How to Write a Feature Story?
By BRYAN M. LUZON
Ampayon Central Elementary School
The best way to characterize a feature article, according to Gene Gilmore in his book Inside High School Journalism, is to suggest that it is a news story written like a piece of fiction. A feature writer, like a short story writer, frequently employs literary elements such as color, wit, comedy, dialogue, narrative, and emotional language to pique the reader’s attention. It may also educate, inform, and counsel, but its primary goal is to amuse.
The goal of a feature story differs from that of a news piece. A news story tells us about an event, a concept, or a scenario. A feature piece does a little more: it interprets news and gives a narrative additional depth and color. It can also be educational or entertaining. A news story is a report on significant happenings. A feature story is about anything fascinating.
The pyramid structure is followed throughout the feature narrative. The story’s details are organized in ascending order of significance, starting with the least significant and working up to the most essential. It starts with:
1. Introduction or Novelty Lead. Because it catches or entices the readers, this is the most crucial element of the feature narrative. It allures or entices readers to the tale. To capture the emotions of the readers, the introduction or lead may utilize quotations, inquiries, descriptions, or any other style.
2. The Body. The feature story’s body addresses all of the reader’s queries raised in the introduction. It explains the lead or introduction. The reader’s attention is also maintained by the body.
3. The Conclusion. The ending is written in such a way that the readers will recall the narrative. The conclusion, like the introduction, should contain striking and passionate terms.
To refresh your creativity well and inspire your fiction, employ Literature, Imagination, Folklore, and Experience. To build style, a writer must accomplish the same things, but with words.
Overdescribing or underscribing is a common error made by new writers. Overdescribing can happen when a writer perceives a detailed paragraph as an opportunity to showcase her skills and wow the reader.
We can’t overlook sentences as writers. The phrase is the most crucial unit of language in both English and Filipino; without it, our tales would be impossible to tell. And also, a higher level of intricacy indicates a higher level of reader interest. So tweak away! ###
