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Feature writing

Ian Reeves. Feature writing. The Golden Rule. Be Interesting. What your readers should feel. Alarmed Delighted Outraged Moved Tense Shocked Inspired Entertained Upset Like writing a letter to the editor Like Tweeting their followers. What your readers should not feel. Bored

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Feature writing

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  1. Ian Reeves Feature writing

  2. The Golden Rule • Be Interesting

  3. What your readers should feel • Alarmed • Delighted • Outraged • Moved • Tense • Shocked • Inspired • Entertained • Upset • Like writing a letter to the editor • Like Tweeting their followers

  4. What your readers should not feel • Bored • Baffled • Lost • Diffident • That they know more about the subject than you do

  5. Key ingredients • Angle • Focus on specifics: people, ideas, companies, regions, communities, demographic groups etc • Action • Keep the story moving • Anecdotes • Provide compelling human interest evidence • Case studies: real-life examples to illustrate wider point

  6. Key ingredients • facts • quotes • descriptions • stories • opinions • analysis • data • conflicts • trends

  7. The intro • Your single most important paragraph • Establishes your tone and voice • Sets the scene • Compels the reader to go deeper

  8. Types of intro • Scene-setter • Shocker • Dropped • Question • Direct quote • Indirect quote • Direct address • Anecdote

  9. Intro pitfalls • Too much detail • Too little detail • Too rambling • Too obvious – particularly with asking a question • Too many questions • Too hypothetical

  10. Cliched intros • “John Smith is a man on a mission.” • “It is a truth universally acknowledged that...” • “I’ve been sitting in the hotel lobby for over an hour when the PR calls to tell me Lady Gaga is running late.” • “Picture the scene:” • “The good news is... The bad news is...” • “At first glance...” • Plenty more here: http://www2.copydesk.org/hold/words/clicheleads.htm

  11. Classic intros • “Two rivers run silently through London tonight, and one is made of people. Dark and quiet as the night-time Thames itself, it flows through Westminster Hall, eddying about the foot of the rock called Churchill.” Vincent Mulchrone, Daily Mail1965

  12. Classic Intros • "Gary Robinson died hungry.He had a taste for Church's fried chicken. He wanted the three-piece box for $2.19, plus tax. Instead he got three bullets...“ Edna Buchanan, Miami Herald 1985

  13. Classic Intros • “On Sundays, I do what most people do. I don't buy the Independent on Sunday.” Kelvin MacKenzie, The Sun

  14. More intros advice • Because it sounds awkward, never start with a subordinate clause • Think about what tense you are going to write in – you aren’t constrained in the same way as with news writing. Present tense can give a sense of immediacy.

  15. Narrative or not? • Narrative-style features follow the convention of fiction, allowing a key thread of the story to unfold as the piece goes along • ‘At its heart, a narrative contains a mystery or a question - something that compels the reader to find out what happens. • Traditional news features don’t have the same linear narrative arc.

  16. The middle • Even the best intro in the world can’t save a feature that has no point to make • Where possible, show, don’t tell • Descriptive writing is about bringing your story to life, not showing off how many adjectives you know • Use quotes sparingly to add power, drama and authority • A feature without facts is like an omelette without eggs

  17. The middle • “Most feature sections cry out for sharper research and less indulgent writing” – David Randall

  18. Case studies • Many features will include case studies to bring a personal angle to the story. • Don’t underestimate how difficult they can be to find • Either incorporate them into the overall structure of the feature – they could be the focus of the narrative arc mentioned earlier • Or use them as separate boxouts

  19. The end • Can come in many forms • Brings some sense of closure to the piece • Can be a quote • For narrative features, a return to the beginning can be effective

  20. Feature writing • Find your voice • Think about the tense – many features are written in the present tense • Sketch out your structure • Use detail to illustrate wider story • Don’t forget to explain • Choose your quotes carefully • Rewrite • Rewrite • Rewrite

  21. Pitfalls • Too broad – vague, fuzzy, boring. Get focused • Too safe – get out of your comfort zone. Don’t just write about what you know. • Too low-level – talk to the organ grinder, not the monkey • Too shallow – dig deeper for more detail. Talk to more people. • Too few quotes – variety of voices keep the reader engaged • Too static – keep the story moving. Try to find a narrative arc.

  22. More information • Melvin Mencher on writing leads: • Edna Buchanan profile: • Steve Buttry: • Write Stuff: writing advice: • Narrative versus news feature • The sense of an ending

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