Breaking out of the hard-news format:

Real features of feature writing

Gaston De ROSAYRO

Journalism isn’t just about straight news stories with short leads that get right to the point. News writing is great, but for those who love words and the craft of writing, there is nothing like producing a splendid feature story.

Hard-news stories are typically an assemblage of facts. Some are better-written than others, but they all exist to fulfill a simple purpose – to convey information. Feature stories, on the other hand, aim to do much more. They convey facts, yes, but they also tell the stories of people’s lives. To do that, they must incorporate facets of writing often not found in news stories, ones that are often associated with fiction writing, including description, a greater use of quotes, anecdotes and sometimes extensive background information.

Feature writing breaks out of the hard-news format and allows the creative types among us to tell stories in a more artistic and compelling way. Ask most people what a feature story is, and they will say it is something soft and puffy, written for the arts or fashion section of the newspaper. But in fact, features can be about any subject, from the fluffiest lifestyle piece to the toughest investigative report. And features aren’t just found in the back pages of the paper, the ones that focus on subjects such as home decor and music reviews. In fact, features are found in every section of the paper, from news to business to sports.

A feature lead does not have to have the ‘who, what, where, when and why’ in the very first paragraph, the way a hard-news lead does. Instead, a feature lead can use description or an anecdote to set up the story. And a feature lead can run for several paragraphs instead of just one.

Feature stories often employ a more leisurely pace than news stories. Features take time to tell a story, instead of rushing through it the way news stories often seem to do. Taking more time to tell a story means using more space, which is why features are usually, though not always, longer than hard news articles. If news stories tend to focus on events, then features tend to focus more on people. Features are designed to bring the human element into the picture, which is why many editors call features ‘people stories.’

So if a hard news story recounts how 1,000 people are being laid off from a local factory, a feature story might focus on just one of those workers, portraying their grief at losing their job. With features, the position is entirely different from the hard news. Features are founded on ideas (news is founded on events), and no-one has a monopoly on ideas. Much of the extra editorial space is filled by features.

So we now know what features are not. But what are they? Feature stories are not defined so much by subject matter as they are by the style in which they are written. In other words, anything written in a feature-orientated way is a feature story. These are the characteristics that distinguish feature stories from hard news. We have already defined what feature stories are, outlined the components of features and discussed how to write a feature lead. But just as there are different kinds of hard-news stories, there are lots of different kinds of features. Here are some of the main types.

There is what is called a profile. A profile is an article about an individual, and is one of the staples of feature writing. No doubt you have read profiles in newspapers or magazines. Reporters do them on politicians, tycoons, celebrities and athletes among others. Profiles can be done on just about anyone who is interesting and newsworthy, whether it is on a local, national or international level.

The idea of the profile is to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at what a person is really like, warts and all, away from their public persona. Profile articles generally provide background on the profile subject - their age, where they grew up and were educated, where they live now, whether they are they married or have children among other insights.

Beyond such factual basics, profiles look at who and what influenced them. If you are doing a profile you will obviously need to interview your subject, in person if possible, so that in addition to getting quotes you can describe their appearance and mannerisms. You should also watch the person in action, doing what they do, whether it be a politician, a doctor or a tycoon. Also, talk to people who know the person you’re profiling, and if your profile subject is controversial, talk to some of his or her critics. Remember, your goal is to create a true portrait of your profile subject. No puff pieces allowed.

Then there is the news feature which is just what it sounds like - a feature article that focuses on a topic of interest in the news.

News features often cover the same subjects as deadline hard-news stories, but do so in greater depth and detail. And since feature articles are ‘people stories,’ news features tend to highlight individuals more than deadline news stories, which often focus more on numbers and statistics. Often news features are used as sidebars to the main-bar, the main deadline news story about an event.

There are also the spot features which are feature stories produced on deadline that focus on a breaking news event.

And finally there are the trend stories. Is there a cool new look in fashions? A website or tech gadget that everyone is going nuts over? Or a sensational new music group that has attracted a cult following? A show on an obscure TV channel that has suddenly turned hot? These are the kinds of things that trend stories zero in on.

Trend stories take the pulse of the culture at the moment, looking at what is new, fresh and exciting in the world of art, fashion, film, music, high-technology among other subjects.

The emphasis in trend stories is usually on light, quick, easy-to-read pieces that capture the spirit of whatever new trend is being discussed. In other words, if you are writing a trend story, have fun with it.

And never subject your reader to the equivalent of linguistic torture. A feature article, after all, is supposed to be light, entertaining and informative - not deathly pedantic like a physics textbook.

A winding article that goes through all the nitty-gritties of your topic will only test the patience of the reader.

Finally make sure you provide your readers with the most demonstrative endearment of all – the KISS. Yes KISS is the keyword! Because they will love you for it even if it is only an acronym for ‘Keep It Short and Simple’.