Feature Writing: Title Is The Secret of A Feature Article

ENG. 121: Campus Journalism Handout No.
Lesson Title: FEATURE WRITING
FEATURE is NOT Essay. Feature is the art of telling the truth, and the art of telling stories.
Feature articles are typically longer than standard news that deal with detail and background
based on extensive research.
FEATURES VS. NEWS

Features - Any length, may or may not be timely, maybe written in any form and
style News - Straight news story, timely
DISTINCT CHARACTERISTICS OF FEATURES

Title is the secret of a feature article.
1. It is a creative creative writing. Play around the ideas and words; humor is a big factor.
2. No pyramid to follow. Just follow what you like; which you think the reader will also like
what you write. The feature has no technical structure or formula, you can write freely.
3. It has a unique angle that hooks the readers. You need to bring out the angle in your
article that will make your readers smile or be happy.
4. It is multidimensional. Use vivid, descriptive words that appeal to the eight senses.
5. It may inform, instruct, or advise, but its primary purpose is to entertain.
6. It may be of any length.
7. It may or may not be timely. It is timeless.
8. It may be written in any form or any style.
9. It usually uses the novelty lead rather than the summary lead.
10.Although the writer applies his imagination to the facts, the feature story is not fiction. It
is based on facts.
TOPICS FOR FEATURE STORIES

Using a cliché, a feature article, like an essay, may be on any topic under the sun from A to Z. For
campus writing, the following broad topics are suggested to feature editors, for their feature
sections:
1. Personalities. It is also called character sketch. It may be about a student leader, a

successful alumnus, a teacher, a school staff member, or even about an industrious janitor.
The student to be featured should not always ne the campus doll, nor the dashing Romeo
of the class, but the achiever, the builder, or the innovator. A community member who
has raised the biggest squash or the fattest hog in his backyard deserves to be played up.
In writing a character sketch, the emphasis should be on the person, what he says and
thinks, and what he does for development, qualities/traits that you want to see in the
person, unusual things about the person.
Tips:
 Use strong visual words.
 Lasting image of the person.
 Use words related to the five senses (multidimensional).
 Create the right angle (What is not yet known by the people about the person?).
 Describe the physical features, inner personality, social backgrounds, and principles.
2. Experience and Adventure. Suppose a group of Science students had attended a national
Science Camp. Each one of them has an interesting story to relate---the workshop
seminar, the feasibility studies, the field trips, and others. This may be summarized as one
big story or may be written in separate featurettes.
3. Description. There are many significant events and special festivities in the school and in
the community worth writing about. But in his description, the writer should as much as
possible be factual and original. He should use simple and concrete words that are easily
understood by the layman or Mr. Average Reader.
4. Narratives. These are interesting stories to relate, especially historical ones. An old person in
the community may be asked to narrate how the district got its name or how in the olden
days people fished or washed clothes in a polluted estero nearby.
5. Developmental Feature Articles. There are other subjects of feature stories that interest readers.
Some of these are the latest fads and fashions, book, movie and play reviews, and the
“How to” articles. The last one explains a process or a method like “How to Raise
Mushrooms.” It tells, for example how to conserve energy, how to fight pollution, or how to
raise poultry in the backyard.
6. What To Do & How To Do Articles. There are also “What to” articles. There are those that
tell what to do during earthquake, a typhoon, an emergency, or the like. Usually, these
kinds of feature articles are accompanied by pictures or illustrations.
HOW TO INTRODUCE FEATURE ARTICLE

Unlike straight news story, a feature article may begin in any form and in any style. This depends
on the topic or purpose of the writer. Most features, however, may be introduced by any of the
following:
 Rhetorical Question
 Startling Statement
 Narrative Opening/Anecdote with multidimensional descriptions
 Quoted Remarks
 An Old Maxim, an Aphorism, or a Salawikain
 History or Background of the Subject
HOW TO END A FEATURE ARTICLE

Again, as important as the lead, is the ending. The last word or words impress the reader as
strongly as the opening sentences. It may any of the following:
 A summary of the whole article
 An announcement of the main point
 A question left in the reader’s mind
 Suggested results or significance
 A forecast or prophecy
 A repetition of the introduction
 A repetition of a sentence or slogan, or a reference to the title
 An appropriate quotation
QUALITIES OF A GOOD FEATURE WRITER

 He/she is a keen observer, knows how to look for features from beneath the surface of
everyday event.
 He/she has various interests and intellectual curiosity.
 He/she has the ability to write features interestingly.
 He/she has cupboards of descriptive words and everyday idioms
 He/she has a skill to weave words into interesting sentences and paragraphs.
 He/she investigates every angle before starting to write in order to get story behind the story.
TIPS IN WRITING A FEATURE ARTICLE

 Choose only one subject.
 Establish a connection.
 Create mental pictures.
 Stick with the truth, while entertaining the readers in your article.
 Use variety of words.
 Write what is surprising to your reader.
 Remember: A good feature story will keep the reader’s attention until the end, delivering
a fleshed-out narrative, and creating a lasting impression.

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ENG. 121: Campus Journalism Handout No.

Lesson Title: FEATURE WRITING

FEATURES VS. NEWS

DISTINCT CHARACTERISTICS OF FEATURES

TOPICS FOR FEATURE STORIES

1. Personalities. It is also called character sketch. It may be about a student leader, a

HOW TO INTRODUCE FEATURE ARTICLE

HOW TO END A FEATURE ARTICLE

QUALITIES OF A GOOD FEATURE WRITER

TIPS IN WRITING A FEATURE ARTICLE

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