Description
Using experience-driven advice and compelling articles from scores of newspaper, magazine and online writers, Feature Writing shows how award-winning journalists achieve excellence and national recognition.
The Seventh Edition helps the reader cultivate vital journalistic skills through detailed coverage on creating and refining article ideas, conducting research and interviews, writing, and navigating legal and ethical questions. World-class writing examples from Pulitzer Prize feature writers, extensive updates, and timely tips from some of America's best feature writers have made this the premier book in its field for more than three decades.
Features
- Combines clear explanations of each step in the writing process with a wide range of stories from some of the country's best newspaper, magazine and online feature writers.
- Accompanies every writing example with a careful analysis of the author's writing technique.
- Provides biographies of award-winning journalists and case history comments and writing tips from the writers themselves.
- Includes coverage of the libel and privacy laws and ethical considerations important to every potential newspaper and magazine writer in search of true excellence.
New to this Edition
An increased emphasis on online feature writing includes a thoroughly revised examination of Internet-assisted research and looks at the burgeoning new market for freelance writers—Internet writing.
Includes biographies of three new Pulitzer winners for feature writing—Andrea Elliott of The New York Times (2007), Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post Magazine (2008 and 2010), the only two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, and Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times (2009)—in Chapter 1. Examines a new Pulitzer Prize–winning multimedia feature article by Weingarten in Chapter 2. As with all writing examples in this book, articles and excerpts are accompanied by a careful analysis of the authors’ writing techniques. Adds invaluable case-history comments and writing aids from several new Pulitzer winners—Lane DeGregory, in particular—in Chapters 5 and 6. Expands discussion about the multimedia journalism potential for the three Pulitzer Prize–winning stories featured in Chapter 7, as well as an exploration of the multimedia used to present the 2006 Pulitzer Prize–winning feature story.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER one
The Newspaper Feature Story
The Feature: Helen’s Story
An Overview
Newspaper Feature Story Types: News and Timeless Features
Categories and Appeals
Newspaper Feature Writers: The Right Stuff
A Profile of the Pulitzer Winners
The Anatomy of a Newspaper Feature Story
“Mrs. Kelly’s Monster”
by Jon Franklin of the Baltimore Evening Sun
A Pulitzer Prize Winner
The Future: Trends in Newspaper Feature Writing
CHAPTER TWO
The Newspaper Feature Story Idea
What Newspaper Readers Want to Read
How to Get Ideas
Focusing Ideas
Ideas That Didn’t Work
Ideas That Worked
“Life on the Land: An American Farm Family”
“Life on the Land: An American Farm Family”
by John Camp of the St. Paul Pioneer Press
A Pulitzer Prize Winner
“Pearls Before Breakfast”
“PEARLS BEFORE BREAKFAST”
by Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post Magazine
A Pulitzer Prize Winner
CHAPTER Three
The Magazine Article and Article Idea
How a Magazine Article Differs from a Newspaper Feature
Staff Writer Versus Freelancer
Three Necessary Skills for the Freelance Writer
Stalking the Elusive Article Idea
Matching Ideas to Markets
“Like Something the Lord Made”
by Katie McCabe for The Washingtonian
A National Magazine Award Winner
“Death of a Playmate”
by Teresa Carpenter for The Village Voice
A Pulitzer Prize Winner
Taking the Next Step
CHAPTER four
Researching for Newspaper Feature Stories and Magazine Articles
Newspaper Reference Rooms AND COMPUTER FILES
Magazine Reference Resources
Computerized Research
Using Search Engines and Directories
WRITING FOR THE INTERNET
On the Decline of Print Journalism
Freelancing for the Internet
Turning Research into the Finished Article
“WHERE BUSINESS TRAVELERS LIVE”
by Joe Brancatelli
“WHy we hate the airlines and lobve diet coke”
by Joe Brancatelli
CHAPTER five
Interviewing for Newspaper Feature Stories and Magazine Articles
Kinds of Interviews
Getting Ready to Interview
Who to Interview
Asking for the Interview
Persuading People Who Don’t Want to Talk
When and Where to Interview
Researching the Interviewee
Conducting the Personal Interview
Making Friends
Asking Questions
Attribution Guidelines
Gathering Material
Fixing Quotes
Description
Excerpt from “The Boy Behind the Mask”
by Tom Hallman Jr. of The Oregonian
A Pulitzer Prize Winner
Excerpt from “Crossing Over”
by J. R. Moehringer of The Los Angeles Times
A Pulitzer Prize Winner
Closing the Session
The Interview Story
“Zepp’s Last Stand”
by Madeleine Blais of The Miami Herald
A Pulitzer Prize Winner
CHAPTER six
Writing the Newspaper Feature Story
Beginning the Process
Story Structure
Writing the Lead
A Dozen Lead Categories
Excerpt from “Angels and Demons”
by Tom French of the St. Petersburg Times
A Pulitzer Prize Winner
Excerpt from “How Super Are Our Supercarriers?R
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