Building the Feature Story
Senior Projects – 2014-15
What is a Feature Story?
A feature story is a special human
interest story or article that is not
closely tied to a recent news event. It
focuses on particular people, places,
and events, and it goes into great detail
regarding concepts and ideas of
specific interest.
Elements of Feature Stories
direct quotation: A report of the exact words of an author or speaker. Unlike
an indirect quotation, a direct quotation is placed inside quotation marks.
Example:
"She quoted from a letter [E.B.] White wrote in 1981: 'You might be amused
to know that Strunk and White was adapted for a ballet production recently.
I didn't get to the show, but I'm sure Will Strunk, had he been alive, would
have lost no time in reaching the scene, to watch dancers move gracefully to
his rules of grammar.'“
(Jeremy Eichler, "Style Gets New Elements." The New York Times, October
19, 2005)
Elements of Feature Stories
indirect quotation: A paraphrase of someone else's words. Also called
indirect discourse. An indirect quotation (unlike a direct quotation) is
not placed in quotation marks.
Example:
Military relations with China also are tough, said U.S. Navy Admiral
William Fallon, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. He said he
called Chinese counterparts to discuss North Korea's missile tests, for
example, and got a written response that said, in essence, “Thanks, but
no thanks.”
(Alwyn Scott, "U.S. May Slap China With Suit in Intellectual-Property
Dispute." The Seattle Times, July 10, 2006)
Elements of Feature Stories
The combination of direct quotation and indirect quotation is called
mixed quotation.
Example:
"In the process of verbally dismantling the quantification of higher
education, [Leon Botstein] compared Ivy League universities to Gucci
handbags and sneaked in concise dismissals of the College Board
('offensive, essentially'), the college essay ('an awful genre'), the S.A.T.
('a totally useless event'), and multiple-choice tests in general ('a grave
error in the name of so-called objectivity')."
(Alice Gregory, "Pictures From an Institution." The New Yorker,
September 29, 2014)
Elements of Feature Stories
When Are Quotes Worth Quoting?
• when they put words before the
reader for close analysis
• when they are crucial evidence
• when they say something so well it
can't be said better.
(Bill Stott, Write to the Point. Anchor
Press, 1984)
Elements of Feature Writing
• Support and Elaboration consist of the specific details and
information writers use to develop their topic. The key to developing
support and elaboration is getting specific. Good writers use concrete,
specific details, and relevant information to construct mental images
for their readers. Without this attention to detail, readers struggle to
picture what the writer is talking about, and will often give up
altogether.
• Two important concepts in support and elaboration are sufficiency
and relatedness.
Elements of Feature Writing
Sufficiency refers the amount of
detail — is there enough detail to
support the topic?
Sufficiency, however, is not
enough. The power of your
information is determined less by
the quantity of details than by their
quality.
Elements of Feature Writing
Relatedness refers to the
quality of the details and
their relevance to the
topic.
Good writers select only
the details that will
support their focus,
deleting irrelevant
information.
Elements of Narrative Writing
• Characters: All stories must have
characters, or the people or subjects
of the story.
• Plot: Every story needs a plot, or
events to give the characters
something to react to. Usually, the
plot consists of five components: the
exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action, and resolution.
Elements of Narrative Writing
• Conflict: A conflict is any struggle
between opposing forces. Imagine a
story where there were no problems.
Usually, the main conflict is between the
protagonist and the antagonist, but that
is not always the case. The struggles can
exist between society, within a character,
or even with acts of nature.
• Setting: The setting is the time and the
location in which the story takes place.
The conflict IS the setting! Ingenious!
Basic Feature Structure
• Lede
When Scott Storch was 8 years old, he was dizzied by a soccer
cleat to the head. His mom did not take such injuries in stride…
Mom banned Scotty from participating in sports. Instead, she
enrolled him in piano classes at Candil Jacaranda Montessori in
Plantation, about 15 minutes from their Sunrise home. An old
jazz pianist named Jack Keller taught him.
• Nut graf
At age 33, in 2006, his fee hit six figures per beat, which he
could produce in 15 minutes. The money turned the Sunrise
kid into a Palm Island Lothario. Hip-hop's blinged-out white
boy lived in an expansive villa in the Miami Beach enclave,
kept more than a dozen exotic vehicles — including a $1.7
million sports car — and docked a $20 million yacht.
Basic Feature Structure
• Captivating descriptions
• Direct quotes
• Indirect (summary) quotes
• And transitions connecting everything…
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that capture mood:
• The blue wall on the left side of the room brings a sort of serenity to
the classroom. (P. 1)
• Although the room is so bright, it’s gloomy in here. The only bright
part is my friends. (P. 1)
• The Eeyore stuffed animal and drawing remind me of my childhood,
and all the Disney movies I’ve watched and loved over the years. (P. 2)
• The worn old desks that have been etched after years of students
complement the teacher’s podium that is a dirty and disgusting tone
of wood. The white boards are faintly smudged with the writings of
purple, blue and orange; tape separates them and has also been
worn. The walls and chalk stands are a pleasant shade of puke which
ties the room together. (P. 2)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that convey mood:
• The ceiling has many holes, like gunfire has broken out and the only
place to shoot is up… Big windows share a false hope of reaching the
outside world, yet the locks on them symbolize our captivity. (P. 2)
• The room where you need to arrive early in order to secure a
comfortable chair. The room where the tables seem to always be
wobbly. The room that is always a bit too warm. (P. 3)
• The lights are turned off and the luminescent glows of cell phones
light up some of the students’ faces, uninterested in the video being
shown. (P. 3)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that convey mood:
• The whiteboard is the center of attention and the visible, but erased
lessons of last semester are the only remnants of notes we seniors
may have missed due to the stress and preoccupation of college
applications. (P. 3)
• I see the leaves of the trees dancing with the wind. (P. 4)
• As the soft breeze kisses my cheek and the warm sun calms my soul, I
feel free from the oppression that the other sections of this place
creates. (P. 4)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that convey mood:
• The senior tree looks dead and blue. There is gum all over the ground
and a blue-grey sky. There is not one leaf. (P. 4)
• The gated, secluded playground is empty, but the quad is crowded
with other students. (P. 4)
• Green tables sit on cold broken concrete, infested with blots of black
gum. (P. 4)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that capture sensory detail:
• You hear the rustle of backpacks as students get ready to leave and
start piling by the door. (P. 1)
• The great big windows show the sunrise and the beginning of the day
is starting. (P. 1)
• The rickety chairs rocking back and forth, the tables moving forward
with the push of arms. Whiteboard filled with rainbow writing,
noting homework or assignments. The black tables highlight the
crisp, white binder paper. The air filled with the feet smell of A Hall
mixed with the breakfast numerous students enjoy. (P. 1)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that convey sensory detail:
• Wheely chairs squeaking on the tile floor – click click clack boom. (P. 2)
• Shelves filled with books, white boards filled with words, and desks
filled with students. (P. 3)
• At the head of the classroom, old and new technology are used to
teach. Combinations of whiteboard and markers fill most of the front
wall where the assignments can be read from afar, with a Smart Board
that projects PowerPoints to show pictures and videos to give fresh
insight about literature and the world, streamed from a school-issued
laptop. (P. 3)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that convey sensory detail:
• I smell the grass that was cut the day before and the cleaning supplies
used around campus. (P. 4)
• Instead of seeing the white gulls, there are black crows in the
branches of the tall trees. The branches are unusual; they remind me
of blood vessels. The air is slightly chilly, but strangely the warm sun
feels good on my back. (P. 4)
• The wind continues to ease and rage back up again as if it were like a
wave – slowly building up and pulling away from the shore. But then,
all at once, the wave crashes violently into the shore again. (P. 4)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that present narrative:
• The walls are pale and bare, but as the year goes on, they slowly fill with
projects we have worked on. (P. 1)
• The walls are lined with experiences and soon-to-be experiences,
motivation and hard work. (P. 3)
• The chairs make no attempt to match, and appear to come from all walks
of life. (P. 3)
• The senior tree sees all and hears all. No one listens, though. The tree
sees break-ups and get-togethers, people becoming friends and friend
break-ups. Fights and bullies. Kissing. It also sees all of the birds: black
birds, sea gulls and even the painted eagle on the ground. (P. 4)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that convey narrative:
• This class is a bunch of random pieces combined, so different and
unique that when you take a step back, it all works together. Bare in
the beginning, and now covered with works we all created, gives it a
sense of “meant to be.” People you wouldn’t normally talk to can
now complete your sentences. (P. 3)
• All the posters and pictures on the wall mean so many different
things, each one with its own story. And I always glance at the clock
on my left above the door, slowly watching the time pass by as I write.
(P. 3)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that convey narrative:
• I see a poster about schizophrenia. There are too many pictures to
take in all at once. I look at the one in the middle left. It is a kid
looking at his mirror image, but the image he sees is cynical and dark.
The middle one is a girl sitting in the dark while hands are shadows in
the background. I begin to feel paranoid. My heart begins beating
faster. I think about memories I have watching scary movies. I am
reminded of an old movie I watched when I was a kid. I almost feel
scared, but I also feel intrigued about how the images I am looking at
right now bring me back to a past experience. (P. 2)
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Descriptions that convey poetry:
Baby blue
if you knew
This room was
covered by the color of the mood.
Tiles – misplaced
Thoughts – erased
left aside
by peers and minds
Cuz sandpaper sighs
engrave a line
to the soul’s pride
where I derive (P. 2)
Step 2: Identifying Direct Quotes
Look for quotes that not only tell the story, but capture the voice of
your interviewee:
"Are you married, my dear?"
"Yes, I am."
"Then you won't mind zipping me up."
Zipped up, Dorothy Parker turned to face her interviewer, and the
world.
Step 3: Choosing Indirect Quotes
• Which quotes would work better as
summaries?
• In creating summary quotes, incorporate
other descriptive details – what the
interviewee said, the tone of his/her
voice, or what he/she was watching
while speaking.
Step 3: Choosing Indirect Quotes
FRANK SINATRA, holding a glass of bourbon in one hand and a cigarette in
the other, stood in a dark corner of the bar between two attractive but
fading blondes who sat waiting for him to say something. But he said
nothing; he had been silent during much of the evening, except now in this
private club in Beverly Hills he seemed even more distant, staring out
through the smoke and semidarkness into a large room beyond the bar
where dozens of young couples sat huddled around small tables or twisted
in the center of the floor to the clamorous clang of folk-rock music blaring
from the stereo.
--Gay Talese, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold”
Step 4: Structuring the Feature Story
• The simplest feature structure is the “quote” – summary description –
“quote” – summary description model, in which direct and indirect
quotes are alternated to tell a story.
• Your structure will be determined in part by the story you wish to tell.
In “Obama’s Way,” Michael Lewis alternates the story of President
Obama’s daily activities with the story of Air Force navigator Tyler
Stark, trapped in Libya – using one particular example to illustrate the
power and importance of the presidency.
Step 5: Building the nut graf
• Your nut graf – usually the second or
third paragraph in the story – explains to
the reader why, “in a nutshell,” your
story is important.
• In this case, you’ll be explaining the
importance of this particular interview
or visitation to your senior project
overall.
Step 5: Building the Nut Graf
Christian singles have coffee hour. Young Jews have JDate. But many Muslims
believe that it is forbidden for an unmarried man and woman to meet in
private. In predominantly Muslim countries, the job of making introductions
and even arranging marriages typically falls to a vast network of family and
friends.
In Brooklyn, there is Mr. Shata.
Week after week, Muslims embark on dates with him in tow. Mr. Shata, the
imam of a Bay Ridge mosque, juggles some 550 "marriage candidates," from
a gold-toothed electrician to a professor at Columbia University. The
meetings often unfold on the green velour couch of his office, or over a meal
at his favorite Yemeni restaurant on Atlantic Avenue.
Andrea Elliott of The New York Times
Step 5: Building the Feature Lede
• Feature ledes often begin by setting a scene or painting a picture - in
words - of a person or place.
• A feature lede is often described as a conversation that anyone would
like to be a part of.
• An easy way to begin a feature lede is to visualize that you are telling
your reader a story. You would never start a story with ‘’One hundred
sailors were cast ashore’’. You might begin with something like, ‘’A
merchant ship was sailing in the calm waters of the Indian Ocean, and
suddenly, a storm hit.’’
Types of Ledes: Anecdotal
Anecdotal: Everyone loves a good story. Interesting stories, metaphors
or events make for a riveting read.
• Tells a story
• Creates a situation and draws the reader in
• Provides characters and/or situations with which the reader can
identify
• Usually includes description
Types of Ledes: Anecdotal
BEIJING — The first sign of trouble was powder in the baby’s urine. Then
there was blood. By the time the parents took their son to the hospital, he
had no urine at all.
Kidney stones were the problem, doctors told the parents. The baby died on
May 1 in the hospital, just two weeks after the first symptoms appeared. His
name was Yi Kaixuan. He was 6 months old.
The parents filed a lawsuit on Monday in the arid northwest province of
Gansu, where the family lives, asking for compensation from Sanlu Group,
the maker of the powdered baby formula that Kaixuan had been drinking. It
seemed like a clear-cut liability case; since last month, Sanlu has been at the
center of China’s biggest contaminated food crisis in years. But as in two
other courts dealing with related lawsuits, judges have so far declined to
hear the case.
Edward Wong of The New York Times' Beijing bureau
Types of Ledes: Descriptive
Descriptive ledes: They describe a place, person or an event with great
care so the reader can envision where the story takes place or what
would have happened.
• Conjures up a mental picture of a subject or event
• Helps portray the mood and setting
• Allows the reader to hear, see, smell, feel the situation
Types of Ledes: Descriptive
The fragrance of chicken filled
the air. Yellow broth trickled
down from a stained white
table onto a candy wrapper
covered floor. The custodian
scoffed at the mess, then
wiped it away into an already
full garbage can.
Just another day in the
cafeteria.
The joy of dishes
Types of Ledes: Narrative
• Narrative ledes: Similar to descriptive leads but use strong action
verbs and sometimes even dialogue to make narration effective or to
recreate situations powerfully.
Types of Ledes: Narrative
It was a hell of a time to be in Iceland, although by most accounts it is
always a hell of a time to be in Iceland, where the wind never huffs or
puffs but simply blows your house down. This was early in August, and
it was stormy, as usual, but the summer sun did shine a little, and the
geysers burped blue steam and scalding water, and the glaciers
groaned as they shoved tons of silt a few centimetres closer to the sea.
On the water, the puffins frolicked, the hermit crabs frolicked, and
young people bloated with salmon jerky and warm beer barfed politely
into motion-sickness buckets on the ferry sailing across Klettsvik Bay.
Susan Orlean, “Where’s Willy?” The New Yorker
Types of Ledes: Contrast
• Used when there is a comparison to be made
• Points out opposites and extremes
There were no chemicals, but there certainly was chemistry. There
were no test tubes, but for sure there was experimenting. And a lot of
mixing — and learning — took place in these labs. Jazz labs, that is.
Types of Ledes: Suspended Interest
• Arouses the reader’s curiosity because it doesn’t tell all
• Tempts the reader to read on to find out; sometimes teases
• Usually presents the point near the end of the lede
• Direct opposite of the summary lede
Types of Ledes: Suspended Interest
Working during school. Working after school. Spending free periods
working.
Doesn’t sound like fun, does it?
It is publishing a newspaper, a job that is challenging, ongoing, not
always fun, but rewarding when the final product is distributed.
Types of Ledes: Allusion
• Referring to someone or something well-known
• Can be reference to literature, history, a motto, a quote, a familiar line
in a song or book, the name of a movie, a poem, etc.
• Make sure the reference is suitable to the subject of the copy
The old saying, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the
game,’ was a lesson the JV volleyball team learned quickly.
Ledes to Avoid: Quotes
• Unless the quote is exceptional, it isn’t the most original or exciting
way to start your story.
• The quote must set the stage for the copy or give the focus or theme
of the copy
“I wish I could get more money for less work,” senior Amanda Weller,
who is presently working at Shoprite, confessed. It was a feeling
expressed by many, with student expenses rising and limited working
time available.
Ledes to Avoid: Questions
What must a feature lead start with? Certainly not questions. ‘Did you
knows’ and rhetorical questions make for bad sentences and are hardly
interesting.
Rating albums ‘R’ or ‘PG’? A practice unheard of, yet it almost became
a reality when 25 recording companies agreed to comply — to a limited
extent — with the wishes of the Parent Music Resource Center.
Step 6: Tying it All Together with Transitions
• Words and phrases that connect one idea to another
• Often highlight the logical order of ideas
• You can also create transitions by repeating main words and using
well-chosen synonyms and pronouns throughout the paragraph.
Step 6: Tying it All Together with Transitions
Begin tracing your family history by getting a large looseleaf notebook
and making a chart. Then visit old relatives and get them to talk about
their parents, grandparents, aunts, where they came from, when they
married, maiden names, family traditions, and so on. You can also try
to get your hands on old family Bibles, diaries, letters and account
books.
Judith Chasek
Other Transition Methods
For years now on the mud flats on the east side of San Francisco Bay,
artists and ordinary people have been creating imaginative sculptures
by nailing together driftwood and debris. These sculptors build trains
and ballerinas, chickens and totem poles, whales and airplanes with
wood, hubcaps, old tires, rusty cans and whatever washes ashore.
J. Fritz Lanham