Blog 3 (Features)

This is a link to an article from PRNewsWire.com that seems to fit some qualities of a feature story. One of the aspects that seems to make this article a feature is the soft lead, which is: "What if after 100 years of searching by major institutions and government agencies for the conquest of cancer, a small, unheralded, non-profit organization could become the "David" that helped slay the Cancer Goliath?" It's a question that intrigues the readers. It's catchy. The rest of the article, though, seems written in mainly hard news form.

We all have features that are due on Friday, and luckily for me, feature stories are not something new to me. In another class, I am actually in the middle of writing two feature stories. According to our books, features can be written in a more story-telling form. They also add human interest to an otherwise hard news, boring story. So, what exactly does a feature look like? We were given examples through email, and it's easy to find examples online, but no matter how easy that is, is it easy to write one? I've continued my adventure to find another feature story on PRNewsWire.com. (Maybe that will help me write a better feature story).

Here is a link to another article that seems feature-like. This article is announcing a new stand-up comedy show called "Tosh.0," which will supposedly change the way people think about the internet. This story seems to fit the qualities of features because it seems to be human interest-related. The article still features facts and quotes, but they seem to be in a story-telling way. For instance, this line: "The unusual mind of Daniel Tosh has earned him the admiration of his peers by winning over audiences with his unique brand of stand-up comedy that has made him one of the most requested headliners in the country. His casual style and sharp material have proven to be greatly appreciated by his audiences, young and old (but mostly young)." What do you notice in this story that you don't generally see in hard news stories? Adjectives. One thing I've been taught in my media writing classes is that good journalists use strong action verbs and nouns rather than modifiers; nonetheless, I think those modifiers are more likely to be seen in a feature story than in a hard news story. Moving on, the article also features details and stories, something necessary in feature writing. What else might make this a feature is the subject alone. The announcement of a new TV show has a high amount of human interest.

This is a link to an eHow article, explaining how to write and develop a feature. These pointers really come in handy. I advise you all to read these tips. One of the tips I particularily liked was tip 1: "Come up with a catchy short headline. It should communicate the essence of your story and build the curiosity of targeted readers." One of my favorite things about writing features is the chance to be able to tell a story moreso than just give straight facts. This can be done by giving a catchy introduction.

I hope these articles help you grasp a better idea on what does and what doens't belong in a feature. Feature writing can be fun; it gives you a chance to tell a real-life story.