FeatureWriting.Net
by Michael R. Smith, Ph.D.

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Write it in plain English
Philosophy of the text
Overview of this text
Navigating the text

Chapter 1: The chocolate-covered almond
The main idea
The interview and conflict
What’s the conflict?
The goal and news qualities
The news peg
The 5 W’s
Answering the what question
Biography of George Archibald
Writing on deadline leans on 5 W’s and a passion for news
Interview with George Archibald
Rookies and prose: Words to master
Editing symbols to master
Try your hand at using editing symbols
A final word on conflict
Summary

Articles by George Archibald
“ Figure important to conservatives”
“Lynne Cheney touts books for children”
“Sidebar on Cheney’s suggested reading list”

Article by Michael R. Smith
“A couple of cutups in Central Pennsylvania”

Chapter 2: Getting started and mastering the lead
The concept of NEWS
What’s new?
Leads
Summary leads
Who-did-what lead
Examples from new writers
Biography of James Watkins
Watkins crosses over from journalism to literature
Interview with James Watkins
Fiction for a juvenile audience
Humor column
Summary

Articles by James Watkins
“LaOtto streets to be repaired next summer”
“ Exaggeration, hyperbole and just plain lies”
“A totally useless column on totally useless web sites”

Chapter 3: Free the writing spirit
Free writing
Variation on the summary lead
Word play and creative leads
Imperative leads
The question lead
Putting the creative lead to work
The lead as a springboard
Rookies and prose: Words to master
Practice exercise using the creative lead
Here’s a synthesis of three student stories
Here’s your crash course in writing a lead
Journaling
Biography of Georgia Shaffer
Interview with Georgia Shaffer
Summary

Article by Georgia Shaffer
“ A gift of mourning glories, eliminating
the ‘someday. . .’ and ‘if only. . .’”

Chapter 4: Developing the article and more
Raw material
Fact arrangement
The strategy
Quotation as an organizing device
Some considerations with the quotation
Equal facts
Detecting the hard news edge
Chronological development
Anecdotal development
Word association
An unadorned statement
Word play
Color
When you’re stuck
The formula
Feature stories as short stories
Biography of Dennis Hensley
Interview with Dennis Hensley
Rookies and prose: Words to master
Developing the story: An example
Time management as Swiss cheese
Summary

Articles by Michael R. Smith
“Bible reading ends years after ban.”
“Congressman expresses faith on the job”

Article by Dennis Hensley
“A long way from home, a short story”

Chapter 5: Interviews that work
Don’t impress your new friend
The interview goal
Control within flexibility
Do your homework
Make a list
Formulating questions and recording answers
Complicated material
Silence
Appointments
The notebook method
Difficult interviews
Questions and approach
Off the record and background
Privacy
Seven steps to the interview
Biography of Jeffery L. Sheler
Interview with Jeffery L. Sheler
Jeffery L. Sheler’s tips for writers
Summary

Article by Michael R. Smith
“Holy Land tourism plunges: Visits to Israel fall
45 percent as violence escalates”

Chapter 6: Sell it first, sell yourself
Sell it first, and then write it
Steps to selling an article the old-fashioned way
Road trips
Submitting the article
Your rights
Taxes and expenses
Habits that lead to sales
Mentors
Writing groups
Biography of Cecil “Cec” Murphey
Interview with Cecil Murphey
Writers’ conferences
Making friends at conferences
Internships
A columnist on making the sale
Biography of Jill Darling
Interview with Jill Darling
Summary

Article by Cecil Murphey
“ Struggling to Forgive”

Article by Jill Darling
“ Dads on duty help reduce school violence”

Chapter 7: The ethical picture
Rules for quoting sources
Trust in the media
Gonzo reporting
Problem areas
Conflicts of interest
Contests
Case study
Rabbi-turned-evangelist provokes questions
The SPJ Code of Ethics
Biography of Holly G. Miller
Interview of Holly G. Miller
Summary

Article by Holly G. Miller
“Peter Island offers comfort and a taste of adventure” 170

Chapter 8: Using the Internet
Terms
Browsers and operating systems
Searching the Internet
Evaluate
General Internet search tools
Business and finance
Government
Law
Experts in general
Trust and verify
Full-text articles and e-books
Books and references
Journalism Web sites
Political information
Reporting
Writer web sites
Sources of a general nature
Scams, urban legends and the paranormal
U.S. Census information
Investigations
Public opinion polls
Electronic databases
Associations
My top 10
Netward
Biography of Julia Duin
Interview with Julia Duin
Biography of Terry Mattingly
Interview with Terry Mattingly
Summary

Article by Julia Duin
“Hillary given ‘pink slip’ for stance on Iraq war”

Article by Terry Mattingly
“Ten years of reporting on a fault line”

Chapter 9: Eight habits of highly effective photographers
Habit 1: Move in
Habit 2: Monitor the background and foreground
Beware of busy backgrounds and foregrounds
Habit 3: Look at shapes and lines
Habit 4: Look for the Z pattern or the S pattern
Habit 5: Look for contrasts – winner-loser, big-small, light-dark
Habit 6: Use the rule of thirds
Habit 7: Look for repeated patterns
Habit 8: Saturate the scene with a variety of shots
Test yourself
Biography of Eva Marie Everson
Interview with Eva Marie Everson
Cutlines
Summary

Photos by Eva Marie Everson
Israel photo #1
Israel photo #2

Article by Eva Marie Everson
“Falling into the Bible: Mary’s well”

Chapter 10: SHOP talk for writers
The approach
Selection
One man’s love for a one-room school
History
Observation
Perspective
Biography of Wes Pippert
Interview with Wes Pippert
Biography of John Carpenter
Interview with John Carpenter
Student story
Summary

Article by Wesley G. Pippert
“Lifestyle in flux on Israel’s kibbutzim”

Article by John B. Carpenter
“Teddy Roosevelt may have had some encouragement with his rough ride”

Article by Hanna Wadefalk
“Collegians recount how they handle homesickness”

Chapter 11: The ABCs of timeless ideas for feature articles
A – A day in the life of. . . ; Allergies; Arm wrestling
B – Best; Bus and rail system
C – Cemeteries; Children, classrooms and conflict . . .
D – December graduates; Dirty work; Driving test . . .
E – Engagements. . . ; Entertainment on the cheap . . .
F – Facials; Family woes; Father’s Day. . .
G – Gingerbread house; Golf
H – Heroes; Historical figures; Hi-tech fitness
I – Investigate standing features; Ice cream; Inventions
J – Jail; Jewelry
K – Kindergarten; Kite
L – Llama; Locksmith
M – Meeting notices; Mother’s Day
N – Names; Night life; Not favorite
O – Oscars; Opera
P – Paralysis; Parents without Partners; Pets . . .
Q – Quiche; Quilt
R – Recipes; Recollections; Recreation. . .
S – School; Singing telegrams; Single . . .
T – Teenager news; Theater; Tomato; Tourism . . .
U – Umbrella; Ushers
V – Valentine’s Day; Vintage clothing
W – Water slides; White collar messes; White meat . . .
XYZ – X marks the spot; Xylophone . . .
Biography of Bill Newcott
Interview with Bill Newcott
Biography of Marita Littauer
Interview with Marita Littauer
Summary

Article by Bill Newcott
“Take a three-day tour of South Dakota and the West”

Article by Marita Littauer
“Putting power in your presentations”

About the Author
Index