Feature Writing
The Art of Telling Stories
• Stage 1 (pre-writing) is
complete!
• We used our story journal
and selected a topic or
wrote down a new one that
will be the subject of our first
feature article.
• We have a topic spider with
main subject in the middle
and leg ideas (subtopics).
• On to Stage 2 (drafting).
• Here, we’ll look at what a
feature story is and how to
craft it.
So What is a Feature?
• Features are told in a less hurried and
generally more creative way than straight 5W
and H news.
• You don’t use the inverted pyramid and
don’t have to start with the most important
details.
• You choose a unique subject, or unique angle
to hook in the reader.
Is Your Topic Unique?
• Does your subject qualify for a feature
article?
• Does it fall into one of the following
categories?
• If not, you should revise it now.
Feature Structure

Lead
Billboard
Transition/Quote
Body
Conclusion
The Feature Lead
• This is your opening paragraph or
two.
• It’s important to set the table and hook
in your readers with creative, descriptive
writing.
• Try some of the following creative
options …
Creative Feature Lead Options
1. Focus on a single person for your lead.
Tell the story through one person’s eyes.
2. Focus on an incident or anecdote.
Describe a specific moment or scene. Show, don’t
tell.
3. Try a startling statement or dialogue or other
devices.
4. Describe a setting as a way of establishing the
theme of a piece
More Great Feature Leads
•
Quotation: begins with an unusually revealing quote.
– “If you never try, you never succeed.” With Mrs. Nelson’s words of
encouragement, nervous students began tryouts for the school play, Our
Town.
•
One Word: captures the reader in a single word.
– Fire! Chemistry lab partners Jill Nelson and Todd Anderson took the “heat”
when their test tube exploded.
•
Contrast: describes two extremes or opposites.
– Night and day. Speech Club members worked ‘round the clock to finish
their Homecoming float.
•
Astonisher: begins with an exclamation that catches the reader off
guard.
– Nothing is worse than a bad hair day! Especially when it’s time to take your
yearbook picture.
•
Punch: features actions or makes a dramatic statement.
– “C’est magnifique!”When the French Club dined at Chez Paul, members
feasted on baguettes and brie!
More Great Feature Leads
•
•
•
•
Summary: summarizes the most important of the five W’s and H.
– While senior cheerleaders watched from the gym bleachers,
sophomore “wanna-bes” tried out for the squad during the first
week of school.
Question: leads the readers into the story. Be cautious with this one.
It’s the most abused feature lead, too often leaving readers with a
feeling of “who cares?”
– Why do fools fall in love?
Sequential: presents the events in the order in which they happened.
– Painting the town red (and black), basketball fans create pep signs
before the State Championship send-off rally.
Sights & Sounds: creates a scenario bringing the event to life.
– Steam fogged the windows as the marching band’s bus sped
through the pouring rain carrying them to the Memorial Day parade.
Feature Lead … Let’s Write It!
1. Gather your thoughts and write 3 different types of
leads for your feature article.
2. If you can’t write them now, write down the 3 different
types you plan to write, then write them later after
interviews or research.
3. Select the strongest, hookiest one!
Single Person
Describe a setting
Contrast
Question
Incident or Anecdote
Quotation
Punch
Sequential
Startling statement
One Word
Summary
Sights & Sounds
Now, Let’s Critique
Some Feature Leads
• With your partner, read each of the studentwritten leads on the handout and determine
which you think are the strongest and which need
more work.
• Be prepared to give reasons for your choices.
• Also, be prepared to suggest how to improve the
leads that you consider weak.
Back to the Feature Structure
Lead

Billboard
Transition/Quote
Body
Conclusion
The Billboard
• After the lead, write the billboard
paragraph.
• The billboard is a summary of what the
story is about.
– It’s the 5 Ws and H that you didn’t answer
in the lead.
Sample
Lead
Billboard
Transition/Quote
Body
He heard the shot and then felt the pain, but only for
a moment. Within seconds, junior Jeb Smith blacked
out and went into shock.
“I don’t remember much of the shooting,” he said. “I
remember it felt like someone punched their fist right
through my face, but then I went black.”
Last summer, Jeb’s five-year-old brother
accidentally shot him in the face with his father’s
loaded 57-magnum. Jeb lost his right eye and part
of his right ear in the accident but suffered no
permanent brain damage.
“I was extremely lucky,” Jeb said. “The doctor said
the bullet missed my brain by an inch. I still have a long
way to go with my reconstructive surgery, but I am just
glad I am alive.”
Transition/Quote Body
• After the Billboard is the Body of the Story
• Keep related material together and weave your subtopic
(legs) from your topic spider into the story.
• Divide the subtopics into sections (paragraphs).
• Each paragraph tells a different part of the story.
• Between each new section, there must be a transition
sentence that segues from one subtopic to the next.
• Your transition sets up all the information in the next
paragraph and ties it in with what’s already been written.
Transition/Quote Formula
Lead
Billboard
Transition/Quote
Body
Transition/Quote Formula
If you have quotes (sources), try something called the
transition/quote formula …
T: Jeb still needs four more surgeries, but none of
them will help him regain his sight.
Q: “I am glad that they are going to make me look
more like my old self,” Jeb said. “But I am upset
about my eye. I wanted to be a pilot and now that
dream is shattered.”
T: Jeb’s said his little brother, Shane, found the
gun in his father dresser bureau on that summer
day.
Q: “I think he was just curious,” Jeb said. “I didn’t
think the gun was loaded so I just told him to put it
away. And then, bam, my life changed forever.”
The Conclusion
• Once you have used all your information and
included all your subtopics in the body, it’s time for
the conclusion.
• The conclusion brings a sense of finality and
resolution.
– Wrap up loose ends and leave reader with a single, significant
thought.
– End stories in memorable ways.
– Often it’s a good to use a powerful quote. This is called a clincher.
– Or, tie the ending back to the lead (call-back to earlier in the story).
– You could also make a statement that looks to the future.
Now, Let’s Critique
A Feature Article
• Read the article “It’s a Fork, It’s a Spoon …” that is
on the cappycreative.com website with your partner
• Discuss and critique it, then complete the Response
Sheet
– In the future, you will use this Response Sheet when
reviewing articles to tell the writer what to revise for the next
draft.
– Reviewers do not have to agree on all comments, but all
opinions should be included for the writer to consider later.
Types of Features
• Human Interest Feature
Involves persons rather than things. It’s a story that will
make the reader think AND feel.
• Personality Profile Feature
Develops a total picture of the person. Gets facts from the
person himself. Talks to other people about the subject.
Attempts to reveal personality through anecdotes. Looks
at mannerisms, actions, dress, experiences.
Types of Features
• Interview Feature
Usually done with prominent persons. Can be either
an informational or a personal profile feature.
Informational interviews deal with an authority whose
opinions on certain subjects, facts about things or
comparison are of significant value. Personality
interviews are interesting because of the individual
rather than the subject matter.
Types of Features
• Informational Feature
Of historical, social, practical interest. Basic purpose
is not to entertain but to inform. History of a subject.
How-to features, such as "how to buy a good phone.”
• Trend Feature
Report on current popular trends.