FEATURE WRITING

*No exact definition of a feature story

*not a news written in inverted pyramid
*not an pinion like an editorial
*the most varied in scope, treatment and purpose
*can be written in many forms and styles with any
subject
*News appeals to the physical, editorial appeals to
the intellect, feature story appeals to the emotion.

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 FEATURE WRITING
PURPOSE: F E A T U R E
F- Factually humanizing the news
*Include personal experiences of people
*Human interests people: children, animals,
adventures, career

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E- Entertain
*Entertainment is universal regardless of age,
creed, or ethnicity. Everyone wants to be
entertained.
Most discretionary income is spent on
entertainment:
hobbies, sports, travel, movies, etc.

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A- Add Color
Example: Trend stories can take the pulse of the culture
at the moment.
Example: Marites, maricon,

T- Thinkers’ Expressions
An avenue for thinkers to lay down their ideas into
writing and become more productive.
*Writers, essayists, biographers, journalists
Observe styles of other writers and learn from them.

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U- Unite thoughts venture to different writing
styles
Unpredictable –ex. results of games
Uncommon-anything uncommon is
entertaining
Unthinkable- surprising, things that never
could have crossed our minds

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R- Reformation into action
*Regardless, you must elicit some emotional
response from the reader
-excitement, happiness, joy or humor
*Create change
E- Educate and inform
*Interpret or add depth and color to the news
*Instruct
*Entertain

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COMMON TYPES OF FEATURE

1. Human interest feature A story that involves people

and their troubles, failures and successes.

2. Personality feature
It offers a semi-biographical account of a newsworthy
person. The information usually comes from interview
with successful people or celebrity.

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COMMON TYPES OF FEATURE
3. Historical feature It narrates the evolution of
something like a name of a particular place or
origin of a celebration.
 
4. Analytical feature
It dissects a problem such as school vandalism or
student cheating and describe how some people
would try to solve the difficulty.

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 5. Travelogue
It describes a place and the kind of people the
writer has met during his travel.
 
6. How-to feature
It aims to explain a process or how a certain
product or service is made or rendered.

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7. Unusual feature
It deals with paranormal beings like witch, ghost
and the like.

8. I-account feature
It narrates the first hand experiences of the
feature writer.

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 HOW TO BEGIN A FEATURE STORY
1. Use striking figures
Twelve. That is the number of minutes it takes
smoking to kill one Filipino. Over one billion. That
is the number of smokers around the world. Two
billion. That is what tobacco companies spend in
the US alone to ensure the next generation gets
hooked.

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2. Anecdotes help
Jose looks past the tower and onto the
billboard. It was as sweet as it was promising, the
technology that a network provider offered their
cellphone users. Dana scans the paper and sees a
hip teenager flach a winning smile. She sits back.
Marlon watches TV and sees sleek basketball
players shoot celebratory hoops in a commercial.
He shakes his head. All feel a strange satisfaction
about the promotions. They should. They built
them.

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3. Quotes enliven leads
“It’s not that I’m boasting,” Eva Estrada
Kalaw begins, “but personally, if you take up
point by point how we watch Marcos’ group, I
am the most qualified among all presidential
candidates.”

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4. Analogies bring things closer
Ironically, the animal whose name is a
synonym for everything contemptible in the
human vocabulary is in many essential respects
the most similar of all animals to man. The basis
for this similarity is the fact that men and rats
are the only omnivorous animals.

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5. Ironies can make good leads better.
Some marriages are made in heaven, but some are
made by mail order.

6. Humor is welcome
He was really bad at being good. So they
simplified his role, gave him a tough guy attitude,
and even viewed him a mustache. But now that he’s
finally bad, guess what- he stinks.

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7. A striking question would do
Who says that age is an obstacle to education?
Take it from Carlito Palaspas of Bacoor, Cavite,
who stopped going to school ten years ago after
finishing the elementary grades. Just last year, at
34, Mang Lito, as he is fondly called, enrolled as a
Grade VII student of Las Piñas Science High
School.

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8. Directly talk to the readers
So you think you know the law. Maybe. But
chances are you have broken the law several times
today.
 
9. A succession of short words enhance
Smart. Pretty. Sexy. What else? Name it and she has
it!

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10. Start with a narrative
More than 15 years ago, a young couple, both of
Spanish descent, embarked on their honeymoon trip
in the verdant hills of Mindoro little knowing that
the journey would practically change the course of
their lives.

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THE BODY OF A FEATURE STORY
Thread of the story This connects the beginning,
body and conclusion and the story. Because a
feature is longer than a news story, it is effective to
weave a thread through the story, which connects
the lead to the body and conclusion. This thread can
be a single person, an event, or a thing, and it
usually highlights the theme.

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 Voice The signature or personal style of each
writer. The voice of the feature writer refers to the
personality of the writer which can be used to inject
color, tone, emotional commentary into the story.
*The writing style of the writer is revealed

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THE ENDING OF A FEATURE STORY
1. Summarize the key points of the story Mention
the main point of the article for the first time based
on previous discussions.

 Example: Lolita’s message is simple: We, the

hope of the future, must prepare our glasses to
catch each single drop of knowledge.

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2. Straight forward question. This is effective in
challenging the readers and making them think
through the story.
  
 Example: Would you let ML and DOTA take away
your child’s future? Think again.

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3. Offer solutions and recommendations This style
may help the readers make informed choices.

 Example: Amidst the boisterous honking of

tricycles and jeepneys, it is never wrong to give
ourselves some time to relax.

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4. Forecast or predict
End your feature story by showing a good
understanding of the arguments and implications of
the current situation to the future.

 Example: With the scarcity of water that we are

facing, there will come a time that included in the
list of imported products are barrels of potable
water.

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SOURCES OF FEATURE WRITING
1. Experience
2. Observation, interview
3. Any reading materials
4. Life events: anniversary, holidays…
5. Multi-media
6. Travels, tourists spots
7. Facts, studies
8. Imagination

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STEPS IN WRITING A FEATURE ARTICLE
1.Choose topic which you know well.
2. Limit your subject to just one specific topic.
3. Think of interesting and relevant topic.
4. Make a tentative title.
5. Make an outline.
6. Use appropriate and striking novelty lead.
7. Garnish your article with anecdotes, dialogue,
question etc…

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STEPS IN WRITING A FEATURE ARTICLE
8. Use imageries (Senses: sight, touch, hearing,
taste, smell
9. Avoid being wordy. Use easy and simple words.
Example:
*"Due to the fact that" becomes "because"
*"Are able to" or “is able to" or "has the ability to"
all become "can."
*"have been found to be able to" becomes "could".

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STEPS IN WRITING A FEATURE ARTICLE
10. Good writers are good readers
Be a voracious reader
11. Include action verbs to keep a story moving and
grab the reader more than "to be" verbs that show
little action.
12. Give a striking title

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EXAMPLE 1. CREATIVE NON-FICTION

MANIPIS ANG TELA

"Sir manipis po ba ang tela?"
Tawanan ang lahat matapos kong magsalita. Habang
nakatayo ako sa gitna ng mga taong nagtatawanan pilit
kong iniisip ang mga dahilan sa likod ng kanilang
halakhakan. Parang bumagal ang ikot ng mundo. Parang
tumigil ang oras at binigyan ako ng pagkakataong alamin
kung ano ang nangyayari. May mali ba sa'king sinabi?
May mali ba sa mga salitang aking ginamit? May mali ba
sa paraan ng aking pagkakabigkas? Alam kong wala pero
bakit ganun ang mga reaksyon nila.

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 "Ano yun?" pagtatanong sa'kin ng guro ko.
Bakas sa kanyang mukha ang pagtataka. Halatang
kahit siya ay hindi naintindihan ang aking tinuran.
"Wala po, sir," nakakadismayang sagot ko.
Umupo na lang ako habang pilit pa ring iniisip ang
nangyari.
"Sir manipis po ba ang tela?"

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 Hindi ko nakuha ang sagot. Hindi dahil sa hindi
nila alam kundi dahil hindi nila maintindihan ang
tanong ko. Pilit ko na lang tinitigan ang imahe.
Sinusubukang sagutin ang tanong na ako mismo ang
gumawa. Tanong na ako mismo ang nakakaintindi.
Mahirap ba talagang intindihin ang tanong ko?
"Sir manipis po ba ang tela?"

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 Minsan kong tinanong sa guro ko sa history class
namin habang ipinapaliwanag niya ang kahulugan
ng babaeng may piring sa mata at may hawak na
timbangan. Sabi niya, iyon daw ang simbolo ng
hustisya. Walang pinapanigan. Hindi siya nakakakita
kaya wala siyang kakampihan ni papaburan. Pantay-
pantay ang lahat.
"Sir manipis po ba ang tela?"

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 Tanong ko sa kanya na pinagtawanan lamang ng lahat.
Sabi nila wala itong koneksyon sa pinag-aaralan namin
pero pakiramdam ko'y meron. Ang hustisya sa bansa natin
ay sadyang napakalabo. Napakarumi. Napakalayo mula sa
katotohanan. Ang iba, namatay na ang mga salarin ngunit
hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin nakakamit ng pamilya ng
biktima ang hustisya. May iba namang napakatagal ang
proseso ngunit mali pa rin ang desisyong binitawan.
Nabigyang laya ang tunay na may sala habang nakulong
naman sa ilalim ng lupa ang mga biktima. Kung totoong
ang babaeng ito ang simbolo ng ating hustisya, ang tanong
ko,
"Sir manipis po ba ang tela?"
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 Dahil pakiramdam ko, nakakakita ang taong iyon.
Alam niya kung sino ang dapat panigan. Nakikita
niya kung sino ang meron at wala. Ang pagkakaiba
ng perang papel, sa perang barya. Alam niya kung
ano ang nangyayari sa lipunan.
Mali sila.
Hindi siya bulag dahil manipis ang tela.

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EXAMPLE 2
LIFE THAT NEVER WAS
Come to me Mama. Come, touch me and feel
my pain. Don’t be afraid now. Mama, you weren’t
when you killed me.
Here, touch this… can you feel it now, Mama?
The excruciating pain that consumed my helpless
body, you inflicted that, remember?

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 Look at my body, now a mass of rotting flesh
and coagulated blood, the dregs of of what was a
tiny human body. A body that was soft with a tiny
head matted with sheen of baby hair. A tiny body
with a tiny heart, that pulsated in time with yours.
These were my fingers and oh! … here’s my
thumb, which I sucked while snugly tucked inside
you.

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 You see, I had long lashes like Dad’s. my
sensitive mouth was like yours. And here are my
ears, which heard your quickening heartbeat when
you’re afraid.
I could have been a wonderful child if you’ve let
me live.
I could have been a baby boy just what Dad
wanted- a strong healthy and bubbly bundle in your
arms. My hypersensitiveness would have
exasperated you.

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 Daddy, hmmm… He could have coached me in
playing softball. He’ll be the pitcher and I the
batter. I could have grown into a writer. You would
be proud of me coz I’m going to join contests.
Mama, see, I was alive but not anymore. So
please let my baby brother live. He could also be as
wonderful as me. His like wouldn’t be like mine – a
life that never was.
Maylen Sanchez
Fisrt place in Feature Writing
1999 NSPC-Ilagan, Isabela

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Workshop Proper:
Choose to write from any of the following:
1.A challenging experience with a learner and
how did you make a difference with
him/her.
2. Feature the most crucial role and decision you
encountered as an educator
3. Share the most fulfilling incident you had as a
teacher.
NOTE: PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR PAPER AFTER
AN HOUR. THANK YOU….
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 Let
us remember: one
book, one pen, one child
and one teacher can
change the world.
 Malala Yousafzai

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Thank You …

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