Features desk: Assorted features
What’s the best format for your feature? Former features editor Tina Jackson walks you through some of the main options
The basis of good feature writing is having a good idea, but having looked at that last month, let’s break the journalist’s golden rule of never assuming anything and assume that you’ve got one. In fact, let’s take it to the next level and assume that you’re ready to pitch it and get a commission to write a feature story.
Feature writing may be enjoyable but it is still a skill that can be honed – no matter how talente’/d a writer you are you can’t just sit down and splart words onto the page. Features are longer and more leisurely than news stories and they will in some way tell a story, but they come in a variety of forms.
To increase your chances of 1) getting a commission, 2) writing a good piece, and 3) getting more feature writing gigs, you need to identify:
• What kind of feature it is
• Who you are writing it for
These two things will help you identify the most appropriate style and structure in which to write your feature story.
What are you writing?
Different types of feature require different approaches. There’s no onesize-fits-all approach. Are you writing a fact-based piece? A lifestyle story?
A how-to article? A news feature?
A trend story? In-depth reportage? Human interest? Colour piece?