Writing the Right

Feature
Feature Writing
Is an in depth look at a person,
situation or place. It is not a news, as
in the latest – breaking headline, but
some overlooked or under-
appreciated tale.
The feature story makes the familiar new
and the new familiar. The feature story
could be the unknown personal side of a
public figure or could be a newly
diagnosed childhood behaviour or some
odd happening around.

Its a human interest because it appeals

to the emotions.
Functions of Feature
• To entertain.
– The primary purpose of feature story is to
entertain or to give the readers pleasure and
entertainment although it can also educate,
instruct, advise, recommend and offer choices of
action.
• To Explain.
– To explain what is happening in the world, nation
or community. It does not only inform the world
as in the news but it explains.
• To Teach.
– Teach an audience how to do something. Cooking,
Making your home looks spacious with limited
space and other related topics.
• To suggest.
– Suggest better ways to live. Topics like Cigarette
smoking is dangerous to your health, Fighting
Cancer and Going Back to the Basic.
• To examine
– Examine trends. It caters mostly to the younger
generation. Usually artists. Likewise new craze like
cremation, stem technology.
• To narrate
– Narrate a personal experience, a tragedy or
success story that inspire. It could be a personal
story about rags to riches; a battle on a sickness; a
boy or girl scout heroism.
• To tickle
– Tickle readers through humor and witticisms.
Aside from inspiring the readers, we can also tickle
them with humor especially Filipino readers.
• To comment
– Comment on social, political and cultural issues.
When featurizing poverty and unemployment has
something to do with social and even political
issues.
 1. Teaching Suggestions

• Choose a Feature article and

analyze what function it
serves.
• Dissect the structure
Types of features
News feature
based on recent event or development. You can
write a new feature like Cory’s battle from
Democracy to Cancer.

Personality Profile
written to bring the audience closer to a person in
or out of the news. This is one of the easiest
features to write.
Human Interest story
written to show a subject’s emotional or human side. It
is usually a tragic story.
Trend Story
are very popular because people are excited to read or
hear about the latest fads. Example : Cremations, Stem
Technology, Artificial Insemination
Informative feature
Topics that would fall under this category would
include the extent of the drug problem in the
Philippines, poverty, unemployment, abuses in the
work place and the plight of the elderly population.
News analysis
You can then write a news analysis of that
development .
 How to article
examples of which are the following. The art of
making Oregami – Paper folding.
Personal Experience
it is all about your experience.
Humorous feature
One of the most important functions of the feature to
entertain. This is even difficult to write than any other
ordinary feature.
Investigative Feature
Stories about militant killings and disappearances and other
violations of human rights would fall under this category.
Inspirational feature
This also stresses the importance of education and a
positive outlook as well as faith in oneself in order to
succeed in life.
 2. Teaching Suggestions
• Observation exercises
– Nature
– Person
– Process
• How to Do Story
– Cook
– Create
– Get there
Basic rules in crafting the feature
Short sentences
15 to 20 words per sentence is easy to read.
Sentences longer that 30 words may be hard to
understand.
Short Paragraph
Keep paragraphs short and vary them from one word
to five average sentences. Remember a 100 word
paragraph looks long in a narrow newspaper column.
Easy words
When technical or difficult word must be used,
explain it as simply as possible.
Personal words
These are still good technique for holding the
reader’s interest.
Active verbs
Transitions
these are very important to make a coherent
paragraph.
Interest building
providing quotes like: the Filipinos are worth dying
for.
The thinking/writing process
You need to think first.
Reflect on what you want to tell your readers. It is
like setting a purpose or a goal. You would like to
make it as interesting to your readers as it is to you.
 Use a thread.
There is a need to see coherence in the article to
fully understand the article. It is effective to weave a
thread throughout the story which connects the
lead to the body and to the conclusion. The thread
can be a single person, an event or a thing that
usually highlights the theme.
Choose a theme
Tools in building up the theme
Dialogue and quotations
Feature writers often use dialogues or quotations to
keep the story moving and alive. It gives the readers
strong mental images and keeps them attached to
the writing and to the story’s key players.
Famous quotes
The use of quotes from famous persons or literary
compositions would add to the scholarly nature of a
feature story.
Idioms and anecdotes
can add spice into the feature articles. They have to
be woven subtly into the story in order to build up
the theme. They must be simple and brief; relevant
and have an intrinsic value.
 Establish a voice
Another key element that holds a feature together is
a voice the signature or personal style of each
writer. It is the personality of the writer and can be
used to inject color, tone and subtle emotional
commentary into the story.
 Ending or conclusion
The ending will wrap up the story and usually
goes back to the lead often with a quotation
or a surprising climax.
 Literary devices or techniques
Flashback
it tells of the events in the past that has relevance to
the unfolding of the story. It is like setting the
background for the story
Parallelism
when you compare parallel events or events. EDSA
events
Contrast
When you make a contrast or conflicting situations to
emphasize a point in your story.
Atmosphere
It speaks of a tone of voice. It could be harsh,
grating, cool, hysterical, loud, angry and sarcastic.
Setting
this refer to the time and place when the story
happens
Imagery
The mental images formed as a result of the words
used in the feature story or any form of literary
piece.
Diction
This means use, choice and arrangement of words and
phrases.
Figure of Speech
 Metaphor – comparing objects without the use of
like and as.
 Simile comparing objects with the use of like and as
 Personification – attributing human traits to
inanimate objects.
 3. Teaching Suggestions
• Group your students to do a feature story.
• The Collaborative Feature project is
composed of a lead writer and junior writers.
• This serves as mentoring scheme among
peers.
 Exercise No 1
• Do a Feature about a Millennial
• Talk about the Negative and Positive
aspects of this generation.
 Exercise No 2
• Do a Feature on Gadgets and You
• Talk about the Pros and Cons