Tips in Feature Writing #2

Tips in Feature Writing

1. Avoid Wordiness.

If you can express your thoughts in one or a few words or phrases the better. This would make your feature story more profound and would avoid the “elementary” and running-round-the-bush effect. Prefer words or phrases that are featurized and concise. The most effective way to avoid wordiness is to have a wide vocabulary.

Example: “She was not given her rights to be educated,” is good, but “She was deprived of her rights to be educated” is better. Even though the two sentences have the same number of words, the vocabulary word “deprived” makes the difference.

“He did not know what to do” could be elevated to “He was confused.”

“Was not given” and “did not do know what to do” were replaced by more exact phrases and word “deprived of,” and “confused,” respectively.

However, you can be intentionally wordy with a purpose, especially when writing a descriptive feature story.

2. Make sure your feature story triggers your readers’ emotions.

Unlike straight news, where it plainly states facts, a feature story initially appeals to the emotions of the readers. The kind of emotion the feature writer wants or aims to draw from his or her readers varies. It could bring out happiness, inspiration, motivation, loneliness, pity, sense of importance or belonging; it could also squeeze out anger, realization, or spiritual uplifting. The feature story may possess one or more of these emotions at a time depending on the writer’s will.

3. Avoid a plain informative feature story, or a plain narrative feature story.

If your feature story simply throws out information, or is merely relating a story, it would probably lead to boredom or monotony. It is highly suggested that an informative or a narrative feature story be coupled with one or more types of features, or one or a variety of emotions, as aforementioned (tip #2).

Example, an informative and inspiring feature story, or a narrative/descriptive feature story are better than a plain informative or narrative.

There is one exception though, a pure narrative or informative feature story could stand reader-friendly by its own if the information or the events in the story itself, by nature, is undisputedly interesting, which could easily draw a certain emotion, except boredom.

But, still, you should be careful in taking this risk because the delivery of information or how the events of a story are related through pen is still very vital.

4. Use words and phrases that are excitingly appropriate and related to your feature story’s focus or topic.

One of my favourite entrepreneurial books is the Gonegosyo’s celebrity edition.

Example, on page 142, Lucky Ann Llanes’ feature story on artist Dominic Ochoa’s ice cream business (Thumbs Up!) stated: “…it seemed like everything that they had planned was about to happen – scoop by scoop.” Another line expressed: “The strategy of making him the face behind the business worked so well that soon enough, Thumbs Up! Managed to have a freezing breakthrough in the industry.”

Notice how the phrases “scoop by scoop” and “freezing breakthrough” were creatively composed and uniquely used by the writer as they fit perfectly with the feature story’s topic – an ice cream business!

Karlo Jose R. Pineda, on page 26, featured Marvin Agustin’s restaurant business and penned: “More breaks came, which he deliciously accommodated.” “And so Albert [Martinez] continues, much like a well-oiled machine that just keeps on going, fuelled by passion and determination,” concluded Michelle Elaine Valete on her feature story (page 74)  about Martinez’s gasoline station business.

5. Revive or renovate old idioms.

Idioms undoubtedly enhance one’s speaking and writing; but using a worn-out idiom defiles the purpose and does nothing but the opposite. Just like how termite-infested houses need renovation, and time-stricken songs need revival, old idioms as well need a nose-lift.

Saying “She is looking for a needle in a haystack” sounds century-old. We could revive the idiom and create a newer version which doesn’t compromise the meaning, only improving your feature story. You could rewrite it in a different format keeping its essence in tacked. You may say, “The needle enshrouded in a haystack could not be found.” Rearranging the words from the idiom and injecting a vocabulary word make the sentence more interesting and thoughtful, straying away from the old idiom’s close-to-boredom effect.

Another, instead of saying “She is not used to poverty because she is born with a silver spoon in her mouth,” revive the idiom and say “The silver spoon in her mouth makes her unacquainted with poverty.”

The meaning of the sentence stays the same, but the composition and delivery of thoughts with idiom revival make the dainty difference. You also did not use the aged idiom verbatim but played with it (even omitted “born with”) giving your readers a unique and a fresher one. Also, notice the change of a phrase with a more profound, featurized, and concise phrase: “is not used to” is substituted by “unacquainted with.”

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Tags: feature, feature story, feature writing, informative feature, narrative feature, tips in feature writing

Category: Feature Writing