CJ- Feature Writing

8/22/2019 CJ- Feature Writing

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Objectives:

1.Entertain (primary)

2.Instruct or advise3.Inform

4. Relate to man’s inner

feelings



1. Human interest2. Mood

3. Atmosphere4. Emotion

5. Irony6. Humor



1. Color2. Nuance (slight variation, good from

bad)

3. Wit (good sense)4. Humor

5. Emotive words

6. Dialogue7. Anecdotes



1.free-wheeling

2.imaginative



1. A feature story is not anews story written in

inverted pyramid.2. A feature story is not afiction story..

3. A feature story is based onFACTS



Comparison News Editorial Feature

1. Definition Report an event Interpretationof an event

An essay basedon facts

2.Main purpose To inform To interpret To entertain

3. Timeliness Timely Timely Timely

4. Length Short Around 300words

Depends uponthe needs




5. Use of words Simple, precise,concrete

Simple,forceful, direct

May bedescriptive,flowery,colorful

6. Use of sentences Short, simple,15-25 wordsaverage

May be longer May be longer

7.Paragraph One-idea, one

sentenceNo topicsentence

With topic

sentence

With topic

sentence,longer

8. Use of literarydevices

Journalistic, noidioms, figures of speech

Journalistic,direct to thepoint

Literary, idioms,figures of speechused freely




9. Use of

adjectives/Opinion

Adjectives-

sparingly,Opinion-no

Adjectives used

freely, primarilyopinion

As much as

desired

10. parts Lead, body Intro., body,conclusion

Intro., body,ending

11.Style Follows stylesheet

Follows stylesheet

Composition style

12. Structure Inverted pyramid Hypothesis,

arguments, standon issue,conclusion

Suspended

interest orpyramid structure

13. Title /Headline

ShortSubject-verb

Shorter, at least3 words

Any length as longas its appealing



1. Creativity- can use imagination toenhance the readability of the story.

2. Subjectivity- can be written in firstperson.

3. Informative-

4. Entertainment-a welcome break inthe monopoly of nerve-chilling news.

5. Unperishability-rarely sufferdeadline. The quality of the articlecan be improve to the maximum.



1. Personalities- sometimes calleda character sketch

- a student leader-a successful alumnus-a teacher

-a school staff member- an industrious janitor



2. experience and adventure- science camp

-workshop, seminar-Feasibility studies-field trips

-socials- putting out of a newsette



3. description-be factual and original

-use simple and concretewords



4. Narratives- an old person may be

asked to narrate how thedistrict got its name or howthe olden days people

fished or washed clothes ina polluted estero nearby.



5. backgrounders-

articles that explain the history orthe background of a certain event.

Ex. A model platoon of a certainschool wins first place in a districtcompetition. A feature story about

the organization of the pioneerplatoon is a backgrounder.



6. developmental feature articles--national, social, economic andeducational programs

-social action, food production,fight against dope addiction,criminality, implementation of

Clean and Green drives, andother community services.



7. What to do and how todo articles

-what to do duringearthquakes, typhoons,

emergencies



1. Rhetorical QuestionWho says that age is an obstacle to

education?

Take it from Danilo Marcelo of Arayat,Pampanga who stopped going toschool seven years ago after finishingelementary grades. This year, at 24, heenrolled as a first year evening studentat Abada High School.



2. Startling Statement“Hindi pa kami laos!Thus exclaimed the young once

teachers, administrators, parents,community and barangay membersas they set aside one special dayduring the school’s celebration of Community Week to have a share of

the festivities, and of course todisplay their hidden talents.



3. Narrative OpeningMrs. Adelfa Prado, a fourth year

evening student, sends herself and

her six children to school, acting asmother and father at the same time.Every day, Mrs. Prado divides her

time as half-time tindera tending her

sarisari store during the day and ashalf-time student studying at night



4. Quoted Remarks“I earn while I learn.” He smiled

at me as the interview reeled off.

“How can you work, have a parttime job, and at same time go toschool?” I asked. “Well, it is easy,”

he explained. “I don’t do all of these at the same time.”



5. An old maxim, an aphorism, or asalawikain

“Water, water, everywhere, but not

a drop to drink.” This quotation from the Rime of theAncient Mariner by Samuel Coleridgedoes not hold true any more. Today,

even flood water can quench thethirst. How?



6. History or background of the subjectMuslims throughout the world,

including our Filipino Muslim

brothers, observe the holy month of Ramadan starting Sept.17. Ramadanis the ninth lunar month of theMuslim calendar. It is observed by

Muslims just as the Lenten Season iscommemorated by Christians.



7. Problems to be discussed inthe article or fact to be

established.There is an answer to therising cost of vegetables:

raise your own.



The body of the feature isdeveloped in the same way

as any good piece of writing. It should haveunity, coherence, andemphasis



The paragraphs are shorterthan those of literary short

stories or novels but longerthan paragraphs in the newsstory. It must hold the

interest captured by the lead.



A central theme is carriedthroughout the article,

eliminating all materials notclosely connected with it.



The body presents all thedetails necessary,

expanding on ideas muchalong the lines of the newsstory.



The body makes use of colorful descriptions,

quotations, figures of speech,statistics, interviews, idiomaticexpressions, incidents,

analogies and humor if appropriate.



1. A summary of the whole articleTake it from the experts.

Smoking is definitely harmful tohealth. Smoking may make youfeel manly, but you may not livelong enough to be one.



2. An announcement of the main point for the firsttime.

Therefore, a major part of thedevelopment communication effort

should be directed at strengtheningthe character of the people, anddeveloping in them moral values,particularly self-discipline, self-reliance, strength of character, andfortitude.



3. A question left in the reader’s mind The hands of the Filipino toil

for the love of creation. They

turn the wheels of progress andhold high the torch of freedom-freedom from want and hunger.

Do you have these kinds of hands?



4. Suggested results or significance

Let us conserve our forestsnow if we want to save the

future of our country and ourchildren.



5. A forecast or prophecyIn six and a half centuries fromnow, if population explosionwould not be checked, there

would be one person standingon every square foot of land onearth. By that time, people wouldbe devouring one another, for

there would be no more space orplants to grow.



6. A repetition of the introductionAsked if he had any formal training

in photography, Domingo Layson

finally answered, “ah, it is now thereverse. It is here where I learn as Iearn, not I earn as I learn.” (The leadof the feature article is, “ I learn whileI earn.”)



7. A repetition of a sentence or slogan, or areference to the title.

After four years of working as ahouseboy, working during the day

and going to school at night, JoseFallar will soon graduate as a firsthonor student.

Now, who says that poverty is ahindrance to education?



8. An appropriate quotationNestor claims that he is poor. But when

asked why he gave his last centavo to theold man, he answered:

“ Not what we give, but what we share For the gift, without the giver is bare,Who gives himself with his alms feedsthree

Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.”



1. Should be based on facts and reality to

build credibility.2. Enliven with relevant anecdotes or

episodes.

3. If personal experience, use the firstperson “I”. “You” can also be used to letthe readers relate to the story.

4. Use quotations.

5. Make your ideas concrete by usingimagery or figures of speech that thereaders will understand.



6. Avoid “highbrow” language. 7. Keep your paragraphs short and snappy.

8. The most important parts of the feature arethe opening and closing paragraphs. Put alinkage between the two.

9. Make sure the feature article containsdramatic quality



Model

Mayor Jose Ramos of Lapu-lapu Cityencountered an old-timer from San Francisco,

California at the Domestic Airport in Manila.

Ramon Sanchez asked how he couldgo to Surigao to visit his relatives he left 30years ago. He had returned to the Philippinesas a Balikbayan.



`The mayor volunteered to help him bytaking him first to Lapu-lapu City. Giving theold man P300 and a chaperon from his office,he then made arrangements for the old man’sflight to Surigao.

At this point, the balikbayan confessedthat he was not that poor. He gave the mayor$5,000, and all of the mayor’s staff $ 20each.

The old man said he was happy to knowthat it is not true that Filipinos have lost theirhospitality in 30 years.



Exercises

1. Write an informative featureto bring out the versatility of

the bamboo. Strive for a light,racy style. Think of a catchy

title to catch your veryinteresting feature



2. Write a feature story onyour hobby, or someone

else’s hobby. IncludeInteresting descriptivematter.



3. Write a human interest story from thefollowing facts:

The dog’s name is Pogi. It’s anordinary dog owned by a barber who

keeps chickens. The dog was fond of eggs. The barber saw him eatingeggs. He took the dog in a car and

drove ten kilometers away. Then hetook out the dog out of the car anddrove him away with stones.



While throwing stones at the doghe lost his wallet. He did not discoverthe fact till he got home. He heard a

whine at the door next morning. Therewas the dog with the wallet in hismouth. The man was surprised at first.Then he was happy. He spoke kindlyto the dog and decided to keep him.

Documents

CJ- Feature Writing