Writing the Feature Story

Course Objectives

• Analyze features written by others.
• Research a feature topic.
• Conduct interviews for a feature story.
• Write and revise a feature.
• Find and analyze a publication that might publish a feature on your topic.

What You Learn

• Definition of a feature, and the differences between features, hard news and opinion
• Uses of multimedia in features
• How to create feature story ideas from more general topics
• Deciding between a profile or a round-up
• The author's role in feature stories
• Possible sources for facts and figures
• Government websites to find demographic and other data
• How secondary sources are used
• Strategies for finding expert sources and for finding people to tell their stories for features; assessing the reliability of potential feature sources
• Interview questions
• Pros and cons of in-person, phone and email interviews
• How to set up and conduct an interview
• Purpose, different types and standard elements of a query letter
• Different types of leads for features
• Using storytelling, including conflict, effectively in a feature
• The value of planning before beginning to write
• Knowing which interview and research material to include in the draft
• How to assess the best structure and organization for a narrative feature
• Using quotations and numbers appropriately in a feature
• Proofreading your draft
• How to critique your own and someone else’s work
• Revision
• The publishing process

How You Learn

• Reading assignments
• Online lectures
• Writing assignments, including a feature draft and its revision
• Discussion assignments