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Write to Publish
Writing Feature Articles for Magazines, Newspapers, and Corporate and Community Publications
By Vin Maskell, Gina Perry Allen & Unwin
Copyright © 1999 Vin Maskell & Gina Perry
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-74176-670-7
CHAPTER 1
Writing feature articles
The reward in non-fiction writing is that the investigation is endless. There is always another house to visit, another street to walk down, another person's story to hear. Non-fiction writing is about being open to the infinite variety of the world in which we live and the essential strangeness of human experience.
Martin Flanagan, writer, Age, 18 April 1994
Australians are big readers of newspapers and big buyers of magazines. In the past twenty years, the number of magazines published in this country has grown dramatically, and newspapers themselves have grown in size.
Magazines
According to Roy Morgan Research, more Australians are reading magazines than newspapers. We spent nearly $800 million on magazines in 1997–1998. And it's not just the people who buy the magazines that read them. Circulation figures record copies sold, not copies read. According to A. Ring, readers have been estimated at three and ten times the circulation figures. This means some popular magazines with circulations of around one million can reach between three and ten million people (A. Ring, 1997, 'Keeping the sexist flame alive — why do magazines keep doing it?', Australian Studies in Journalism, no. 6, pp. 3–40).
Newspapers
While the number of newspapers in Australia has declined in the past twenty years, the total number of newspaper pages published has grown. According to the Newspaper Advertising Bureau of Australia (NABA), in 1986, 76 billion newspaper pages were published. By 1997 this had risen to 104 billion.
Between 1986 and 1997 the number of pages published annually grew by 37 per cent.
Newspapers are thicker, and offer their readers more information than they ever have before. While news content has fallen slightly, according to the NABA, the number of pages covering sport and lifestyle, entertainment and consumer information has increased.
There are more supplements and weekend magazines in newspapers now than there were ten years ago with Sunday pages up 60 per cent since 1991. In fact, weekend magazines are a relatively new addition to newspapers — The Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend began in 1984 and the Australian Magazine began in 1988.
Periodicals and corporate publications
Newsletters, journals and corporate publications have also mushroomed. Margaret Gee's Australian Media Guide, which is published quarterly, lists all Australian media outlets, state by state. The 2000 media outlets listed in 1987 included newspapers, magazines, newsletters, journals and trade magazines as well as radio and television. By 1998 the listing had grown to 3500 outlets. This growth in the number, size and range of publications means there has also been a growth in demand for material to fill them.
Opportunities for writers
Between the covers of each magazine, newspaper, or periodical you read you'll find a range of writing by a range of people.
Staff writers are those people employed on a salary to write for that publication. Even if what they've written isn't published, the writer on staff will still be paid. In newspapers and larger magazines, these people are usually trained journalists.
Regular contributors are people, not necessarily trained as journalists, who are paid to write a regular column or section. The contributor may be an expert in their field, a 'personality', or a writer with a particularly quirky or interesting way of writing about the world.
Freelance contributors offer their stories or ideas for stories to a publication and are usually paid by the word for stories that are published. Freelancers can write for a number of publications and can be commissioned to write stories by an editor, but they are not on staff. Freelancers can be trained journalists, or they may have gained experience via publication, serving their 'apprenticeship' long enough to have established a reputation for themselves.
These categories are fluid — staff writers may leave their employment to take up freelancing, or secure a niche as a regular contributor with one or more publications. Writers who start as freelancers can move on to regular contributing and may even be employed on staff.
Writing styles
Open any magazine, journal or newspaper that's lying around at home and you'll see there are a range of writing styles inside. In a large metropolitan daily newspaper, there are hard and soft news stories, editorial, opinion or comment pages, letters to the editor, how-to articles, and information on weather and TV viewing. Within specific supplements — employment, food and wine, cars, business, entertainment, home living, travel — you'll find reviews, feature articles, news snippets and so on.
Turn to a magazine and you'll find departments devoted to anything from fashion and beauty to food and health, home ideas and puzzles, with features often in a department all of their own.
Corporate, community and government periodicals can contain stories on new services, changes in policies, news and gossip.
Many people think of writing for newspapers when they think of writing feature articles. But the well-written factual story has its place in a host of publications: inflight magazines, corporate newsletters, publications put out by your local council or your union, to name a few.
You'll find feature articles in professional journals, magazines aimed at people in particular trades or industries, newsletters for corporate or community groups, niche or popular magazines and newspapers — local, regional, daily and weekly.
Defining feature articles
The best way to define a feature article is to think of it on a continuum with the traditional hard news story at one end and the feature at the other. Hard news includes stories that have either just happened or are about to happen, such as bushfires, crimes, court cases, protest meetings or tax reforms.
The hard news story is an account of what happened, why it happened, when and where it happened, who was involved and how readers will be affected.
Take, for example, a hard news story about changes to Austudy. At a minimum, the hard news story would tell us what the proposed changes are, when, where and by whom the announcement was made, and how students will be affected by the changes.
The hard news story can be brief, and answers the key questions concisely. It is written objectively. The traditional news story has a particular shape called the inverted pyramid because the most important facts are at the top.
At the other end of the the continuum, the shape and structure of a feature article can vary enormously, from pure entertainment to serious information and every combination in between. Its length can be anything from 300–3000 words, sometimes longer.
Features differ from hard news stories in that they explore the news in more depth and focus on the human element. Let's look at the Austudy story again as an example. Who are the people most affected by the changes announced? Students, naturally. Oh, and their parents. And possibly university staff. Let's take students. They will have less money as a result.
One feature might look at three students at different institutions, how much they live on now and how the changes will affect them. Another feature might be an anecdotal piece about getting by on a pittance as a student. A third article could be a list article on the top ten opportunity shops for students looking for quality second-hand clothing. Another feature may explore the developments and changes in government policy towards financial support for students over the years.
Other types of features include those that look at changes in our lifestyles, how-to stories, self-help articles and first-person stories. Feature articles explore an issue in more depth than a hard news story.
Feature articles are not essays containing your views on topics such as capital punishment, abortion or anything else.
Yes, these opinions often do turn up in magazines and newspapers but they are clearly under a heading such as 'editorial' or 'opinion'.
Purpose and technique
The purpose of a feature article is to inform and engage the reader. Feature articles can make you laugh or cry, feel enraged or elated. The feature writer has much more scope than the writer of the traditional hard news story. Techniques for feature writing include description, narration and dramatic storytelling.
Feature stories hone in on the human element of a story, giving readers the sense that they are there alongside the writer. This demands different techniques of the writer than the hard news story.
Features and fiction
Feature writing can be as creative, demanding and enjoyable as writing short fiction or poetry. The best features are as engaging and interesting as good short stories. While factual, they use many of the same techniques as fiction writing. They expand the reader's view of the world in some way, and they are absorbing and satisfying to read.
Whether you want to write for a community group, a magazine, a corporate publication or a newspaper, you are writing because you want to tell a story. Good feature articles have all the factual detail of hard news stories, and all the drama, action and dialogue of a good short story.
The feature writer
You need to write well to be a published feature writer, but that's only part of the equation. You also need perseverance, a nose for a good story, a dedication to meeting deadlines and a passion for accuracy. Throw in creativity and curiosity, and you've got all the ingredients required. Last but not least, you need to be an addicted reader of everything — newsletters, magazines, newspapers, anything that comes your way.
Have a nose for a good story
Having a nose for a good story means developing an instinct for what your readers will be interested in, which is critical as a feature writer. Before you start writing you have to have a clear idea of who your reader is, and so you need to study the publication you want to write for. You'll see more on this in chapters 3 and 4.
Be an avid reader
The best advice we have for you as a feature writer is to read, read, read. And of course, write, write, write. By doing this you will absorb many of the rules that govern this form, you'll expose yourself to a range of different styles and, best of all, you'll be full of new ideas that have come from what you've read.
As a newspaper and magazine junkie you'll pick up lots of tips on writing features by reading them. You'll learn about the different forms they take — travel, self-help, profile, interview, lifestyle pieces — as well as elements such as sidebars, quizzes, postscripts and photographs, which add value to a feature. You'll read more about this in chapters 5 and 11. See sample articles in appendix 1.
Appreciate the importance of accuracy and the pursuit of facts
Feature articles originated and evolved in newspapers. They were and are written by journalists, who have training in reporting news. You'll need to be able to listen and observe carefully, and present details and opinions accurately and objectively. Your opinion is not the stuff of features. Opinions in a feature are most likely to be attributed to someone you interviewed for the story. You'll see more on this in chapter 6.
Enjoy research
You need to enjoy finding things out, tracking information down, interviewing people to get the story. Be curious about people and events and get excited about conveying what you know to your reader. You'll see more on this in chapters 6 and 7.
Combine love of language with an economic writing style
We assume you have a love of language and a solid grasp of grammar. As for an economic writing style, brevity and clarity are the key words here. Using as few words as possible to get your meaning across is an essential skill for writing features. Look more closely at exercises to develop this in chapter 8.
Make a piece of writing come alive and flow
As well as being able to write clearly and concisely, you need to be able to structure a piece of writing in a logical way. You also need to know how to hook your reader with your lead, and how to make them feel satisfied by your ending. See chapters 9 and 10.
Persevere
You may be good enough to get your first feature published quickly, but rejection is inevitable. Get used to it. Developing a thick skin when it comes to rejection is important because it helps you put some distance between yourself and your work.
Many beginning writers take rejection personally, confusing rejection of their story with rejection of themselves as people. Remember, a story can be sent back because there is simply not enough space in the publication, not enough dollars in the budget or it wasn't right for the publication.
Don't expect detailed feedback from editors on your work. They are too busy for one thing, and it's not their job. If you want an opinion on your work, join or set up your own writing group. Learn to put your story away and come back to it with a fresh eye and a sharpened pencil, to see if you can improve anything about the story. We'll cover how to improve your story and workshopping in chapter 9. We'll cover how to add value to your story to improve its chances of publication in chapter 11.
Be guided by legal and ethical considerations
Essential for anyone interested in feature writing is knowledge of the ethics and legalities of what you are doing. See chapter 2 and appendix 2.
Be professional
Be reliable. Never miss a deadline. Study the publication you're writing for. Be accurate. Double check facts. All of these qualities will endear you to an editor and will assure that you develop a solid reputation as a writer who can be relied on. As a truly professional writer, treat feature writing the same way you would treat any small business you would like to set up and run successfully. See chapters 2, 12 and 13.
In this book we will give you tips on how to start, how to shape a piece of writing, how to make it easy to read and interesting to your reader. All the exercises in this book are aimed at helping you find your own particular style.
On completing her cadetship with the Sun News-Pictorial, Maree Curtis specialised in medical reporting. She has worked as Melbourne editor of Woman's Day, was founding editor of Mind and Body, the Herald-Sun's health section, and editor of The Sunday Age's Life! section. She is currently a senior features writer on the Age.
As an editor, what I look for in a feature article is relevance. There are a million topics in the world and I'll ask myself when I'm looking at a feature, Why am I looking at this story today?
In newspapers features are always dealing with something coming off the back of news. Even if the news values are not obvious, with something like a celebrity profile for example, the story will be linked to a new book, a film or something the celebrity has said or done.
An editor also needs to have established that the freelancer is trustworthy and accurate. It is really important for editors to be able to trust that the freelancer has done the interview they've said they've done, that the case studies they've used are real, that they have reported accurately and fairly and in a balanced way.
This is second nature to a trained journalist but not necessarily to a freelancer. You might write like an angel but your copy is useless unless it is relevant, accurate, balanced and checked.
The ideal freelancer is someone who can spin a yarn, tell a story. You have to be able to engage and involve people in the story you're telling. You need to be brief. Telling an interesting story about a person in 800 words is a real skill.
Be a 'can do' person. Sit up all night if you have to to meet your deadline. You can sleep the next day. Say yes if you can deliver. Never, ever let an editor down unless you're in hospital with a broken neck and even then you can still type! Editors are only interested in people who can deliver on time copy that is useable.
Read, read, read — read to find a style you admire, read to find stuff you don't admire. Analyse stories that don't work for you and try and work out why they don't work. Of course, you've got to love language to be able to write.
You have to be everything a journo is plus. What have you got that a journo hasn't? Expertise. You don't have to have high-powered training. It might be a hobby. Your hobby might be toy trains and no one else is covering it. You might be able to carve a niche and be an expert.
If you want to express your opinion, aim for the opinion pages. In features no one is interested in what you think. You are a conduit between the people with the information and your readers. Your opinion is irrelevant. Keep it out of the story.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Write to Publish by Vin Maskell, Gina Perry. Copyright © 1999 Vin Maskell & Gina Perry. Excerpted by permission of Allen & Unwin.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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