Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
Lecturer’s Guide
Chapter 14: Feature writing
Overview
This chapter examines the art and craft of feature writing, defining the different types of
feature stories and how to structure a good story. As part of this examination, the chapter
discusses various writing strategies used in feature articles and the skills necessary to
produce an effective story that keeps the reader gripped to the very end.
The authors broadly consider the news feature and the relationship between this type of
journalism and literature in the first part of the chapter. The different genres of feature
stories and effective writing strategies are then discussed, followed by an analysis of
feature introductions and how they differ from the ‘lead’ in a news story. Story structure
and strategy is then discussed, including how to close a feature story in an objective but
interesting style that leaves the reader with ‘room for thought beyond the last paragraph’.
Slide 14.2: Introduction – the aims of this lecture are to help you understand:
Introduction – the aims of this
lecture are to help you understand:
• The art and craft of feature writing
• How feature writing differs from news
writing
• Different types of feature articles
• Descriptive writing
• Feature introductions
• How to structure a feature
• So-called ‘new journalism’
• How to close a feature article
This slide outlines the aims of chapter 14. Before examining these aims in detail, the
authors describe the purpose of a feature article and the challenges involved with writing
a good feature. They say that although feature writing is hard work, it gives journalists
space and relative freedom with language, compared with news reporting. The authors
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
introduce the term news feature and outline important elements in constructing an
interesting news feature.
Slide 14.3: News features
Slide three outlines the broad aims and purposes of a news feature, also noting that they
should be satisfying to write, as they are a work of creativity. The authors say that feature
writing is regarded as a popular and glamorous job, indicated by the fact that newspapers
rarely, if ever, advertise to fill feature writing positions.
News features:
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Informative
Educative
Investigative
Can represent the most powerful
construct of the journalism profession
• A pleasure to read
• Satisfying to write
As mentioned previously, one of the aims of this chapter is to understand how feature
writing differs from news writing. The authors quote British newspaper owner Lord
Northcliffe as saying: ‘It is hard news that catches readers. Features hold them’ (quoted
in Hough 1984: 257). The following slide lists some differences between the two styles.
Slide 14.4: Some differences between news writing and feature writing
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
Some differences between news
writing and feature writing
• News stories deal solely in facts,
features can include creativity, such as
scene setting and description
• Features ‘tend to contain more
comment, analysis, colour, background
and a greater diversity of sources…’
(Keeble 1994: 244)
• Features examine a story in greater
depth
Asking students to think of other examples will help with the process of understanding
these differences. It is important to explain that a feature story is not just a long news
story with a well-ordered sense of importance; it is less formal in tone, style, and
structure, it is more descriptive, and can be more subjective than reporting. It may use the
same facts but will put them in a more compelling, detailed and reflective form.
Slide 14.5: Preparing to write a feature story
Slide five provides an analysis of what a journalist may expect to do when preparing to
write a feature.
Preparing to write a feature story
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Researching
Finding experts
Interviewing
Organising facts
Analysing complex information
Interpreting and converting bureaucratic
language
The authors say the sobering challenge is that of processing a mass of information and
bringing it alive for a mass audience.
Slide 14.6: Qualities required
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
Qualities required
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Creativity
Maturity
Sensitivity
Ability to examine issues and
personalities in depth
• Accuracy
• Fairness and balance
Slide six lists some of the qualities required to be a good feature writer. The authors say
good feature writers are also sensitive, imaginative, intuitive, and artistic.
Students should be encouraged to think how these qualities compare to those of a news
reporter. Students may also discuss the amount of space different newspapers give to
features, and if the feature should play a greater role in the news dissemination process.
Slide 14.7: People and place
Feature writing needs a context, and is concerned with people’s characters, their place
and setting. Feature writing provides a compelling emotional backdrop.
People and place
• People – accents, movements,
appearance
• Place – setting and positioning
• Imagery
• Descriptive detail
• Observation
• Characterisation
Slides 14.8 and 14.9: Types of feature story
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
Types of feature story
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Types of feature story
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News feature
Same-day feature
Second-day feature
Backgrounder
Colour story
Profile
Seasonal
How to do it
Lifestyle/trend
Historical
Investigative
Human-interest
First-person
Travel
‘New’ journalism
Students should be encouraged to define these categories. The following four slides
provide further explanation of news features, profiles, colour stories, human-interest
stories and ‘new’ journalism.
Slide 14.10: News features
Slide 10 broadly defines a news feature, with scope for discussion. To understand the
various hybrids of the news feature, students should be made aware that a feature story
can be both a backgrounder and a historical feature simultaneously. A second-day feature
can also be a profile if it focuses on someone who made news the previous day.
Historical features are important because they put current events, individuals, or
circumstances into perspective.
News features
• Informative and educational
• An in-depth examination/explanation
of a current issue or event
• Hybrids- can incorporate other types
of features, such as backgrounders,
historical and profiles
• Investigative features closely
associated with news features
Slide 14.11: The profile
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
The profile
• Brings a person alive on paper
• It presents a person to the world
• Creates a dialogue between reader and
subject
• Commonly focus on public figures
• A way of humanising public events or
issues
The profile feature is probably the most popular and best-recognised feature. Its strength
relies on readers’ preference for reading about people rather than things.
Slide 14.12: Human interest and colour stories
Slide 12 examines human interest and colour features together to generate discussion
about their similarities and differences.
Human interest and colour stories
• Human interest and colour stories have
mass appeal and do not necessarily
need a specific news angle
• They can be timeless, stand-alone
stories
• Human interest stories can also be a
‘slice of life’ story
The authors cite two examples of colour stories, saying the first could be a timeless,
stand-alone article about a man who has gone to the same pub at 10am every Saturday for
50 years, or second, a story about a golfer who scored a hole in one after the ball
ricocheted off a greenkeeper’s chin. A human-interest feature is often a catch-all tag
given to almost any feature story with a strong human element. Many journalists will use
the phrase ‘human interest’ as an assessment of a story’s readership value rather than the
type of feature it might represent.
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
Slide 14.13: ‘New’ journalism
‘New’ journalism—which is not really very new and some would argue is not really
journalism either—frequently involves the first-person voice. Even when the third person
is used, the writer can still be in the middle of things, acting as participant as well as
observer.
‘New’ journalism
• Far removed from ‘normal’ feature
writing
• Also known as ‘literary journalism’
• Writing is more subjective and
personal
• Non-fiction writing that can
incorporate content drawn from
memory or even invented
Slide 14.14: Writing with description
Avoiding dullness means writing with description.
Writing with description
• Use detail, but do not disrupt the flow of
the story
• Use examples and metaphors to evoke
mental images
• Depict reality
• Concise and concrete description
• Mix description with narrative
Slide 14.15: Introductions
The first few sentences of a feature should be linked by the same thought, anecdote,
description, or scenario.
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
Introductions
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The most important single element
Lure the reader into the story
Can run over one or two paragraphs
The introduction encompasses all
sentences that open the article and
shapes the entire story
• The intro is just the opening sentence
Slide 14.16: Types of introductions
Types of introductions
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Anecdotal
Descriptive
Situation
Essay
Chronological
Summary
Narrative
Shocker
Ironic
Teaser
As with news features, ‘cross-fertilisation’ occurs frequently between various types of
introductions. The different types of introductions should be explained, using the
examples cited in chapter 14.
Slides 14.17: Style, structure and strategy, and 14.18: Feature structures
Style, structure and strategy
• Adapt writing style to suit needs and
circumstances
• Know your readership
• The justifier is the story’s reason for
being
• Hooks keep readers involved
• Quotes are vital to add atmosphere,
understanding and/or authority
Feature structures
• Modified inverted
pyramid
• String of pearls
• Projection
• Focus
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
The feature structures are explained towards the end of chapter 14. Structural strategies
can help a feature writer organise material and improve readability. Structure is more
important with feature articles because they are longer and often more complex than
news stories. Chapter 14 also includes Conley’s instant wheel-o-rama story structuring
diagram on page 342. Students should be encouraged to examine the diagram in their
own time and relate it to a feature story they have written.
The chapter concludes with a section discussing the importance of the closer, which is the
name given to the way a feature ends. This is discussed on the following slide.
Slide 14.19: The closer
A good closer conveys a sense of finality while leaving room for thought beyond the last
paragraph. It represents the last chance a writer has to make a point, to restate the theme,
or leave the reader with a final image or haunting thought. The authors say a mighty
effort should be made to ensure the feature ends on a high note. The final slide lists the
various types of closer. Asking students to think about the pros and cons of using
different closers will promote the learning process.
The closer
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Circular
Summary
Poetic
Looking ahead
‘That’s that’
‘See what I mean’
All closers can be enhanced by repeating
a key word or phrase used in the feature
Seminar discussion questions
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
1
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
Read the cover story of last weekend’s edition of The Weekend Australian
Magazine. Discuss the introduction, the intro sentence, and the writing style.
Was there a justifier? Did the closer tie back to the introduction?
2
Should newspapers give more prominence to feature stories? Is promoting good
writing a way to increase newspaper sales, or do you think people are too busy
or too interested in hard news to really care?
3
Should newspapers be expected to limit cheap ‘imported’ features about
Hollywood stars and foreign royalty to make room for Australian writers and
subjects? Or should the guiding factor be perceived market forces?
4
Would you like to be a full-time feature writer? Why or why not?
5
How does being a feature writer differ from being a columnist?
Exercises
1
Find examples of five of the 15 types of feature stories discussed in chapter 14
of The Daily Miracle. In each article, analyse the intro sentence, the full
introduction, the justifier, and the closer. Are they effective? How could they
have been more effective?
2
Find examples of five of the nine types of introductions detailed in this chapter.
Are they effective? How could they have been more effective?
3
Select a feature story and dissect it, identifying each building block. What
structural strategies are used? Does the story fit together well? If you had to
reduce the story by 20 per cent, identify those parts that you think might be
expendable.
4
Find a piece of descriptive writing that has an impact on you and is effective. It
can be a single phrase or sentence and must be no more than a paragraph.
5
Take up a position in a public place. Imagine you are re-creating this scene as it
was five minutes before an important but unscheduled news event. Describe the
setting in 50 words or less.
Lecturer notes – Cowden and Lamble
6
The Daily Miracle: An Introduction to Journalism
Describe someone as if that person was the focus of a profile feature. How does
he or she talk? How does he or she walk? What is the person wearing? What
does he or she look like?
7
Record a conversation between two people. Transcribe the most interesting
section and analyse the result. Does it confirm Wolfe’s view that realistic
dialogue is the most convincing way to establish character?