ABSTRACT

This text offers the basics of news media feature writing and guides motivated beginners down the right path toward success as professional feature writers. This fourth edition gives advanced writers and reporters a thorough look at newspaper, magazine, newsletter, and online publications, with emphasis on daily newspapers and consumer magazines. Three primary aspects of feature writing are emphasized: introduction and writing skills/basics, article types, and the collegiate and professional writing life. Each chapter includes excerpts and complete articles from some of the nation's leading publications that illustrate points made in the text.

Professional Feature Writing provides a wide variety of perspectives and experiences of both young and experienced writers, editors, publishers, and professors. Emphasizing writing values that will strengthen a new writer's journalistic practices, readers will gain insights and expertise from the narrative, the advice of professionals, and current writing examples. The book offers lists of tips, observations, in-depth looks at both young and veteran writers, guidelines, sources, and story ideas. As such, this volume is a solid tour of the forms and approaches to feature writing. Building on introductory writing and reporting skills, this text is written for advanced students, and is filled with practical advice for writing a wide variety of features.

part I|2 pages

The Basics

chapter 1|12 pages

Feature Writing in the 21st Century

chapter 2|18 pages

A Career as a Feature Writer?

chapter 3|23 pages

Finding a Good Feature Article Idea

chapter 4|26 pages

Researching Feature Article Ideas

chapter 5|31 pages

The Writing and Editing Process

part II|2 pages

II Types of Articles

chapter 6|21 pages

Descriptive and Color Writing

chapter 7|19 pages

The Human-Interest Article

chapter 8|28 pages

Profiles and Personality Sketches

chapter 9|24 pages

Seasonal Features

chapter 10|39 pages

Entertainment Features and Critical Writing

chapter 12|31 pages

Travel Writing

chapter 13|24 pages

Service Features

chapter 14|20 pages

Personal Experience Articles

chapter 15|27 pages

Writing Humor in Feature Articles

chapter 16|33 pages

Writing Science and Technical Features

part III|2 pages

III The Collegiate and Professional Writer

chapter 17|21 pages

Writing Feature Articles on Campus

chapter 18|30 pages

Freelance Writing and Marketing

chapter 19|20 pages

Surviving in the Freelance Business