FEATURES

Features are written to entertain, to inform and to educate. The writer lets the movements and remarks of the personalities convey the story. The writer also has more freedom in style and in the presentation of his materials, and as a result, it makes the writing more enjoyable and reading more interesting.

Features usually begin with a delayed lead-an incident or anecdote that illuminates the point of the feature. The body contains additional incidents, many quotes and the news peg. The ending may summarize the piece or provide a climax.

According to Jules Loh, an AP feature writer, “The difference between the news and features is that the news writer tells you the bridge fell in and how many cars fell off. The feature writer tells you what it was like to have been there: ‘When Joe Smith began to walk across the bridge, it began to tremble, and he grabbed the railing’- that sort of details.”

CHARACTERISTICS

The writer has the freedom to choose his own topic may it be retro hairstyling, new fashion apparels, endangered species. Any topic will do as long as it is under the sun

Features should make the readers feel as if they’re part of the story. The readers can relate in the story. Features may either timely or not. There are feature which can be used any time. The structure of the feature should be vibrant throughout the story. Features can greatly affect the feelings of the readers. The writer can evoke the readers to feel the thrill, the suspense,

the excitement. The writer has the chance to be creative and imagination runs through the story.

TYPES OF FEATURESA. Human Interest -A type of feature story that deals with the experiences of another person involved.

According to M.K. Joseph, human interest stories are those which present a bit of life’s fabric rather than record the news.

E.g. Time Capsule: St. Petersburg, 1925

Before the Wallenda family took flight, forming human pyramids high above the ground, crossing tightropes strung between skyscrapers and traversing the Grand Canyon, there was the Human Fly. A swarm of them, actually: daredevils who traveled around gaining fame, though not necessarily fortune, climbing tall buildings freehand, with no special equipment. Just strong fingers and a whole lot of nerve.

Born in 1871, Harry Gardiner was dubbed the Human Fly around 1905 by President Grover Cleveland, who saw him scale the 159-foot flagpole at Grant's Tomb in New York. Hard to believe, but he had trouble convincing anyone to sell him life insurance; he at last secured a policy, swinging into an open window to sign the papers while scaling the Bank of Hamilton building in Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 11, 1918, to celebrate the end of World War I.

The preeminent of the Human Flies, Gardiner was sometimes hired to climb as a promotional stunt; other times he climbed to raise money for charity. Gardiner is said to have climbed more than 700 buildings in his

career, and news reports show him climbing until at least age 59.

On Feb. 22, 1925, the buzz came to St. Petersburg, where he scaled the wall of the Princess Martha hotel to benefit the local American Legion post. The stunt went off without a hitch — maybe because he'd gotten all his falling out of the way earlier that morning, when he tripped crossing the street, injuring his hands and knee, and stubbing his toe. (tampabay, 2013)

B. Profile- A type of feature story that deals with an individual’s lifestyle, so that the readers can keep track, and updated, and to know well of the said persona.

E.g. Paris Hilton (an excerpt from Paris Hilton: End of an Era?)

Paris Hilton's constant presence in headlines on both

sides of the pond has earned the hotel heiress quite a

reputation. But despite having initially been dismissed as

the 'flavour of the month' by detractors, the svelte

millionairess has proved a force to be reckoned with.

Her first claim to fame is, of course, her family. Born in New York on February 17, 1981, Paris is the great grand-daughter of legendary hotelier Conrad Hilton, making her the closest thing America has to royalty. And with homes in Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria, Beverly Hills and the Hamptons, the blonde bombshell is certainly not afraid to make use of her considerable wealth.

Paris is also proving that, in stark contrast to the charge she is famous only for being famous; she has many strings to her bow. Having made her mark as a catwalk model, she has turned her hand to writing and jewelry design as well as perfume creation. She has even trademarked her famous quip "That's hot!". Underneath the ditsy facade lies a determined businesswoman. "I thought it was cute to play a dumb blonde," she explained in 2005. "On TV, I do it because it's funny. I consider myself a businesswoman and a brand."

It was TV that transformed her from a ubiquitous socialite to a bona fide star. Reality show The Simple Life, in which she and fellow It-girl Nicole Richie traded A-list parties for slopping out pigs and milking cows on a farm, was a huge hit. Indeed American viewers were so gripped by Paris' efforts to prove she didn't mind getting her Jimmy Choos dirty, that several series followed.

The growing fascination with her adventures was confirmed when, in a head-to-head ratings battle, the show beat a live interview with President Bush. A steady stream of seductive photo shoots in publications like Maxim and FHM have also helped buoy her celebrity, while cameo appearances in such films as Zoolander and Raising Helen have likewise played their part.

Another production was somewhat less sophisticated. An explicit home video of a weekend she spent in the Beverly Hills Hotel with former lover Rick Salomon spawned three law suits and a frenzy of media attention in the first half of 2004.

In addition to Rick, she has also dated Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter and been linked to actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Furlong, as well as boxing champ Oscar de la Hoya. Then, in May 2005, after a courtship of just five months, shipping heir Paris Lats is popped the question.

The engagement was short-lived, however, with Paris calling off the wedding after five months. "I feel I'm just not ready for marriage," she explained. "I have seen the break-ups between people who love each other and rush into getting married too quickly. I don't want to make that mistake." Since the split Paris has enjoyed an on-off relationship with anything shipping heir - Stavros Niarchos.

In 2004 'Brand Paris' expanded again when she set up her own Heiress records label, leading in August 2006 to the launch of the label's first disc - her eponymously -titled album Paris. The album's first single Stars Are Blind delivered a summertime hit and plenty of airplay for the reality show star. "I have always had a voice and always known I could sing, but I was too shy to let it out," she says. "When I finally let go and did it, I realized it is what I am most talented at and what I love to do the most."

However, controversy followed not long after. In May 2007, after numerous brushes with the law over driving incidents, Paris was sentenced to 45 days in a detention center. She began her term in June but because of good behavior was released after just 22 days - and claimed to be a changed woman. "I have a new outlook on life," she declared in an interview with US TV host Larry King. "In a way, I'm really glad this happened, because it changed my life forever," she admitted in another interview, and, revealing she wanted to start to use her fame in a "good" way, she set about dedicating her time to charity work. (Romano, 2011)

C. How-to- A type of feature story that tells about the procedures or what to do things.

E.g. How to Get a Flatter Tummy Almost Instantly

Avoid these belly bloaters for fast results

Sure, eating three helpings of pie won’t do your waistline any favors—but neither will eating three helpings of broccoli. Here’s why: Certain foods are known bloat offenders, which means they’ll increase puffiness and make you appear heavier than you are, says Stephanie Middleberg, R.D., of Stephanie Middleberg Nutrition in New York City. These are the four food items to watch out for the most:

Cruciferous VegetablesBroccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale—this season’s trendiest greens are also the biggest stomach puffers, thanks to their high fiber content. Enjoy a small serving since they’re so healthy and filling—but stop after that, particularly if you’re trying to fit into a tiny holiday party dress later.

Salty Processed ProductsA handful of chips, a serving of canned soup, cold cuts…

if you got it from a bag or a box, it’s probably loaded with salt, which causes you to retain water and resemble a blowfish. Steer clear of these offenders as much as possible so as not to exacerbate bloating.

SodaThose bubbles that make soda so refreshing? When you swallow them, you’re basically swallowing air, which finds its way to your stomach and abs and causes temporary muffin top. Stick with water to avoid developing a food baby (or should we be calling it a soda baby?).

Artificial Sweeteners and Diet FoodsGenerally speaking, your body doesn’t agree with fake food products—and these in particular can leave you feeling gassy and puffy. Problem foods and ingredients include sugar-free gum, sucralose, aspartame, frozen yogurt, and any product that has lots of unrecognizable items on its label. Indulge in the real stuff—it tastes better, and so long as you consume it in moderation (and as part of a healthy diet), it shouldn’t affect your waistline.(Crain, 2013)

D. Historical- A type of feature that honors the significant dates in the history or the turning points in our civilization.

E.g. Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses

Martin Luther (1483-1546) is rightly regarded as the founder of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation - the religious, political, cultural and social revolution that broke the hold of the Catholic Church over Europe. Luther was born in Eisleben in eastern Germany in 1483. Though in later accounts of himself he liked to dwell on the lowliness of his origins, in point of

fact his father had made good in the mining industry, while his mother was from a professional bourgeois background.

Historians today tend to be skeptical about claims made some years ago by the psychoanalyst Erik Erikson to the effect that the young Luther was haunted by a

psychological collision with his parents, especially with his formidable father, and that he later transposed that conflict on to the fear of God’s judgement that was to haunt him as a monk. What is sure, though, is that the young Luther had to stand up for himself to defy his father, who wanted him to train for the legal profession, and assert his own desire to seek his everlasting salvation. In 1505, with that aim in mind, he got his own way when he entered the monastery, in Erfurt in Saxony, of the Augustinian Eremites, a strict order noted for its academic interests and pastoral concerns.

He was ordained priest in 1507 and proceeded to take up the academic focus of his order, becoming doctor of Sacred Scripture in 1512 and, at the same time, assuming a professorship of the bible at the newly founded University of Wittenberg in the Electorate of Saxony. Meanwhile, Luther’s monastic years were haunted by a dark shadow of acute anxiety as he sought, without any sense of success, to win God’s favour and forgiveness for his (largely imagined) sins through many acts of self-mortification.

Yet in lectures on Scripture texts, the Psalms of the Old Testament and the Epistle of St Paul to the Romans in the New, Luther gradually found assurance that sinners won acceptance from God the Father - were ‘justified’ - not actively, through their good deeds, but passively and simply by faith that Christ had died on the Cross to save them. However, by his own testimony, it may have been some years, perhaps not until as late as 1519, that he actually appropriated those insights fully to his own condition. In the midst of that process, in 1517, came the 95 Theses against Indulgences, a document showing that Luther’s practical appropriation of ‘justification by faith

alone’ was far from fully formed at that point in time and that, although Luther disparaged papal indulgences as media of final forgiveness of sins, he was still placing considerable onus on the responsibility of the individual to secure remission of sins through contrition for them.

In the years to come, the breach that the 95 Theses opened up with the papacy by challenging its claimed divinely-endowed power to pardon widened inexorably, leading to Luther’s excommunication in 1520 and his outlawry as an impenitent heretic at the Diet (German parliament) in 1521. In the same year, in the most dangerous passage of his life, Luther secured protection and a safe hiding place from the ruler of Saxony, the Elector Frederick the Wise. In the years to come, following Frederick’s death in 1525 , Luther resettled as professor at Wittenberg (and a married family man from 1525) and became the builder of the Lutheran Protestant Reformation. Its church structures were to be incorporated in the ‘Instructions for the Visitors of Parish Pastors in Electoral Saxony’ of 1528 and its doctrines were formulated in the Augsburg Confession of 1530.

Martin Luther is a figure of titanic greatness in the history of religion, a man of insurmountable courage, a writer and preacher of vast output and great depth, with the most powerful sense of the immediacy of the divine. His character was marred by intense violence of emotion and language against all who disagreed with his religious views and he manifested rising bigotry against the Jewish people; he could be opportunistic and full of duplicity in advancing his cause. For good or ill, as both destructive revolutionary and patient builder, Luther’s place in the history of Europe is assured. (Mullett, 2003)

E. Seasonal- A type of feature that only appears in a specific time of the year. It usualy appear in holidays and seasons.

E.g. The Christmas Truce

You are standing up to your knees in the slime of a waterlogged trench.  It is the evening of 24 December 1914 and you are on the dreaded Western Front.

Stooped over, you wade across to the firing step and take over the watch.  Having exchanged pleasantries, your bleary-eyed and mud-spattered colleague shuffles off towards his dug out.  Despite the horrors and the hardships, your morale is high and you believe that in the New Year the nation's army march towards a glorious victory.

But for now you stamp your feet in a vain attempt to keep warm.  All is quiet when jovial voices call out from both friendly and enemy trenches.  Then the men from both sides start singing carols and songs.  Next come

requests not to fire, and soon the unthinkable happens: you start to see the shadowy shapes of soldiers gathering together in no-man's land laughing, joking and sharing gifts.

Many have exchanged cigarettes, the lit ends of which burn brightly in the inky darkness.  Plucking up your courage, you haul yourself up and out of the trench and walk towards the foe...

The meeting of enemies as friends in no-man's land was experienced by hundreds, if not thousands, of men on the Western Front during Christmas 1914.  Today, 90 years after it occurred, the event is seen as a shining episode of sanity from among the bloody chapters of World War One - a spontaneous effort by the lower ranks to create a peace that could have blossomed were it not for the interference of generals and politicians.

The reality of the Christmas Truce, however, is a slightly less romantic and a more down to earth story.  It was an organic affair that in some spots hardly registered a mention and in others left a profound impact upon those who took part.

Many accounts were rushed, confused or contradictory.  Others, written long after the event, are weighed down by hindsight.  These difficulties aside, the true story is still striking precisely because of its rag-tagged nature: it is more 'human' and therefore all the more potent.

Months beforehand, millions of servicemen, reservists and volunteers from all over the continent had rushed enthusiastically to the banners of war: the atmosphere was one of holiday rather than conflict.

But it was not long before the jovial façade was torn away. Armies equipped with repeating rifles, machine guns and a vast array of artillery tore chunks out of each other, and thousands upon thousands of men perished.

To protect against the threat of this vast firepower, the soldiers were ordered to dig in and prepare for next year's offensives, which most men believed would break the deadlock and deliver victory.

The early trenches were often hasty creations and poorly constructed; if the trench was badly sighted it could become a sniping hot spot.  In bad weather (the winter of 1914 was a dire one) the positions could flood and fall in.  The soldiers - unequipped to face the rigours of the cold and rain - found themselves wallowing in a freezing mire of mud and the decaying bodies of the fallen.

The man at the Front could not help but have a degree of sympathy for his opponents who were having just as miserable a time as they were.

Another factor that broke down the animosity between the opposing armies were the surroundings.  In 1914 the men at the front could still see the vestiges of civilization.  Villages, although badly smashed up, were still standing.  Fields, although pitted with shell-holes, had not been turned into muddy lunarscapes.

Thus the other world - the civilian world - and the social mores and manners that went with it was still present at the front.  Also lacking was the pain, misery and hatred that years of bloody war build up.  Then there was the desire, on all sides, to see the enemy up close - was he really as bad as the politicians, papers and priests were saying?

It was a combination of these factors, and many more minor ones, that made the Christmas Truce of 1914 possible.

On the eve of the Truce, the British Army (still a relatively small presence on the Western Front) was manning a stretch of the line running south from the infamous Ypres salient for 27 miles to the La Bassee Canal.

Along the front the enemy was sometimes no more than 70, 50 or even 30 yards away.  Both Tommy and Fritz could quite easily hurl greetings and insults to one another, and, importantly, come to tacit agreements not to fire.  Incidents of temporary truces and outright fraternization were more common at this stage in the war than many people today realize - even units that had just taken part in a series of futile and costly assaults, were still willing to talk and come to arrangements with their opponents.

As Christmas approached the festive mood and the desire for a lull in the fighting increased as parcels packed with goodies from home started to arrive.  On top of this came gifts care of the state.  Tommy received plum puddings and 'Princess Mary boxes'; a metal case engraved with an outline of George V's daughter and filled with chocolates and butterscotch, cigarettes and tobacco, a picture card of Princess Mary and a facsimile of George V's greeting to the troops.  'May God protect you and bring you safe home,' it said.

Not to be outdone, Fritz received a present from the Kaiser, the Kaiserliche, a large meerschaum pipe for the troops and a box of cigars for NCOs and officers.  Towns, villages and cities, and numerous support associations on both sides also flooded the front with gifts of food, warm clothes and letters of thanks.

The Belgians and French also received goods, although not in such an organized fashion as the British or Germans.  For these nations the Christmas of 1914 was tinged with sadness - their countries were occupied.  It is no wonder that the Truce, although it sprung up in some spots on French and Belgian lines, never really caught hold as it did in the British sector.

With their morale boosted by messages of thanks and their bellies fuller than normal, and with still so much Christmas booty to hand, the season of goodwill entered the trenches.  A British Daily Telegraph correspondent wrote that on one part of the line the Germans had managed to slip a chocolate cake into British trenches.

Even more amazingly, it was accompanied with a message asking for a ceasefire later that evening so they

could celebrate the festive season and their Captain's birthday.  They proposed a concert at 7.30pm when candles, the British were told, would be placed on the parapets of their trenches.

The British accepted the invitation and offered some tobacco as a return present.  That evening, at the stated time, German heads suddenly popped up and started to sing.  Each number ended with a round of applause from both sides.

The Germans then asked the British to join in.  At this point, one very mean-spirited Tommy shouted: 'We'd rather die than sing German.'  To which a German joked aloud: 'It would kill us if you did'.

December 24 was a good day weather-wise: the rain had given way to clear skies.

On many stretches of the Front the crack of rifles and the dull thud of shells ploughing into the ground continued, but at a far lighter level than normal.  In other sectors there was an unnerving silence that was broken by the singing and shouting drifting over, in the main, from the German trenches.

Along many parts of the line the Truce was spurred on with the arrival in the German trenches of miniature Christmas trees - Tannenbaum.  The sight these small pines, decorated with candles and strung along the German parapets, captured the Tommies' imagination, as well as the men of the Indian corps who were reminded of the sacred Hindu festival of light.

It was the perfect excuse for the opponents to start shouting to one another, to start singing and, in some areas, to pluck up the courage to meet one another in no-man's land.

By now, the British high command - comfortably 'entrenched' in a luxurious châteaux 27 miles behind the front - was beginning to hear of the fraternization.

Stern orders were issued by the commander of the BEF, Sir John French against such behavior.  Other 'brass-hats' (as the Tommies nick-named their high-ranking officers and generals), also made grave pronouncements on the dangers and consequences of parleying with the Germans.

However, there were many high-ranking officers who took a surprisingly relaxed view of the situation.  If anything, they believed it would at least offer their men an opportunity to strengthen their trenches.  This mixed stance meant that very few officers and men involved in the Christmas Truce were disciplined.

Interestingly, the German High Command's ambivalent attitude towards the Truce mirrored that of the British.

Christmas day began quietly but once the sun was up the fraternization began.  Again songs were sung and rations thrown to one another.  It was not long before troops and officers started to take matters into their own hands and ventured forth.  No-man's land became something of a playground.

Men exchanged gifts and buttons.  In one or two places soldiers who had been barbers in civilian times gave free haircuts.  One German, a juggler and a showman, gave an impromptu, and given the circumstances, somewhat surreal performance of his routine in the center of no-man's land.

Captain Sir Edward Hulse of the Scots Guards, in his famous account, remembered the approach of four unarmed Germans at 08.30.  He went out to meet them with one of his ensigns.  'Their spokesmen,' Hulse wrote, 'started off by saying that he thought it only right to come over and wish us a happy Christmas, and trusted us implicitly to keep the truce.  He came from Suffolk where he had left his best girl and a 3 ½ h.p. motor-bike!'

Having raced off to file a report at headquarters, Hulse returned at 10.00 to find crowds of British soldiers and Germans out together chatting and larking about in no-man's land, in direct contradiction to his orders.

Not that Hulse seemed to care about the fraternization in itself - the need to be seen to follow orders was his concern.  Thus he sought out a German officer and arranged for both sides to return to their lines.

While this was going on he still managed to keep his ears and eyes open to the fantastic events that were unfolding.

'Scots and Huns were fraternizing in the most genuine possible manner.  Every sort of souvenir was exchanged addresses given and received, photos of families shown, etc.  One of our fellows offered a German a cigarette; the German said, "Virginian?"  Our fellow said, "Aye, straight-cut", the German said "No thanks, I only smoke Turkish!"... It gave us all a good laugh.'

Hulse's account was in part a letter to his mother, who in turn sent it on to the newspapers for publication, as was the custom at the time.  Tragically, Hulse was killed in March 1915.

On many parts of the line the Christmas Day truce was initiated through sadder means.  Both sides saw the lull as a chance to get into no-man's land and seek out the bodies of their compatriots and give them a decent burial.  Once this was done the opponents would inevitably begin talking to one another.

The 6th Gordon Highlanders, for example, organized a burial truce with the enemy.  After the gruesome task of laying friends and comrades to rest was complete, the fraternization began.

With the Truce in full swing up and down the line there were a number of recorded games of soccer, although these were really just 'kick-abouts' rather than a structured match.

On January 1, 1915, the London Times published a letter from a major in the Medical Corps reporting that in his sector the British played a game against the Germans opposite and were beaten 3-2.

Kurt Zehmisch of the 134th Saxons recorded in his diary: 'The English brought a soccer ball from the trenches, and pretty soon a lively game ensued.  How marvelously wonderful, yet how strange it was.  The English officers felt the same way about it.  Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends for a time.'

The Truce lasted all day; in places it ended that night, but on other sections of the line it held over Boxing Day and in some areas, a few days more.  In fact, there parts on the front where the absence of aggressive behavior was conspicuous well into 1915.

Captain J C Dunn, the Medical Officer in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, whose unit had fraternized and received two barrels of beer from the Saxon troops opposite, recorded how hostilities re-started on his section of the front.

Dunn wrote: 'At 8.30 I fired three shots in the air and put up a flag with "Merry Christmas" on it, and I climbed on the parapet.  He [the Germans] put up a sheet with "Thank you" on it, and the German Captain appeared on the parapet.  We both bowed and saluted and got down into our respective trenches, and he fired two shots in the air, and the War was on again.'

The war was indeed on again, for the Truce had no hope of being maintained.  Despite being wildly reported in Britain and to a lesser extent in Germany, the troops and the populations of both countries were still keen to prosecute the conflict.

Today, pragmatists read the Truce as nothing more than a 'blip' - a temporary lull induced by the season of goodwill, but willingly exploited by both sides to better their defenses and eye out one another's positions.  Romantics assert that the Truce was an effort by normal men to bring about an end to the slaughter.

In the public's mind the facts have become irrevocably mythologized, and perhaps this is the most important legacy of the Christmas Truce today.  In our age of uncertainty, it comforting to believe, regardless of the real reasoning and motives, that soldiers and officers told to hate, loathe and kill, could still lower their guns and extend the hand of goodwill, peace, love and Christmas cheer. (Blair, 2013)

F. Trend- A type of feature story that tells the reader what is up to date or what is new to the society.

E.g. Hot hair trend? In short, be yourself

I got a clue on what's hot in hair for spring by warming up with the experts from Vidal Sassoon Salon.

Judging by the chosen new styles of Hollywood's most forward-thinking celebs, like Rihanna and Michelle Williams, this spring is all about short hair. The most current trends feature blunt fringe, complementary monochromatic colors and generously cropped cuts.

The experts at Sassoon say the season's hautest hair looks are inspired by quintessential '80s style icons. But, before your mind drifts to Whitesnake videos and the Brat Pack, the look is more Linda Evangelista than Tawny Kitaen.

Envision the curvy figures, bright fabrics and individuality embodied by the supermodels of the '80s. After the Kate Moss modeling days, high fashion dictated that thin is in, but this spring, fashionistas are embracing a new motto: Waif is out, and healthy shape is back in, for both bodies and hair.

When it comes to seasonal change, the most important part of a cut, color and style is how it suits the individual. The perfect cut isn't about mimicking the latest coif to grace the cover of Vogue; it's about creating a shape that works for you.

Expert Sassoon colorist Nicole Tabloff knows that the right color for the individual is the first step towards a great look. "Some tones just don't work for some people," she says.

Luckily it's the colorist's job to make some realistic assessments for the client and come up with a look that suits all aspects of their style and personality. Tabloff insists that color choices should be based on skin tone and personality. So, even though you might lust after Jessica Simpson's perfect honey blond or Dita von Teese's daring dark locks, allow your stylist to recommend a color that won't clash with your skin tone, maintenance routine or overall style.

Blunt fringe can appear in many different lengths. From barely there to brazenly long, this is a key aspect of this season's hair trends.

Spring and summer hair styles are the best I've seen in a while — wearable, versatile and saucy. It isn't about cookie-cutter looks or single tones that fit all hairstyles. This season is all about you. Whether you keep your hair long and flowing, short and stylish or somewhere in between, embrace what works for you and let your individuality shine through.

Individuality — now there's a trend I hope to see turn classic. (Brundage, 2008)

G. Travel- A type of feature article that focuses on the sceneries and adventures that the writer experiences.

E.g. 24 Hours in Madrid

With Madrid being the biggest city in Spain, it's not only the financial hub but also world renowned for its art - you may just fall in love. Madrid has been around since the Roman Empire and there is no shortage of beautiful ancient sights to give you an insight into the city's vast history.

Breakfast at El Brillante may be chaotic, but there's no better way to start the day. Madrileños tuck in to freshly squeezed orange juice, tortillas and industrial strength coffee at this tapas bar. Don't worry about chucking used serviettes on the floor - it's part of the etiquette.

Life gets going late in Madrid, so this is the perfect, peaceful time to explore this busy commuter railway station and its unusually located lush tropical garden. Grab a bottle of water and luxuriate amidst the 500 different botanical species.

Madrid boasts three of the world's finest art galleries (the other two being Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofia), all within a stone's throw of one another, and the Prado

is the jewel in the crown. All your Goya, Velázquez and El Greco needs will be sated between these four walls.

Once a dodgy part of town, now one of the city's coolest shopping avenues, Calle Fuencarral is one of the main streets in the historical part of town. You'll find everything from clubwear and designer labels to interior design shops and funky tapas bars. If you're not interested in shopping, this street is still worth a visit, always crowded, it pulls an eclectic mix of people. Sit at one of many unique tapas bars and people watch the interesting crowd.

English speaker Antony will be your guide on this tour that takes in the Plaza Mayor, Royal Opera and Plaza de España. Available 6 days a week, it's a unique way in which to get around and see the heart of Madrid. He'll also teach you how to use a segway - a gyroscopically balanced two-wheeled wonder of transportation. You'll get to enjoy regular bar stops too. Booking in advance is essential and you can easily do this online from anywhere in the world!

A boating lake, grand monuments and immaculately kept gardens - all reasons why Madrileños have kept coming to this park since the 17th century. There are puppeteers and street performers on hand to keep children entertained.

The Spanish don't sit down to dinner until at least 10pm. Tiding them over since 1830 has been pastry shop Antigua Pastelería del Pozo - not even the decor has changed. With cheap food and generous quantity you'll

be hanging out with the locals and taking in the best pastries Madrid has to offer. Try a roscón - a huge ring pastry filled with cream - and turrón nougat.

Madrileños love the cinema, so beat the queues by going at midnight. At Cines Princesa English-language films are subtitled rather than dubbed, so even if your Spanish is limited to "dos cervezas" you'll be able to enjoy the action. (essentialtravel, 2014)

H. Behind-the-scenes- A type of feature story that views the inside topics and happenings that gives the reader a privilege of secrecy. It gives the reader to have an honor to obtain details that are far-fetched information.

E.g.

Meet Chuckesmee, The Creepy Doll That Was Cut From ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

The "Twilight Forever: Complete Saga Box Set" was released on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday and, as with all sets like this one, it features lots of never-before-seen extras and bonus footage.

In fact, "Twilight Forever" includes 12 hours of features, and two hours of it is stuff that even the die-hardest Twi-hard has yet to see -- like the creepy animatronic Renesmee doll that, thankfully, wasn't used.

A new behind-the-scenes clip and interview with star Nikki Reed dives into the background of the doll that nearly became Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) daughter Renesmee -- the half-vampire, half-human offspring of the two main characters who matures at a rapid pace in the final installment of the series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2. Okay, not nearly -- this thing didn't have a chance.

Because of the way the child matures in Stephenie Meyer's book, director Bill Condon had to figure out a way to portray the precocious Renesmee. One such way would've easily sunk the series.

At first, producers opted for an animatronic doll over a computer generated baby, and the result ended up looking like a certain evil kids toy from another movie series, hence "Chukesmee" was born.

The three-foot animatronic doll was given the name after the Child's Play character Chucky shortly after cast and crew got a look at it for the first time.

“Chuckesmee was a giant misfire on all fronts,” Condon told Entertainment Weekly back in August 2012. ”Truly, it was one of the most grotesque things I’ve ever seen. It was a horror show! There was one shot where I call, ‘Cut!’ and suddenly she turns her head and mechanically stares right into the camera. It was incredibly disturbing.”

Even Wyck Godfrey, who produced the doll for the film, said, "Chuckesmee is one of the most grotesque animatronic babies ever to not be seen on film."

Nikki Reed referred to it as a "creature" and asked that the whole world forgives her before learning that the producers opted to go with CGI instead. (Blair, 2013

FEATURE WRITING

STRUCTURE

Delayed Lead

The delayed lead attracts the reader into the story by hinting at it’s content. The delayed lead in often used on features and news features, the kinds of stories that are not about developing or fast-breaking events. The delayed lead usually sets a scene or evokes a mood with the incident, anecdote or example. The delayed lead sentence usually contains one idea and follow the subject-verb-object sentence struture for clarity. It should not exceed 35 words.

Example: (mood-setting lead on a feature by AP Newsfeatures writer Sid Moody)

Jack Loizeaux is a dentist of urban decay, a Mozart od dynamite, a guru of gravity. Like Joshua, he blows and the walls come tumbling down.

What does Loizeaux do? Our interest is aroused . the delayed lead purposely does not provide essential information to the reader. This suspense is part of the attraction of the delayed lead. (Loizeaux runs a demolition company, revealed to us a few paragraphs later.)

Caution: Don’t delay too long. Unless the writer intends to build to a last-paragraph climax, the sooner news point is reached after a delayed lead the better.

Example: (George James of the New York Times)

Sheila Marie Boyd and Jerry Conner, both of Brooklyn, were married yesterday in Queens Borough Hall. Afterward, they celebrated ay Cobblestone;s Restaurant, a few block away att 117-18 Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills.

Among the uninvited guests were nine police officers from the 112th precint, who gave them handcuffs and arrested them on 18 counts of robbery.

“I think they were having our famous baby back ribs,” said Pete Massaro, the owner of the Cobblestone’s, “and the white house wine”

Ms. Boyd, 23 years old of 32 Lincoln Avenue, and Mr. Conner, 27, of 1765 Prospect Place were wanted for robbery of 13 patients and 5 employee in the office of Mr. Arnold…

*As you noticed in the example lead above, the lead in located in the second paragraph.

Subject-Verb-Object: The basic structure of the lead should be the subject-verb-object, S-V-O. That is, the lead should begin with the subject, should be closely folowed by an active verb and should conclude with the object of the verb.

Example:

In the past decade, David Blake has overpaid the city $7,654 in property fees on his pharmacy in East Harlem. -(Newsday)

S= David Blake V=has overpaid O=the city

SAN FRANCISCO- federal judge has ordered the City of San Francisco to hire 60 women police patrol officers within the next 32 weeks – (UPI)

S= Judge V= has ordered O=San Francisco

Lead Length: Lead sentences should observe to a 35-word limit whenever possible, for importance as well as readablity. The AP tells it’s reporter, “When a lead moves beyond 20-25 words it’s time to start trimming.” Some of the extra baggage that can be discarded:

a. Unnesesary acknowledgment

b. Compound sentences joined by but and and. c. Exact dates and times unless crucial.

New Yorker writer John McPhee says, “The first part- the lead, the beginning- is the hardest part of all to write. I’ve often heard writer say that if you have written your lead you have 90 percent of the story.” Locating the lead, he says, is a struggle. Also, as McPhee ponts out, once crafted, the lead helps to organize the story. “The story flows from the lead,” is an old newsroom saying

Readability Componets: Readability starts from the ideas that made up the sentence, the order in which they are written and the words and phrases chosen to convey the ideas.

a. Ideas: Whenever it is possile, the lead should only contain one idea. Too many ideas in a sentence makes the reader confused.

b. Sentence Order: The S-V-O is usually used.c. Word choice: Whenever it is possible, the subject should be a concrete noun that the readers can hear, see, taste,

smell or feel. The verb should be a colorful action verb.

Types of Delayed Lead

Descriptive Lead: The writer describes how things happened anddescribes the main idea of the story.

There is so much false information being circulated in our culture that we need to know the truth about love. No word in the English language has been more tortured, twisted, or perverted. On a daily basis, the truth about love is being buried deeper and deeper in an avalanche of selfishness and confusion. (Youssef, 2013)

Summary Lead: The lead contains the outline of the story.

A former grammar school student has become the first Briton to die as a result of accepting a 'Neknomination' dare.

Isaac Richardson, 20, told his friend he would “outdo” previous competitors in the controversial drinking game, before downing a lethal cocktail of wine, whisky, vodka, and lager, at O’Connor’s backpacker hostel in Woolwich, south-east London in the early hours of Sunday morning. (Gander, 2014)

Question Lead : One way to intrigue the readers to follow the story. It makes ther eader curious about the story.

Have you ever met a person who, in a moment, radically changed the way you looked at yourself and the world around you? When Jesus came to earth, He shook paradigms, touched people in miraculous ways, and revealed Himself to desperate people. This same Christ is inviting us to encounter Him today. (Youssef, 2014)

Amazing Fact Lead: The lead comprehends an motivating fact about the topic.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the  Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, weren’t in Babylon at all – but were instead located 300 miles to the north in Babylon’s greatest rival Nineveh, according to a leading Oxford-based historian. (The Independent, 2013)

Figurative Lead: Uses figure of speech in the introductory sentence. Initiates the lead to have a

A house appears like an island amid acres of flooded land engulfed by a seemingly never ending flow of icy cold brown water. It's a set of images that has come to represent a particularly British type of defiance when faced with the floods wreaking havoc across the country, deluging homes and destroying businesses and livelihoods. (Williams, 2014)

Scenic Lead: The writer gives the full details about the surroundings of the events.

The lights shine down and the music surrounds her as she spins across the stage into the arms of her partner. The audience roars its approval as the music slows and the curtains begin to close.__It's the end of just another workday for teenager Chelsea Rittenhouse.__At 18, the Howell resident is the youngest member of the New York Theater Ballet, which describes itself as the most widely seen chamber ballet company in the United States. The professional group also tours abroad. (Gilde, 2007)

Quotation Lead : The lead starts with a saying by a famous person that is fallowed by the justifications.

"I will resign my post effective immediately," declared Manju Ghimire, of the India parliament yesterday. Accusations of fraud and conspiracy have surrounded her for weeks and her resignation was seen as inevitable by pundits and colleagues alike. (The Lead, 2014)

Narrative Lead: The writer makes the reader look into the story by giving a abit of drama and the urges to know what will occur subsequent.

The past came to claim Aleksandras Lileikis this week. It knocked on his door on Sumner Street in Norwood, shattering his quiet present and shocking the friends and neighbors who thought they knew the man in the yellow house. It knocked on all of our doors, pointing to the genocide of more than 50 years, demanding that we hear the stories and seek the truth. (Trausch, 1994)

Staccato Lead: The lead had series of words that are stirring seperated by a comma or a period.

You dare not take a stroll in a lonely place, work alone in your office at night, or read in a quiet place on your campus. As a mother, you must not entrust your girl child into the care of any man. This is the ordeal of women and girls all over the world and the reason why Dr Toyin Mejiuni; a female activist and lecturer with two others felt the need to put in place an institutional organization that could better help victims of sexual violence. Women against rape, Sexual harassment and Sexual exploitation (WARSHE). (Busayo, 2013)

Personal Experience Lead : The lead express event the person experiences.

I woke up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday with butterflies in my stomach. I was terrified to go on my first ever camping trip where I would climb the 1,500 foot Massanutten Mountain in Virginia.

What was I doing? Everyone else who was going on the trip had gone camping before, owned tents, knew how to pack for the trip, and was a complete camping pro. Oh yeah, I was one of the obnoxious juniors who begged Tony Del Puppo, otherwise known as DP, to take a group of girls from our Honors U.S. History class on his camping trip when we were seniors. (Reilly, 2009)

One word Lead: the writer utilizes frank and surprises to wrap up the story

Awesome.

That's the best term to describe the Rattler girls' basketball team, which notched its 15th consecutive win Friday night.

The Eight steps to organized story (body)

a. Identify the focus or the main idea of the story from notesb. Wite a brief summary of the ain idea.c. Using the summary, separate in notes the material relating to the main idea from the secondary matter.d. Organize the secondary matter in order of importance.e. Begin to write, making sure that the separate parts are linked with transitions.f. Read the completed copy for accuracy brevity, clarity.g. Read the completed copy for grammar, style word usage.h. Rewrite if necessary-and it usually is.

Guidelines in writing good features (according to M. Mencher)

a. Make sure you understand the event b. When you have found your focus for your story-when you know what you want to say-start writingc. Show, don’t tell.d. Put good quotes and human interest high in the storye. Put relevant illustrations or anecdotes up high in the storyf. Use concrete nouns and colorful action verbs.g. Avoid adjectival exuberance and resist propping up verb with adverbs. h. Avoid judgments and interferences. i. Don’t raise questions you cannot answer in your copy.j. Write simply, succinctly, and quickly.

Mark Twain’s Principle

Four Principles: Good wrting has four principles. It is:

a. Accurate: The language futs the situation. This is what Twain means by “Accuracy of wording”, “using just the right word.”

b. Clear: Through proper use of form and content, the story is free from vagueness and ambiguity.c. Convincing: The story is believable. It sounds true.d. Appropriate: The style is natural and unstrained. In Twain’s words, “unpretentiouness, simplicity of language…

naturalness…selecting just the right word for the service needed.”

Use of senses in writing.

“Generally speaking, if he can’t see it, hear it, feel it, smell it, he can’t write”- William Burroughs

Accuracy of Language

Without accuracy of language, the journalist/writer cannot make the story match the event. The obvious way to check words for accuracy is to use of dictionary. But reporters who misuse language often do without knowing their words are misfits.

Use words with referents

-A writer’s vocabulary comes from a feel for words, for the way people use language, which sometimes differs from dictionary usage. “The true meaning of a term is to be found by observing what a man does with it, not by what he says about It.” says the scientist P.W. Bridgeman.

Euphemisms -When a pleasant word or phrase is used in place of one that may be grim, the substitute is called a euphemism. Example: Years ago, a Chicago police reporter who was covering a rape was reminded by his desk of the newspaper’s prohibition of what the publisher considered earthy language. Rape, he was told, was taboo. In his second paragraph, he wrote, “The woman ran down the street screaming, ‘Help, I’ve been criminally assaulted! Help, I’ve been criminally assaulted!’”

Spelling-A word incorrectly spelled is a gross inaccuracy. It is like a flaw in a crystal bowl. No matter how handsome the bowl, the eye and the mind drift from the sweeping curves to the mistake. A spelling error screams for attention, almost as loudly as an obscenity in print. Example: These days we see alright for all right, its for it’s, cemetary for cemetery. Even the New York Times, surely one of the most scrupulously edited, has its share of misspellings. A story about nuns who support the ordination of women stated, “They want nuns to have visible role at the alter.”

Clarity

According to Saul Pett, AP, “The writer’s first obligation is to be clear”. The words and phrases the writer selects must be put into a setting, into sentences, and paragraphs that make sense to the readers.

Grammar-One way the beginning writer can cope with the inadequacy is to invest in a handbook of grammar. It would not only solve grammatical problems quickly, but also help expand the student’s writing range.

Punctuation-Punctuation is the writer’s substitute for the storyteller’s pauses, stops and changes in voice level. The proper use of punctuation is essential to clarity. Misuse can change emphasis or meaning:Example: “Let’s eat, Grandma.”“Let’s eat Grandma.”

Sentence Length-One sentence after another under 17 words would make readers feel as though they were being peppered with bird shot. The key to good writing is variety, rhythm, balance. Short and long sentences are balanced. Also, a long sentence that is well-written can be understandable as an eight-word sentence, if it is broken, usually by punctuation, into short clauses and phrases.

Average Sentence Length Readability

8 words or less Very easy to read11 words Easy to read14 words Fairly easy to read17 words Standard21 words Fairly difficult to read25 words Difficult to read29 words or more Very difficult to read

Transition1. Pronouns- use pronouns to refer to nouns in previous sentences and paragraphs.

Example:

Dr. Barbara began teaching history in 1997. She took her Ph.D. that year. Her dissertation subject was the French Impressionists.

2. Key words and ideas- repeat the words and ideas in preceding sentences and paragraphs.

Example:

He has been accused of being an academic purist. Those words make him shudder.

“An Academic purist is made to sound like an epithet.” He said.

3. Transitional expressions- use of connecting words that link sentences. A large array of expressions functions as connectors.

Additives: again, also, and, finally, furthermore, in addition, next, thus, so, moreover, as well.

Contrasts: but, however, nevertheless, instead, on the other hand, otherwise, yet, nonetheless, farther.

Comparison: likewise, similarly.

Place: adjacent to, beyond, here near, opposite.

Time: afterward, in the meantime, meanwhile, later, soon.

Example:

He tried twice to obtain permission to see the paintings in the private museum. Finally, he gave up.

Dr. Braun’s next project centered on the music of Berlioz. But his luck remained bad. An attempt to locate a missing manuscript proved a similar failure.

In the meantime, he continued his study of Spanish so that he would be able to do research in Spain.

4. Parallel Structure- sentences and paragraphs are linked by repeating the sentence pattern

Example:

No one dared to speak in his class. No one ventured to address him in any but the most formal manner. No one, for that matter, had the courage to ask questions in class. His lectures were nonstop monologues.

ACTIVITIES

Identify the types of the feature lead used.

1. Call it training. Practice. Experience. Call it Internship. (wordpress,2009)2. He looked at me unblinkingly from under his half-moon spectacles, until I almost broke into a sweat. Gradually,

his face relaxed into a smile as he extended his hand forward to congratulate me, “We’ll take you as an intern”, he said. (wordpress, 2009)

3. WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress yesterday that U.S. economic growth appeared to be slowing, heading off for the moment any need to raise interest rates. Wall Street responded with a cheer, sending stocks and bonds soaring. (

4. DETROIT -- "Get on the ground," a man holding a gun screamed. "I'll blow your heads off if you move."Dennis Grehl and a co-worker complied. Dreamlike, he found himself lying face down on a cold, gritty black-tile floor, a pistol against the back of his head."Please, mister, don't make me shoot you," a second gunman threatened.A crazy memory: tiny specks of light floating in the tile; that, and the paralyzing weight of helplessness. Mr. Grehl is a pharmacist, unassuming, mild mannered. A family man with a wife and a daughter.He was being robbed.( Henderson, 1998)

5. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sixty percent of Americans oppose the U.S. war in Iraq, the highest number since polling on the subject began with the commencement of the war in March 2003, according to poll results and trends released Wednesday. (CNN, 2006)

Make a lead out of the following data given.

When: Technology and computers were bywordsWhat: how to learn sewing cooking, child psychology and financingWho: studentsWhere: Currently.How: Through economic classes.

(Source: http://teachers.ewrsd.k12.nj.us/savedoff/journalism/features/Basic%20feature_leads.htm )

Write the correct order of the following information.

I.

and understanding, you find “It was a serious, somber occasion. everyone attended the baccalaureate,” only 20 kids attending.”   counselor Barbara Craig remarked. Now there’s so little information When I was in high school,

II.

when M*A*S*H is on in the next room?

when Hill Street Blues is right the functions of a city police force Homework? Why spend time learning Why waste precious hours studying at your fingertips?” about the Korean War

III.

and learning — There were no test tubes, Jazz labs, that is.” but for sure there was experimenting. took place in these labs “There were no chemicals, And a lot of mixing — but there certainly was chemistry.

IV.

at the mess, then wiped it in the cafeteria.” “The fragrance of chicken filled the air. a stained white table onto away into an already covered floor. The custodian scoffed Yellow broth trickled down from full garbage can. Just another day a candy wrapper

Paraphrase: Revise these paragraphs to be consistent.

The adage that time is gold remains. The education sector, just like the business group, was finding it hard to manage time. Thus, school managers and all other managers need to plan the use of your own time, by providing plane for their personnel by setting strategies, policies, and procedures. In attending to these numerous tasks, she usually spends insufficient time. (Angell, 2001)

During my family’s vacation in Bohol last summer, we spent three days visiting a lot of places. They have historical, religious, scientific, and mythological explanations. For its historical point, they see the “Blood Compact” monument that symbolized the initial friendship of the first Filipino leaders with the Spaniards. Its religious because the oldest Baclayon church in the Philippines could be viewed. Of course, the scientific and mythical explanations can be attributed to the existence of the famous Chocolate Hills and to the endangered species “tarsier”. (Khan, 2000)