Feature Article / 195STEP 1: Prewriting—Finding the Story
If you are not assigned a subject, your search begins with finding the right topic,
one related to breaking news or current issues or trends. Seeing a good topic for a
feature article in the midst of the so-called “hard” news depends on your curiosity. In
short, your creativity determines how you will deal with a subject.
For instance, if the breaking news deals with tornado damage to the school, your
feature story may recount the story of the teacher who spotted the twister, sounded
the alarm, and prevented widespread injuries. Or your feature story may spring from
a tour of the building, noting damage to the classrooms, reporting pencils jammed
into concrete-block walls and pine needles pinning pages to bulletin boards. Feature
articles usually evoke some kind of emotion.
STEP 2: Prewriting—Gathering the Information
Whether the information comes from your own account, interviews with eyewit-
nesses, or printed sources, you must gather as much information as possible. Even
though a feature article is not a straight news story, its facts must be accurate and its
message valid.
STEP 3: Prewriting—Determining the Type of Feature
Your purpose determines the type of feature you will write. Features are limited only
by the writer/reporter’s imagination; however, a few basic types are suggested by the
general purpose.
The Human-Interest Feature. The most common of the feature articles, the
human-interest feature does what it says: describes some unusual aspect of the life
of an ordinary human being, an aspect that makes him or her interesting. The story
may tell about success in spite of great odds, recall a tragic predicament, or share a
continuing struggle supported only by hope and faith.
The Personality Feature. A human-interest feature that takes on greater depth
turns into a personality feature. In many respects, the personality feature resembles
a characterization. [See Chapter 20, Character Sketch.] The main character may or
may not be known but will have done something of interest to others. Maybe the
person developed a product that has become an international retail item, learned to
overcome shyness and became a political candidate, or travels to school each day on
roller skates. Usually the personality feature shows how a person gained recognition.
The How-To Feature. The how-to feature is not much more than a process analysis
article [see Chapter 14, Process Analysis], but it usually takes a do-it-yourself approach.
The Past-Events Feature. Sometimes features focus on historical events or celebra-
tions. Supported by library research, such features provide human-interest history