comm260w feature writing. recap special leads narrative/anecdotal contrast staccato direct address...
TRANSCRIPT
COMM260W
Feature writing
Recap Special leads
Narrative/AnecdotalContrastStaccatoDirect AddressQuestionQuote“None of the Above”
Traditionally, special leads are found in feature stories.
TodayFeature writing: The basicsIn-class exerciseAssignment
Feature Stories
Types of news storiesHard news
Chronicling as concisely as possible the 5W’s and the H.
Spot, breaking newsHard news events: school board meetings, elections,
disasters, accidents, etc. Soft news
Standing back to examine the people, the places and things that shape the world, nation or community.
Features Soft news events: How people are coping with credit
card debts; the reemerging popularity of arcade games on the Web
When to write a soft news story?Today, many news stories are
featurized. Therefore, the lines between news
and feature stories are becoming hazier than ever.The New York Times allows interpretive
reporting of breaking news.
When to write a soft news story?Profile people who made the newsExplain events that shook the news Analyze what is happening in the community,
nation or worldTeach an audience how to do somethingSuggest better ways to live in a complicated world Examine trends in constantly changing societiesLet people see something they haven’t seen beforeEntertain or humor an audience
(Itule & Anderson, 2007)
Feature Aims to entertain or/and inform
You don’t need to know, but you want to know.Often less timely
Emphasizes story tellingSometimes written from the second-person
perspective and, rarely, the first-person point of view.
Makes people to read the whole article, not just a lead. Feature leads should draw people into the story. Special leads usually works better than summary
leads.
Qualities of a feature (guidelines)Rich in Description and DetailThematically DrivenContain DialogueMakes Use of VoiceUse of Literary DevicesMeaningful Endings
Be logical!
A basic outlineBeginning
Scene-setter lead (block)Nut Graph & Explanation of
ImportanceBackground Info
BodyStory Details and Development
Memorable ending
Good beginning?Tell an anecdoteSet the sceneGive characters a faceMake it specificA GOOD quoteA startling statement
Memorable ending?Tell an anecdoteSet the sceneMake it specificA GOOD quoteA startling statement
Hint: Bring the story to a close by circling back and closing up your opening. Finish the story started there. It really does a superior job of giving a feeling of ending.
(Bobby Hawthorne, University of Texas)
The Writing Process1. Collect2. Bring order to chaos3. Freewrite4. Re-write5. Read aloud with a writing partner6. Re-write
Types of featuresPersonality ProfilesHuman InterestTrend StoriesIn-depth StoriesBackgrounders
Personality profiles
Human interest
Trend stories
In-depth story
WASHINGTON— For all of Barack Obama’s talk about change, there are signs that in style—if not substance —a new White House under Democrat Obama would operate much like the current one under President Bush. Think discipline, efficiency and secrecy. These are
hallmarks of Obama’s campaign, just as they have been for the past eight years in the leak-proof, tightly managed Bush administration. If Obama becomes the nation’s 44th president, however, the extraordinary history-making aspects of his ascension could, for a time, overshadow almost everything else.
Backgrounder
Examples from recent news stories
In-class exerciseGo online and find one feature story.What type of feature story is it?What is it about?What is one thing that you like about
it in terms of the writing?
Assignment