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Nice Features

Nice Features. Mary Evans evansm@bournemouth.ac.uk. What is a Feature?. “ A prominent or special article or story in a newspaper or periodical .” www.thefreedictionary.com. Where do Features come from?. News reaction Issue-led Real-life Lifestyle Travel Business Special interest

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Nice Features

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  1. Nice Features Mary Evans evansm@bournemouth.ac.uk

  2. What is a Feature? “A prominent or special article or storyin a newspaper or periodical.” www.thefreedictionary.com

  3. Where do Features come from? News reaction Issue-led Real-life Lifestyle Travel Business Special interest Interviews Comment

  4. Not the News… Features… • Are more subjective, less concerned with facts (but still accurate!) • Are more flexible and free • Are longer • Are less urgent • Contain more detail • Need more research • Have a variety of subjects and styles

  5. Writing Nice Features • Plan and research • Consider structure • Flow and rhythm of words • Know your market & reader • Why are you writing – what’s the point? • Use quotes • Focus on intro and conclusion • Use humour (but only if actually funny)

  6. Good Features… • are economical with detail • create a mind picture • use metaphors • waste no words • are unusual • use humour well • make the reader want to know more • create a reaction

  7. The Intro Feature intro styles Narrative – telling a story Descriptive – intrigues, sets scene vividly Strong quote – simple, effective (often ugly) Statement of fact – choose facts well Outrageous opinion – shock them into reading more

  8. The Intro Narrative The last time Ernest McGuff saw his navel was 12 February 2011. He followed his usual routine that night: a light supper of Alphabetty Spaghetti washed down with a Scotch; a quick glance at the adult channels while his wife was flossing and then bed after a chapter of Mr Tumble’s autobiography. It was just another ordinary night in the McGuff household. But the next day, Ernest’s life was forever shattered. Because on 13 February 2011, Ernest McGuff became one of the millions of victims of overnight belly-button theft.

  9. The Intro Descriptive He covers his midriff instinctively with a protective arm. His eyes rarely leave the floor, as those burdened with unbearable loss are condemned to do. Shaking hands move nervously to the hem of his shirt, pulling a fraction of plaid out of his belt before his nerve deserts him again. A deep breath, a slug of Scotch and his courage is screwed to the sticking place. Suddenly, in a flash of abandon, he wrenches his shirt from his trousers, exposing the vista of belly-roll beneath. His head averted in unjust shame he reveals to the world the scar that has marred him for 18 months. For this is Ernest McGuff. And his belly-button has been stolen.

  10. The Intro Strong Quote “I never knew how much I loved my belly-button. Until it was stolen from me.” Ernest McGuff, 53, chokes back the tears as he recalls the night his navel was nicked…

  11. The Intro Statement of Fact Belly-button theft is on the rise. You may not know it. You may not experience it. But the chances are you know someone whose life has been blighted by the callous and cruel theft of their navel. Ernest McGuff, 53, never thought it would happen to him…

  12. The Intro Outrageous Opinion If you can’t take care of your own belly-button, perhaps you never deserved to have one in the first place.

  13. Feature styles Q & A (Question & Answer) Q: So what do you think of WDP? A: Don’t know, haven’t been to a class yet First-person “The day I met Noel Edmonds changed my life.” Narrative But being a professional waxer isn’t all fun and games. ‘It’s really hard to get in all the nooks and crannies,’ says Chantal, 19.

  14. Body Copy A good feature will… • Tell a story • Be well-structured • Include facts and figures • Use relevant, incisive quotes • Be well-structured

  15. Quotes Why use quotes? • Change of pace • Change of voice • Authority • Summary • Balance • Colour • Human

  16. Quotes Three kinds: • Direct: “I’m a huge fan of naked skydiving,” says Bernard, 76, “although I do have a terrible problem with intimate chafing.” • Indirect: Bernard loves naked skydiving, but points out it’s not without risks – not least with regard to intimate chafing. • Partial: Bernard has been naked skydiving for many years. He enjoys the sport, but admits he has a “terrible problem” with “intimate chafing”.

  17. Using Quotes Do: • Be accurate • Take your time taking a quote • Quote sentences out of order • Tidy sentence construction BUT never in a way that changes the sense

  18. Using Quotes Don’t: • Quote out of context • Change sense • Make them up

  19. Editing Quotes “It’s like, yeah, it’s not like I don’t like people from Bournemouth or anything, right, it’s just like I prefer people from Poole, d’ya know what I mean?”

  20. Editing Quotes A Safe Edit: “It’s not that I dislike people from Bournemouth, I just prefer people from Poole.”

  21. Editing Quotes A Potentially Libellous Edit: “I don’t like people from Bournemouth.”

  22. Conclusions • Reflect on the story you have told • Draw some useful lessons/wisdom/advice from it • Don’t add new information • Avoid ‘but that’s another story’. Tell the story!

  23. Conclusions The Question Belly-button loss still carries a huge stigma in the home counties, where sufferers must endure the mockery, ignorance and prejudice of their neighbours. It is easy to sit back and judge as these people are marginalised in a judgemental society. But if you were faced with a person of no navel, could you honestly say you wouldn’t retch too?

  24. Conclusions The ‘Call to Arms’ The unnecessary suffering of navelly-challenged people has gone on long enough. In a world where a belly-button is a basic human right, let’s hope that society can stand together to make these people finally feel ‘hole’ again.

  25. Conclusions What’s Next? As reports of navel theft flood in from across the globe, teams of specially-trained officers are being gathered to combat this dastardly crime. But for the victims it is too late. They must piece together the fragments of their broken lives and hope that one day, they’ll know how fluff feels once more.

  26. Features: Golden Rules Do: • Write in the present tense • Conduct plenty of research into your topic and interviewees • Plan your work for sense, structure and story • Check your facts – stats, places, names, dates

  27. Features: Golden Rules Don’t: • Hand it in straight away • Make it boring • Just write what you want to write. Write what someone wants to read.

  28. Assignment • Feature article, interview or comment piece • Assignment briefs on MyBU • 1,000 words • 20% unit total • Due by noon Friday 11th Jan

  29. Assignment tips… • READ THE BRIEF!!! • Time management • Clarity of writing • ‘Cold’ read

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