A feature story is a creative work

based on facts, written in a subjective manner, designed either to entertain or to inform readers of a person, an event, a situation, or an aspect of life

seduces the readers into a sense of involvement with the writer by helping them identify with it.

FEATURE LEADS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. SUMMARY LEAD- gives the gist of the story NARRATIVE LEAD-narrates, tells (action stories) DESCRIPTIVE LEAD-evokes a mental picture of the subject in the mind of the readers QUOTATION LEAD- expresses personal insight of the person quoted QUESTION LEAD effective in challenging readers knowledge or curiosity DIRECT ADDRESS LEAD the writer communicates directly to the readers (YOU) TEASER LEAD- arouses curiosity in jesting tone FREAK LEAD an out-of-the-ordinary way of getting attention COMBINATION LEAD uses the best elements of 2 or three types of leads

Five elements that make a good feature story: Creativity implies that the feature
writer does not only have a facility of the language he is using, but is also gifted with a rich imagination. Like the news writer, the feature writer is bound by the ethics of accuracy, but unlike the news reporter who is concerned with a specified format and is limited to the use of simple language, the feature writer can create his story around little interesting details using as colorful language as his creative imagination allows.

FEATURE ENDINGS
1. 2. 3. 4. SUMMARY ENDINGS ties up the loose ends of the story and points back to the lead THE STINGER- startling, surprising ending that jolts the reader CLIMAX ends at the point where the outcome of the story is clear UN-ENDING or HANGING ends by emphasizing a key, unanswered question, the writer ends the story before the climax to leave the readers to speculate on the conclusion

Subjectivity enables the writer to

write the story in the first person and to inject his own insights, feelings and ideas. This can make for interesting, enjoyable and intimate reading, especially if the writer is well equipped with the tools and techniques of creative writing.

Informativeness means that the

feature story constructively informs the reader of a very human situation or an aspect in life, which may have escaped coverage in hard news story.

TIPS Read, write, rewrite, read, write, rewrite, read, write, rewrite Write to express, not to impress Dont tease if you cant deliver KISS (if possible) Start with something interesting Wind up with something your readers will remember

Entertainment value refers to the

refreshing break offered by feature stories from the black and white regularity of news stories. A feature story may captive a striking mood of event, or interesting stories about people and their humanness.

Practicality refers to writing style of

the feature writer. Basically, the feature writer is a storyteller. Like the fiction writer, he composes interesting pictures with words and