Preliminary Feature Writing (Part 1)

 

Greetings !

Today, I'm going to be practicing writing feature lead stories to perfect my writing skills when its time to showcase my feature story for my magazine. 

Background Information:

Feature Writing tells the reader a story. It has a beginning (lead), middle, and end. It uses quotes liberally and allows the reader to see the story through detailed description and vivid writing. 

A lead story features the main opening of the magazine that can grasp the audiences attention. There are different types of leads, which include : Narrative, Twist, Direct Quote, Contrast and Compare, Descriptive, Startling Statement.

A lead includes:

- can be longer than one sentence

- has to grab the readers' attention

- should contain main components of your topic

- clichés should not be included

- the mood or tone should fit the story

- no first or second person, only third person !

Practice Example:

Story: A study at the University of Michigan shatters some myths. The results were announced today. Women have a reputation for gossiping and talking, yet the study found the reputation is undeserved. The study, which required researchers to observe a number of people at work, found that women work both longer and harder than men, that men spend more time goofing off on the job. The study found that the average employed man spends 52 minutes, or 11 percent of each working day, not working: in scheduled coffee breaks, unscheduled rest breaks, at lunch beyond the normal hour and so forth. These average working woman spends only 35 minutes, or 8 percent of her working day, in such scheduled or unscheduled rest breaks. The same study found that the amount of effort expended by women at work is 112 percent that of men. The discrepancy is more dramatic that the statistics indicate because men earn more than woman for the same type of work.   

 Type of Story:

  Narrative

 Feature Lead Story:

The workplace regarding women and men performances has been surveyed by the University of Michigan. Because of society's misapprehension against women and the belief that they spend more time gossiping and goofing off has been proving false. The study objected against the myth that women don't work as hard, instead it has shown that they show 112 percent more effort at work than men. Within this study, it has proven that even with same or more effort provided by women, they receive a lesser pay than men. 

That's All For Now !

Reference:

http://www.turnerdixon.com/uploads/2/2/1/3/22132664/feature-overview_1.pdf