WRITING FEATURES
Journalism – Hamtramck High School
FEATURES
Human interest stories that
appeal to the reader’s emotions
Reader can easily identify with
the story
Purpose is to entertain
TIMELINESS OF
FEATURES
Features do not have to be
written and published right away
as hard/breaking news stories do
They do not expire because they
are not written about topics that
the public must know
immediately
FEATURE STORY IDEAS
Features MAY be linked to a current event (ex. There is
a breaking news story in the paper about the war in
Iraq. A feature story could then be written about a
soldier’s family and what they have to do now that
their provider has gone to war. AKA “news peg”)
Does not HAVE to be linked to breaking news-It may
cover a wide range of topics (food, pets, people, etc.)
Feature stories may also use the same set of facts as a
breaking news story-it is the author’s style of writing
that makes it different
Brainstorm Timeless and News Feature story ideas
with a partner
FEATURE STYLE
Although written with more creative
license than breaking news stories,
features are still based on facts
Do not follow inverted pyramid style of
writing (most important facts to least
important)
LEADS
Does not necessarily use 5 W’s and H (summary)
leads as Breaking news stories do—use more narrative style
Lead Types:
-Big Potato (In Medias Res)-Jump into the middle of your
paper and leave reader’s wanting more (ex. And suddenly
everything stops.)
-Descriptive/Snapshot-Create a picture (snapshot) in the
reader’s mind (ex. Abe Lincoln wasn’t the sort of man who
could lose himself in a crowd. After all, he stood 6 foot 4
inches tall, and to top it off, he wore a high silk hat. His
height was mostly in his long bony legs, and when he sat in
a chair, he seemed no taller than anyone else. (Lincoln: a
photobiography)
Striking statement- Flaunt favorite bit of research. Start with
a startling fact (In his will, Shakespeare left his second-best
bed to his wife.)
LEADS CONT’D
Misleading Leads-Set up expectations then surprise the
reader (ex. I would like to die peacefully in my sleep like my
grandfather, not terrified and screaming like the other
people in the car he was driving.) (Prairie Home
Companion)
Narrative-Put connection with the subject-Write specific
memories subject brings to mind (ex. Once when I was a
little girl, my father bought me a beaded wire ball that I
loved. At a touch, I could collapse the toy into a flat coil
between my palms, or pop it open to make a hollow sphere.
It resembled a tiny Earth, with its wires tracing the same
lines of latitude and longitude.) (Longitude)
Quotations and Questions-least effective choice-use only
strong quotes and questions. Use this only as a last resort
WITH A PARTNER, EVALUATE THESE FEATURE STORY LEADS.
WHICH MAKE YOU CURIOUS ABOUT THE REST OF THE STORY? WHICH DO
NOT? DISCUSS WHY. RANK THE LEADS FROM
WORST TO BEST (CONTINUE ON NEXT SLIDE).
It was Thursday, Jan 2, 1998.
Leah Illiri’s mind was filled with sunny thoughts that April
day. She was to graduate from college soon, and life had
taken on a rosy glow. Then her car missed a curve-and
nothing has been the same since
He’s a small man, about 4 ft 11 in tall. He weighs maybe 95
pounds when he’s soaking wet-and he’s soaking wet most
of the time.
Through the inky darkness, a shot rang out.
LEADS TO EVALUATE (CONT’D)
If you think it’s noisy in the city, try visiting a farm
once.
As the room filled with her classmates, Sara Jane
Black could feel her confidence crumbling.
The door opened, and in walked Lute, all 6 feet 8
inches of him.
Have you seen the new painting in Mr. Lopez’a
office?
Lights! Camera! Action!
As the Immortal Bard wrote, “All the world’s a
stage.”
TRANSITIONS
You don’t want just a bunch of quotes with no
connections, so transitions are important
Make story easily readable and flowing
Write sentences that connect the last sentence
of the last paragraph to the first sentence of
the next
WRITE A FEATURE
PRACTICE
You are going to write a feature article about a
classmate
Write down a set of 5-10 interview questions about a
person’s earliest, happiest, or scariest memory
(remember how-to interview slides in this
powerpoint)
Choose a partner
Interview each other using the questions you made
Write a 200-250 word feature based on the interview
with your partner
FEATURE WRITING
RUBRIC
Requirements:
-20 pts-Interview questions (open-ended; follow up
questions included when appropriate)
-20 pts-effective lead (identify lead type in margin of
paper)
-10 pts-effective/correct use of quotes
-10 pts-meets minimum length req (200 word min.)
-40-story follows style of a feature and captures
human interest
TOTAL 100 points