uniting the groups into one flock of 20, the dog must drive
the sheep across 600 yards and through two more gates, before
bringing them to his master in a 40-yard circle. Once in the circle,
the dog must help the shepherd separate, or shed, five marked sheep
from the flock, and send the other 15 out of the circle. On its own,
the dog must drive the remaining quintet into the 9-by-6-foot pen.
The entire task, from start to finish, must be done in 30 minutes.
Four judges mark off points for errors from a 170-point total.
The most difficult part of the course is in the “double fetch,” said
Philip Hendry, the secretary of the International Sheep Dog Society,
based in Bedford, England. While sending a dog off to gather and
bring in a group from a hillside is common to every dog in the
competition, leaving one behind to fetch another is not. Hendry said
most sheep dogs are taught to bring a flock to a master and stay with
it. “Sending a dog away is the most difficult job,” Hendry added.

24
 Birchall agreed and said the course’s size -- which meant four
separate quarter-mile runs for Eve to fetch the flocks -- was the most
daunting challenge for him. “It’s that distance,” he said.
For the shepherds and their dogs, the international competition is
the ultimate achievement. “It’s a great honor to represent your
country,” said Francis MacGregor, one of the judges at the
competition, who has been a farmer and shepherd for some 35 years.
“It’s the biggest thing you can some to,” said Birchall. Over 20
years of competition, the Irishman has never won the ultimate title,
but shared international doubles honors in 1983.
Besides the $800 prize money -- that went this year to Scotsman
Robert Dalziel and his dog Wisp -- the winner takes home only a
trophy and perhaps the knowledge that he’ll be able to ask for higher
stud fees or puppy prices, MacGregor said.
There may be more chances at fame and glory for shepherd
Dalziel and Wisp, at least in the eyes of British television viewers.
The British Broadcasting Corp. has been featuring award-winning
shepherds on a yearly series called “One Man and His Dog,” which
follows the competitions. There are no professional competitors
among these men and women, said Hendry. The shepherds in the
competition, reckoned by him to be the best in the world, “were
working the day before they came to the trials, and will be working
the day after.”
The sheep-dog trials have been around in one form or another
since 1906. The only way to get to the finals is by qualifying for one
of the national teams, Hendry said. “You may be Supreme
International Champion this year and fail to get on your team next
year.
“These are essentially working dogs,” Hendry said of the canines,
which are exclusively border collies. “It’s not a question of training
them for the trials. The trial course is a demonstration of the dog’s
ability to do the job he does every day. It’s not a series of tricks.”
MacLachlan, who in the six years he has been competing, reached
the finals this year for the first time. He too had problems getting the
five sheep in the pen. But despite having his championship hopes
dashed, the Scotsman seemed happy after his showing.
“I just love working with sheep dogs,” he said. “It’s the greatest
joy on Earth.”

25
 The Human Interest Feature
News features aren’t the only type of feature you’ll write. You’ll also write
features for no other reason than that you come across a topic that will be of
interest to your readers.
All feature stories have an element of human interest to them; people
just naturally like to read about other people. The big difference between the
human interest feature and the news feature is that the human interest feature
does not have a news peg; it revolves entirely around the topic itself. You’re
telling a story that may have absolutely no informative value to your readers,
but it may be chock-full of stuff that’s pure entertainment.
You may get your information from a variety of sources, including
research and observation as well as interviews. Remember that the more
quotes a story contains, the more interest it holds for your readers; people like
to know what other people have to say.
Let’s take a look at a human interest feature that was written using
information gathered during interviews and through research and observation:

Korean War Memorial

by J. Corona, BJC student

The early morning darkness of the Washington Mall echoes

with the quiet sound of various insect and bird calls as dawn
threatens to break upon the Korean War Memorial.
Centrally located, 19 dull, stainless steel, 7-foot soldiers in a
triangular formation silently and cautiously advance out of a
copse of trees and work their way toward their goal at the apex of
the hill. Soft fiber-optic lighting illuminates the soldiers’ tense
expressions while their heavy ponchos ripple eternally in an
unfelt wind. The soldiers struggle with various weapons and
supplies as they work their way around scrub brush and granite
ledges cut into the hillside.
The patrol’s goal and what the point man will forever almost
reach is an 8-ton, granite stone set at the base of a flag pole that
bears the inscription: “Our nation honors her uniformed sons and
daughters who answered their country’s call to defend a country
they did not know and a people they had never met.”
A wreath of tattered roses lies at the foot of the stone.
More than 2,400 faces of combat and support personnel taken
from actual Korean War photographs in the National Archives
glow eerily in the fiber-optic light as they look on from the foot
soldiers’ right. The images are sandblasted into a black, 164-foot,
reflective granite wall ranging from 11 feet to 4.5 feet tall.
“This is a living memorial,” says Washington park ranger
Ramie E. Lynch. “That means that it is a tribute to all the
Americans, living or dead, who were involved in the Korean War,”
he clarifies.

26
The soothing sound of running water draws attention to where the
east end of the wall terminates halfway across the circular Pool of
Remembrance. Inscribed in 5-inch lettering, the words
“FREEDOM IS NOT FREE” blaze forth from the end of the wall.
The dull gleam of change strewn along the bottom of the pool adds
an unintentional symbolism to the statement.
The sky, which has been steadily lightening with the coming
dawn, suddenly shifts into a new day as the sun makes its
appearance on the horizon.
Where there were 19 soldiers on patrol, there are now
suddenly 38 as the sun’s rays reflect the patrol’s image onto the
wall and doubles it.
“The doubling effect is intentional,” says Lynch. “There were
originally supposed to be 38 soldiers to symbolize the 38th
parallel north in Korea. The 38th parallel is the imaginary line
that separates North and South Korea and is the place where the
North Korean forces swarmed into South Korea and started the
war on the dawn of June 25, 1950. There turned out not to be
enough room for all 38 soldiers, however, so 19 were made and
set up to reflect another 19.”
Visitors start to trickle into the memorial in ones and twos as
the day gradually sets into late morning.
Navy Seaman Timothy L. Oleary, a Basic Journalist Course
student at the Defense Information School here, recently visited
the memorial.
“It had a profound effect upon me,” he says. “I think the
statues of the soldiers on patrol add a graphic human touch to
the memorial that is unique.”
A man wearing a Korean War pin pauses to trace the outline of
a face on the wall with his finger tip, clenches his wife’s hand
tighter and then turns away.
Four Naval Academy midshipmen stop and stare
contemplatively at their own reflections overlapping those of other
servicemembers, before moving on as well.
A 4-year-old boy, perhaps not understanding his parents’
somber attitudes, races away from them and runs to the Pool of
Remembrance. He kneels at the edge of the pool where another
inscription reads: “Dead: U.S.A. 54,246, U.N. 628,833.”
“I cannot help but wonder if the war could have been
prevented,” says Fort George G. Meade Museum aide Yulanda A.
Harris. “The loss of life is staggering.”
The day drags through afternoon and finally to evening as the
trickle of visitors turns into a flood of people with cameras
memories coming to pay their respects to those who served in the
Korean War.
As the directional lighting switches on with the approaching
night, the soldiers are gradually left to themselves once again,
frozen in a rictus of worry and concentration, forever striving to
reach the top of the hill.

27
 The Personality Feature
The personality feature tends to be the feature most dreaded by DINFOS
students. But the personality feature doesn’t have to be hard to write; it’s just
another step in the process of becoming a journalist. And it doesn’t involve the
use of any more skill than you’ve already learned in the course; it just requires
that you focus on an individual instead of a place or thing.
The personality feature is a more specialized type of human interest
feature. People are curious about other people; it’s human nature. So a
personality feature, if you remember to get and use the information people
expect to find in a personality feature, should be one of the most enjoyable
features you write. After all, you can use your job to satisfy not only your
readers’ curiosity about your subject, but your own!
A good writer can capture a character much better in print than a great
artist can capture him on canvas. The writer can depict the subject from every
conceivable angle, in every type of action, and catch the subtle characteristics
that make the subject a unique human being.
A personality feature, also known as a profile, is an in-depth look at a
person’s lifestyle, characteristics, emotions, hobbies, appearance or just what
makes the person tick. Vividly described in colorful prose, it usually allows the
reader to place himself in the eyes of the reporter or writer. The reader should
come away from the story feeling as if he or she knows and could recognize the
person profiled.
To accomplish this, the reporter must be alert to numerous
characteristics. If a checklist were to be compiled, it might take the form
below.
However, keep in mind that a person cannot be defined by a standardized
checklist. Such a list can’t possibly cover all or even most of the subtle
characteristics that make the subject a unique person. Yet, at the same time,
many of the items included would not be applicable to many subjects. Each
personal profile must be written in a special style to effectively portray that
person. By following a checklist, a journalist could spend unnecessary hours,
even days, gathering unusable details which would not contribute toward the
purpose of the story.
Rather, look at this checklist as an illustration of the need for details --
the need to be organized and observant in your research. Small, often
painfully subtle details may spell the difference between a superficial story and
an effective portrait.
Afterward, take a look at the sample personality profile. See how much
of the information the checklist calls for is actually in the story; how much is
information gained above what the list calls for; how much information the
checklist calls for that isn’t necessary for this particular story.

28
I. Physical characteristics:
1. Facial features
a. What features best give insight to the appearance? What
features are distinguishing?
-- Does he have a fine, delicate face, or a craggy face with a long
chin and beaked nose?
-- What is the color of his eyes? Their demeanor (sleepy,
beady, probing, etc.)?
-- What characterizes his mouth? Is it wide, thin, gaping?
-- Are his cheeks high, puffed, hollow, bony?

2. Skin complexion
a. Is the texture chalky, tanned, chocolate, wan?

3. Hair color and style

a. Is it thick and oily, thinning or receding?
b. What color is it? Is it shiny black? Carrot red?
c. How does he wear it? Crew cut, parted, slicked down?
d. Does he have facial hair? What kind?

4. Physical stature
a. How tall is he?
b. How much does he weigh? How is that weight distributed?
-- Is he fit and muscular? or is he “padded?”

5. Clothing (even if the person normally wears a uniform to work)

a. What colors does he prefer? Does he tend to dress in dark basics,
bright solids, or pastels?
b. Does he prefer a particular style?
c. Does he normally wear a hat? Is it a 10-gallon cowboy hat, or a
bowler?
d. Does he wear a necktie? What kind -- wide, narrow, bolo, dark
or plain? A bowtie?
e. What kind of shirt? Traditional, or brightly colored? Cufflinks?
f. Jewelry? Is that jewelry symbolic, like a cross? Gaudy, like a
diamond necklace?
g. Eyeglasses or contact lenses? What kind/style?
h. State of clothing: rumpled or well-pressed?
i. Socks or stockings? What kind/color?
j. What kind of shoes? Are they well-kept (polished or scuffed)?
k. How about the fit of the clothing? Are they ill-fitting, perhaps
indicating a weight loss/gain or careless shopping, or do they
appear tailored?

29
 6. Habits and mannerisms
a. Does he smoke? How much? Cigarettes? Cigars? Pipe tobacco?
Milds or regulars? Filtered or unfiltered? Kings or 100s? How does
he hold the item? How does he inhale and hold the smoke?
b. Does he have nervous ticks? Does he nod and jerk his head or
tap his pen on the desk? Does he chew his lip or bite his fingernails?
c. What does he do with his hands? Are they clasped, scribbling,
“talking?”
d. Does he squirm, or sit calmly?

7. Posture and bearing

a. Does he slouch or sit/stand upright? Are his shoulders squared
or slumped?
b. Does he walk with his head down, or his back straight and his
head held high?

8. Voice and speech pattern

a. How does the voice sound -- high and squeaky? Low and
guttural? Husky? Gritty?
b. Is the manner of speaking gruff or whining?
c. Does the volume tend to be loud or soft?
d. Is there a noticeable accent?
e. How precise is his grammar? Does he speak in flawless
grammar, normal conversational English, or does he misuse words,
use slang and very poor grammar?
f. What is his speaking pace -- fast, rhythmic, slow?
g. What is his style -- flowery, blunt, rambling?

9. Overall physical impression

a. Does he resemble someone famous?
b. Does he appear to fit a classic occupational stereotype? Does the
police chief look the image of an Irish policeman?

II. What is his personality?

1. Expression
a. How does he express himself verbally? Is he gruff or salty?
Does he beat around the bush or come right to the point?
b. How energetic is he? Is he nervous or calm by nature? Is he
aggressive or lethargic?
c. What is his temper? Does he rarely lose it? Does he have a short
fuse?
d. How does he generally interact with others? Is he somewhat shy
and reticent? Is he pushy or domineering?
e. Does he have a sense of humor? Is he fond of practical jokes?
Does he laugh often at himself? At others?

30
 f. Is he self-confident? Does he boldly proclaim his views, even
when unpopular? Does he appear arrogant or meek?
g. Does his public image agree with his private character? Is he
often grim and angry publicly, but good-humored away from the
public eye? Or vice versa?
h. How tenacious is he? Is he easily discouraged, or stubborn,
perhaps bull-headed? Does he seem to enjoy battling long odds?

III. Intelligence and ability to cope

1. What his colleagues say
a. How do his co-workers, friends and enemies rate his professional
competence?
b. Is he considered brilliant or pedestrian?
c. Is he the type of genius who forgets to tie his shoelaces? Can he
carefully balance his office’s budget, but leave his personal budget
in shambles?
d. Does he have a sharp or photographic memory? Does he have to
write notes to himself to remember even major items? Does he lose
the notes regularly?
e. Does he have a “natural” instinct that assists him in his job?

IV. Background
1. Bio stats as they apply to your story
a. When and where of birth; parents’ names?
b. Dates and places where he has lived? Present residence?
c. Education?
d. Honors/awards?
e. Spouse? Date of marriage? Children and ages? Family
accomplishments?
f. Highlights of childhood?
g. Military service?
h. Religious affiliations and activities?
i. Chronological account of career?

V. Anecdotes/insight material
1. Amusing, informative or profound incidents/mileposts & observations
from:
a. The subject himself.
b. Friends and family member.
c. Co-workers and peers.
d. Adversaries.

31
 VI. Present status
1. What makes him of public interest?
a. What, exactly, does he do?
b. How does he do it?
c. How do others rate his performance?
d. What are the frustrations and rewards of his job?
e. Is he happy about his function?
f. Anecdotes about his job.

VII. Dreams
1. What he hopes to accomplish
a. Is he doing what he always wanted to do? If not, what was his
original dream?
b. Is he ambitious? What are his ambitions?
c. Philosophically, what does he hope to accomplish in life?

VIII. Surroundings
1. Where does he work?
a. What does his office look like?
b. Does he have symbolic knickknacks on his desk?
c. Does he keep pictures of his family?
d. Is his office/desk cluttered or fastidiously neat?

Note: Much of the above information was extracted from Daniel R. Williamson’s
“Feature Writing for Newspapers,” Chapter 12, Personal Profiles, pages 153-
157. Published by Hastings House, Communications Arts Books, 1975.

32
 “Momma”
by Pfc. David Alberti

It’s 7 a.m. on an already warm Monday morning. As the

soldier stands in line at the Consolidated Dining Facility, he
squints through hungover eyes at the eggs being mercilessly
beaten to a syrupy, yellow-white glop that will soon be his
omelet breakfast.
His head hurts. His whiskey-tortured stomach feels as if it
is in the early stages of rigor mortis. He wants to go back to
bed. He wants to go home. He wants his mother.
“Now, honey. It can’t be that bad!” says a voice from
behind the grill.
“Momma, it can be that bad,” moans the young soldier.
“Momma” laughs a warm, compassionate laugh and hands
the man his plate. “Here, soldier, you put a little hot sauce on
them eggs. If it don’t make that head feel a little better, it’ll
sure make you forget it for a while!”
The soldier smiles, and it doesn’t hurt so much. That’s
what Momma does, and that’s why she’s “Momma.”
“Momma” is really Johnetta Colbert, the senior server and
union steward at the CDF. But for the last three of her seven
years here and to hundreds of soldiers who have passed
through Fort Harrison, she has been known affectionately as
“Momma.”
Momma is a large, black woman. She is only 5 feet, 4
inches tall, but she is “large” in a strong, maternal way. Her
clear, dark eyes and soft, smooth, lineless complexion give her
back 20 of her 50 years.
“I ain’t got no children of my own,” she confided. “My and
Earl, my husband, we were married 21 years and always
wanted ‘em. But we’re separated ... been separated seven
years now.” Her voice trailed off, then picked up. “But now
I’ve got hundreds of kids. These soldiers like their Momma
cookin’ ‘em breakfast.”
And Momma has been cooking breakfast for the troops at
Fort Harrison for seven years. When she and her husband
separated in 1974, Momma moved from St. Louis, where she
was born, to Indianapolis, where she had a close friend. How
did she end up working in a mess hall?
“I needed a job! You ain’t got nothin’ if you ain’t got a job.
Everybody’s got to have work,” she laughed.
Momma has worked all of her life, starting at the age of 16,
cleaning and canning fish in a St. Louis fishery in 1947. She
stayed at it for 27 years until she came to Indianapolis.
The morning shift that Momma works six days a week
starts serving the troops at 5:30 a.m. In order to catch the
Fort Harrison bus from her home in the city, she gets up at 4
a.m. Yet she always shows sympathy to the yawning soldiers
who file past her each morning. “Once in a while I get a smart
alec or some wise guy in line. I don’t get mad at ‘em, just give
‘em a good looking at” -- she squinted her eyes, crossed her

33
 arms and raised an eyebrow -- “and that usually gets my point
across.”
“People is people,” she explained. “God says to treat
everyone like you’d want to be treated. Smile and try and be
happy.” She feels the soldier has it hard sometimes ... “they
(soldiers) deserve a smile and a good meal more than most!”
Momma feels a strong responsibility toward the soldiers
she feeds. “She’s very professional, very picky about the food
and service the troops get,” said Walter W. Trotter III, one of
Momma’s co-workers. “She tries to keep everybody working,
and in a good mood if she can.”
As the union steward of the dining facility, things are not
always that simple. “If there’s a problem (with management)
she tries to work it out first,” Trotter continued. “But if it’s the
worker who’s the problem, she’s the first one to kick ‘em in the
rear.”
Momma is working toward retirement now. “I get tired
sometimes, and I sure would like to know I could wake up
tomorrow and know I don’t have to go to work.” She looked
down at her strong, scarred hands and added, “But I guess
after doin’ somethin’ for a while, you’d miss it if you left it.”
After these long years of hard work and long hours,
Momma finds strength in her church, the Freedom Baptist
Church in Indianapolis. Active as a member of the missionary
board, board of trustees and an alto in the choir, Momma said
she’d like to work for the church when she leaves the mess
hall and her troops. “Maybe I’d work at our (church’s) day-
care center.” She smiled her warm maternal smile at the
thought and added, “Yeah. I guess I’d like workin’ with the
little kids if I could.”
Johnetta Colbert, “Momma” to so many young men and
women, finishes work at 2 p.m. each day and walks to the bus
stop on strong but tired legs. No family welcomes her home.
But each morning weary soldiers come to Mrs. Colbert to find
a smile and a laugh and the hot meal that she serves so well.
That’s what Momma does. That’s why she’s Momma.

34
 The Auxiliary Feature
The auxiliary feature is yet another type of human interest feature that
covers “stock” topics such as seasonal pieces, unit histories and missions, and
local travel pieces. It’s the catch-all category for the type of stories you may
run on a regular basis: Unit of the Month, Where to Go, It’s That Time of Year,
etc.
“Cryptology Museum”
by Seaman Christen Rains

You won’t need a message decoder to find the National

Cryptologic Museum. Home to thousands of artifacts, the
museum has been located at the National Security Agency
Headquarters at Fort George G. Meade since 1993.
The science of cryptology is concerned with secure and
usually secret communications. It includes both the encoding
and decoding of messages.
It is estimated that 30,000 people a year have visited the
museum of cryptology. Among the many visitors to the
museum have been Richard Dreyfuss, physicist Carl Sagan
and Thomas Keneally, the author of “Schindler’s List.”
Another visitor was former head of the KGB, V.V. Ivanenko,
who visited in March 1995.
The museum features exhibits from all aspects of
cryptology. A unique part of the collection is the display of
rare books. Some, which date back as early as 1526, were
originally obtained as training aids. Many bear the Signals
Intelligence Service library circulation marks from before
World War II.
Cipher machines from around the world are an important
part of the collection. Many foreign pieces serve as reminders
of our government’s resourcefulness or its neglect of proper
security.
After World War II, there was an increase of interest in
foreign machines. They served as good research devices for
the study and scrutiny of engineers at the Armed Forces
Security Agency. Not only did this aid in the development of
our own devices, but from it, an extensive, historical collection
was born.
Currently, there are two main rooms in the museum. The
first houses a modern illustration of the computers and
systems used by cryptologists in more recent years.
Some of the features of this room include an electronic
filing cabinet first available in 1988. There is also a
progression of secure voice devices that were used from the
1950s through the present. Recent technology used for secure
file transfers, electronic mail and other forms of classified
communications are also on display here.

35
 Throughout the museum, displays serve as constant
reminders of our past. The main room is filled with artifacts
from the Civil War era and ciphers used throughout history.
There are also specific decoded transmissions and decoders
used to uncover Soviet espionage and other potentially volatile
situations.
Also found in this room are tributes to some of the most
influential people in this field. According to displays at the
museum, George Washington is noted for his support of
organized secrecy. Navy Capt. Laurence F. Safford, who is
considered by modern historians to be the father of U.S. naval
cryptology, is commemorated, as is William F. Friedman and
wife, Elizabeth Smith Friedman. William Friedman is often
said to be the dean of modern American cryptologists and the
most eminent pioneer in the application of scientific principles
to cryptology. Together, he and his wife wrote “The
Shakespearean Ciphers Examined.”
The National Cryptologic Museum is more than just
another museum. While illustrating a slice of history not
generally open to the public, it also serves to educate the work
force while documenting the role and heritage of American
cryptoanalysts.

36
 Copyfitting Chart
for 10-point Bookman
Justified
11 picas ................ divide by 2.34
11.5 ..................................... 2.91
16.5 ..................................... 4.00
17.5 ..................................... 4.33
18.5 ..................................... 4.52
19.5 ..................................... 4.69
21 ........................................ 5.19
22 ........................................ 5.37
24 ........................................ 5.61
Ragged Right
11 picas...............divide by 2.13
11.5 .................................... 2.67
16.5 .................................... 3.68
17.5 .................................... 4.07
18.5 .................................... 4.33
19.5 .................................... 4.52
21 ....................................... 4.77
22 ....................................... 4.95
24 ....................................... 5.29

Counts are calculated on a 60-character line of typed copy.

Standard of deviation is minus .12 from the above counts for stories with more than 65 lines
total length.
Note: When working with calculators, it’s easier to do the calculations if you convert decimals
to fractions using the following chart:
.0625 = 1/16
.125 = 1/8
.1875 = 3/16
.25 = 1/4
.3125 = 5/16
.375 = 3/8
.435 = 7/16
.5 = 1/2
.5625 = 9/16
.625 = 5/8
.6875 = 11/16
.75 = 3/4
.8125 = 13/16
.875 = 7/8
.9375 = 15/16

37
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

“The Essential Feature: Writing for Magazines and Newspapers,” Vicky Hay, Columbia
University Press, 1990. ISBN 0-231-06887-5 (pbk)

“The Complete Book of Feaure Writing,” ed. Leonard Witt, Writer’s Digest Books, 1991.
ISBN 0-89879-470-6 (hbk)

“Write to Be Read: a Practical Guide to Feature Writing,” Benton Rain Patterson, Iowa
State University Press, Ames, 1986. ISBN 0-8138-1943-1 (hbk)

“Creative Interviewing: The Writer’s Guide to Gathering Information by Asking

Questions,” Ken Metzler, Prentice-Hall, Incl, 1977. ISBN 0-13-189712-8 (pbk)

“The Bedford Handbook for Writers, Third Edition,” Diana Hacker, Bedford Books of St.
Martin’s Press, 1991. ISBN 0-312-05599-4 (pbk)

“When Words Collide: A Media Writer’s Guide to Grammar and Style,” Lauren
Kessler/Duncan McDonald, Wadsworth, Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-534-17028-5 (spiral pbk)

“Features,” Chet Hint, San Antonio College, for the Military Journalism Workshop
(10/30/96)

38