How to Get a Headstart in Writing Feature Articles
It is fun to write feature articles. In this kind of writing, you don’t have to be so serious with the words that you are going to use in your content. This is more on the creative side of a writer. For somehow, you need to be very imaginative with this literature.
Although you need also to stick with facts like news and editorials if we talk about writing in a newspaper, still feature writing has a bigger difference as it use descriptive words to make it more entertaining and interesting.
Usually, feature article writing is very common in writing for school publications. At least in this stage, students are taught on how to write a feature article and how to make it worth reading if you are going to make one. Aside from that, they are also taught on how to proofread their work. As a result, more and more students are capable of writing feature articles.
Let us take a short review on how to write effective feature articles and apply it into your own writing.
What’s the difference between a feature article and a regular piece in a national publication? For the most part, features tend to give more writers room to innovate and use their creativity. That’s why originality, as a component of feature writing, can’t be stressed frequently enough.
Looking to build a career writing magazine and newspaper features? Try to draw from these following tips if you want to get it started on the right track.
1. Keep a repository for your ideas.
Feature writers live and die with their ideas. A brilliant one, after all, can jumpstart a career. Don’t let passing ideas begin to take shape, only to forget about them the very next day.
2. Learn to perform thorough research.
Poor, incomplete research can lead to so many things going wrong. Think about it – from an inadequate background story to missing details to poor supporting arguments, it could make for a disastrous feature piece.
3. Learn to hook the reader from the start.
Magazines and other periodicals typically have dozens of stories every issue. You’re literally competing for the reader’s attention as they set aside 15 minutes in the bathroom to read before taking a shower. The best way to get yourself at the top of the pile is to hook them early, with an attention-grabbing title, a killer heading and a first paragraph that’s easy to digest.
4. Learn to tell a good story.
A feature is all about crafting a good story. As such, you should learn to take advantage of fiction techniques to get your topics across, all while staying true to your research.
5. Learn to work fast.
It’s unfortunate, but we do live in an exceptionally fast-paced world. If you take too long, you can find yourself losing opportunities. Teach yourself to work faster by streamlining your processes (hint: learn to outline and draft), automating what you can (another hint: writing and proofreading tools) and trusting your instincts.
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Category: Writing
Keywords: feature articles, features