Feature stories aren't 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-oriented way is a feature story.
These are the characteristics that distinguish feature stories from hard news:
The Lede:
A feature lede doesn't have to have the who, what, where, when and why in the very first paragraph, the way a hard-news lede does. Instead, a feature lede can use description or an anecdote to set up the story. And a feature lede can run for several paragraphs instead of just one. Click the link for more information.
Pace:
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.
Length:
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.
A Focus on the Human Element:
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.
Pick one of these feature articles to read and write about:
The Atlantic - The Coddling of the American Mind
Grantland - The Consequence of Caring
NYTimes - Snowfall
On your blog - create a new post called Feature Writing Preview:
Please answer the following questions:
1. What is the difference between a hard news lead (lede) and the one you read?
2. In what paragraph(s) did you learn the following information?
a. Who
b. What
c. Where
d. When
e. Why
f. How
3. Are there quotes in this story?
4. Are those quotes arranged in the "quote-transiton" style we used in news writing?
5. Who is quoted in the story?
6. What quote is the most powerful in the story, in your opinion?
7. How many paragraphs are the story?
8. How many words are the story (hint: you can copy and paste into Word and get a word count)?
9. What is significant about the lead (lede) and the final paragraph of the story?
10. Why do you think the writer did that with the lead (lede) and final paragraph?
11. Was the story interesting to read?
These are the characteristics that distinguish feature stories from hard news:
The Lede:
A feature lede doesn't have to have the who, what, where, when and why in the very first paragraph, the way a hard-news lede does. Instead, a feature lede can use description or an anecdote to set up the story. And a feature lede can run for several paragraphs instead of just one. Click the link for more information.
Pace:
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.
Length:
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.
A Focus on the Human Element:
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.
Pick one of these feature articles to read and write about:
The Atlantic - The Coddling of the American Mind
Grantland - The Consequence of Caring
NYTimes - Snowfall
On your blog - create a new post called Feature Writing Preview:
Please answer the following questions:
1. What is the difference between a hard news lead (lede) and the one you read?
2. In what paragraph(s) did you learn the following information?
a. Who
b. What
c. Where
d. When
e. Why
f. How
3. Are there quotes in this story?
4. Are those quotes arranged in the "quote-transiton" style we used in news writing?
5. Who is quoted in the story?
6. What quote is the most powerful in the story, in your opinion?
7. How many paragraphs are the story?
8. How many words are the story (hint: you can copy and paste into Word and get a word count)?
9. What is significant about the lead (lede) and the final paragraph of the story?
10. Why do you think the writer did that with the lead (lede) and final paragraph?
11. Was the story interesting to read?