Feature Writing

Why features?
Journalistic work can be roughly divided into three:

• Stright / Spot News - contains important material that should be
reported to the public (often referred to breaking news)
• News Feature - take advantage of important material on the spot news, general
to provide an element of human / humane behind the warm events
occur or to provide background (the context and perspective)
through interpretation.
• Feature - aim to entertain through the use of materials
interesting but not always essential.

In an increasingly tight competition for media not only between the print media
but also between the print media to television, straight / spot news
often not very satisfactory. Spot news tend to be just old
daily for later disposal, or even a few hours on television.
Spot news also tends to emphasize just a rudimentary element in
news, but forget the background.

We need news that is more than that to be competitive. We
need a news feature - a marriage between the spot news and features.

Because of this tradition is relatively new, we need to first understand what
elements and
fundamental aspect of the feature.

What is the feature?
This is the classical limit of the feature: "The story is a feature
article in a creative, sometimes subjective, which is mainly
intended to make happy and give information to the reader
about an event, condition or aspect of life. "

Creativity
Different from the usual news writing, feature writing enables
reporter to "create" a story.

Although still tied to ethics that writing must be accurate - essay
fiction and fantasy should not be - reporters can look for features in
mind, then after carrying out research on his ideas
that, he wrote.

Subjectivity
Some features are written in the form of "I", thus allowing
reporter insert their own emotions and thoughts. Although many
reporter, who was trained in objective reporting, only used a technique
this when no other options, the result is readable.

But young reporters should be wary of the way like that.
A common error on new reporter is a tendency for
obtrude themselves through writing in a style "I".
Most veteran journalists use this guideline: "If you are not
The main character, do not mention you in your writing. "

Informative
Featured, the less the value of news, can provide information to
community about the situation or aspect of life that may
usually ignored in news writing in the newspaper. For example about
a museum or zoo that threatened the lid.

Informative aspects of writing can also feature in
other forms. There are many features that lightly-lightly, but
when in the hands of a good writer, features can be a tool
powerful. Feature can tickle the human heart to
create constructive change.

Entertain
In the last 20 years, features an important tool for
newspapers to compete with electronic media.

Newspaper reporter admitted that they would not be able to
"Beat" radio and television journalist to first get to
community. Radio and TV journalist bias a big story just aired
within a few minutes after they know. Meanwhile, newspaper reporter
aware, that only a few hours after the incident, new readers can
know something the incident - after the newspaper delivered.

Newspaper reporter, let alone a magazine, can beat his rival, radio
and TV, with an exclusive story. But he also could make a version that
more depth (in depth) about the story is heard readers
from the radio.

With this benchmark in mind, reporters are always looking for
feature, on the news the most hot. Feature stories
usually exclusive, so there is no possibility of defeat by
radio and TV or other newspapers.

Featured provide variations on such routine news
murder, scandal, disaster and conflict that always decorate
news columns, feature bias makes the reader laugh restrained.

A reporter could write "the story of the colorful" to
captures the emotion and atmosphere of an event. In each
case, the main goal is to entertain readers and give
him things new and fresh.

Durable
According to one veteran journalist, yesterday's newspaper is only good for
pack of peanuts. Elements which are all important news in time yield
24 hours. News is easy to "extinct", but features can be stored
for days, weeks, months or repetitive. Small newspapers often
make deposits "script excess" - mostly feature. This feature
set and stored in the order front, because the editors knew that the value
story time will not be destroyed eaten.

In the eyes of reporters, feature as it has the advantage
other. Deadline pressure are rare, so that he could have time enough
to conduct careful research and writing it back to
have the highest quality.

An in-depth features require considerable time. Profile of a
police chief may only be obtained after interview with
fellow workers, family, enemies and the police chief
own. It takes time also to observe behavior, reaction to
certain circumstances the officer.

In short, different with news, feature writing giving
greater emphasis on the important facts -
facts which might stimulate the emotions (comfort, raises
empathy, disampil still did not leave the elements informatifnya).
Because penakanan it, writing feature is often called human story
interest or a story that color (colorful).

Feature writing techniques
If in news writing is the preferred arrangement
the facts, then in writing feature we can use techniques
"Tells a story." Indeed that is the key difference between
news "hard" (spot news) and features. Feature writer on
is essentially a story.

The author paints pictures with words: he turned imagination
reader, it draws the reader to enter into the story with
helped him identify with the main character.

Feature writer for the most part continue to use the writing
basic journalism, because he knew that the techniques were very
effective way to communicate. But if there are rules that reduce
agility to narrate a story, he immediately broke
rule.

"Inverted pyramid" (composition writing put
basic information on the top, and the information that is not
so important at the bottom - up easily for disposal when
writing that needs to be shortened) are often abandoned. Especially when
sequence of events is by itself establish a good story.

Feature Types
Personality features (Profile)
Profiles reveal an interesting man. For example, about a person
that dramatically, through various twists and turns, then reach
special and successful career or become famous because
their colorful personalities. To be effective, like this profile
must be more than just a list of accomplishments and important dates dates
of life of the individual. Profiles should be able to reveal character
man.

To obtain the necessary information, a feature writer on
personally like this often have to observe their subjects when
work; visit their homes when interviewing friends, relatives
and their business friends. The profile should be accompanied by complete
quotations from the subjects who could describe the fit
character. A good profile should also be able to give the impression
his readers that they have met and talked with the
figures.

Many sources interviewed may openly bernai
surprise you with revealing personal secrets or anekdor
about the subject. But, many prefer the source requested that
anonymity. Information sources are important for
provide balance in a depiction of the characters.

Feature history
Feature history commemorating the dates of key events,
such as the proclamation of independence, the bombing of Hiroshima or murder
generals of the revolution. Newspapers often publish feature
100th anniversary of birth or death of a character.

The story of the history feature can also be tied to event-peristiawa
memangkitkan recent interest in their subject. If disaster
volcanoes occur, newspapers often contain similar events in the past.

Feature history often depict landmarks (monuments / buildings)
famous, pioneers, philosophers, medical and entertainment facilities, changes
in racial composition, patterns of housing, food, industrial, religious and
prosperity.

Each city or school has interesting events in history.
A good feature writer will study more about
those events, perhaps with historical documents or with
interviewing people involved in the events
historic.

Feature adventure
Feature adventure depicts the experiences of privileged and
astonishing - perhaps someone who survived the experience of a
aircraft accidents, mountain climbing, sailing around the world
experience participated in the war.

In this type of feature, quotations and descriptions are very important. After
disaster, for example, often use a feature writer living witness
to merekontruksikan event itself. Many feature writer
This kind of started writing with action - the most interesting moments
and most dramatic.

Seasonal Feature
Reporters are often assigned to write a feature about the season and
holiday, the Eid, Christmas, and the dry season. Acts such as
It is very difficult to write, because in order to remain attractive, the reporter must
find the angle or a fresh perspective. Examples could
used is how a writer disguised as Santa Claus
on Christmas Day to record a response or behavior of children in
nutrients around the festival.

Feature Interpretative
Feature of this kind try to give a description and explanation
more details on the topics that have been reported. Feature
interpretive could present an organization, activities, trends or
certain ideas. For example, after a news story describing the action
terrorism, features interpretive might examine identity, tactics
and objectives terotisme.

Provide ideas for the thousands of news feature of this kind. After
bank robbery, interpretive features could be present on
training given to employees to deter bank robberies.
Or that uncovered further typical bank robbers, including
opportunities could be arrested and convicted robber.

Feature tips (how-to-do-it feature)
This feature tells the reader how to do something
things: how to buy a house, find a job, raise in the garden,
car repair or tighten the marriage. Acts like this
often shorter than other types of features and more difficult
in writing.

Reporters who have not experienced will tend to lecture or
dictate to the reader - to give their own opinions - instead of
interviewed sources and provide expert advice and factual details.