Elements of Features

1. Elements of Features Friedlander, Edward Jay and John Lee. Feature Writing for Newspapers and Magazines. Addison-Wesley, 2000. Genove, Maria Cecilia. Feature Writing for Filipinos. Quezon City: New Day Pub., 2004.

2. ELEMENTS • Originality • Creativity • Subjectivity • “Informativeness” • Entertainment • Unperishability

3. 1. ORIGINALITY • A feature story is original with respect to the way with which it is written: fluid. It is intended to be read completely and edited with care. • Feature stories can be about virtually any subject that falls within the realm of “human interest.” (Anything that interests the feature writer and the editor is also likely to interest a substantial number of readers.)

4. 2. CREATIVITY • There is no one, single way of writing feature stories. • Feature writing allows a writer to create a story virtually at will. • Although the writer is bound by the ethics of accuracy, he/she can conjure a feature story in his/her imagination and, after researching data, write it.

5. 3. SUBJECTIVITY • Feature stories allow the use of adjectives and descriptives. • Feature stories may be written in the first person (“I” or “we”) or second person (“You”), allowing writers to inject their own thoughts and emotions.

6. Subjectivity… Elegance… Appeal… A simple presentation of facts… is not for the feature writer. The facts he uses must be tinged with color and life, background and interpretation, an imaginative way of perceiving people and situations, and in principle the peculiar traits that strikes people’s curiosity, sympathy, skepticism, humor, consternation, and amazement. MARIA CECILIA M. GENOVE Feature Writing for Filipinos

7. 4. INFORMATIVENESS • This element distinguishes feature stories from literary works (e.g., short stories, novels, poems, stage plays, etc). • Although it may lack hard news value, a feature story can constructively inform the reader of a situation or aspect of life that may escape coverage in hard news stories.

8. 5. ENTERTAINMENT • Feature stories are a welcome break from the monotony of murder, scandal, crimes, disaster, corruption, etc. • Stories about people and their humanness have tremendous readership appeal and entertainment value.

9. 6. UNPERISHABILITY • “Yesterday’s newspaper is only good for wrapping fish” – an old newspaper adage • Feature stories may be “kept” for days, weeks or months because their value will not diminish with time. • A feature story writer can rewrite and revise his/her feature story at leisure to get the maximum quality.

10. Above everything else… A feature story must remain, above all, journalistic… By that, the feature writer is expected to subscribe to the same standards of journalistic accuracy as the news writer. He or she must verify the information, quote accurately and be fair and precise with description. EDWARD JAY FRIEDLANDER & JOHN LEE Feature Writing for Newspapers and Magazines

11. COMPARISONS News Story The feature story does not report breaking news, but illuminates and entertains. ALITO L. MALINAO Feature, Editorial and Opinion Writing

12. COMPARISONS • Short Story Although it “reads like a short story,” a feature story is factual, not fictional. • Columns and Editorials The feature story judges, but does not advocate. It illuminates, but does not persuade.

13. “Copy” Time .