ABSTRACT
Feature stories are typically seen as entertaining, optional stories that don’t have to be written or read but that nonetheless offer an enjoyable reading experience, provide background information or give a closer look at current events or trends. This chapter defines and gives examples of various feature treatments and offers tips on their effective writing. Topics include the definition of features; a comparison of features and “hard” news; feature leads; an explanation of narrative, chronological, color, human interest, and personality profile features with examples; news-related features such as backgrounder, reaction, and analysis stories, as well as anniversary and “how-to” features. There are many alternatives to the inverted pyramid, the chapter concludes, and notes that in writing features the possibilities are limited only by one’s reporting and writing abilities.
