Feature-Writing and its Basic Elements, Tips, and Examples

Fundamentals of feature writing

1. F eature Writing Unveiling the Secrets of Feature Writing

2. Feature Defined Editorial Feature News

3. Elements of Feature An extended news story The essay A short story A letter

4. Parts of a Feature Story

5. What makes a feature work? EASY WORDS Use short, simple words in place of longer multi-syllable words with the same meaning. When a technical or difficult word must be used, explain it as simply as possible.

6. What makes a feature work? PERSONAL WORDS Words like “you”, “we”, a person’s name, direct quote,etc . give your copy more human interest.

7. What makes a feature work? ACTIVE VERBS Active verbs keep a story moving and give the reader more than “to be” verbs that show little action.

8. What makes a feature work? TRANSITIONS They are used to add or illustrate a point, summarize, link cause and effect, restrict and clarify.

9. What makes a feature work? INTEREST BUILDING Personalize the people you are writing about what and what they are doing; provide quotes.

10. What makes a feature work? “KICKER” While the lead or the grabber at the beginning gets the reader into a story, the kicker at the end of a feature should have a punch line that helps the reader remember the story.

11. How to Introduce a Feature Article?

12. How to write the body of a feature article?

13. How to end a feature article?

14. Tips in Feature Writing Limit your subject to just one specific area. Think of more interesting and fresh angle of the topic. Use appropriate and striking novelty lead.

15. Tips in Feature Writing Garnish your article with anecdote, dialogue, and local color. Use graphic description. Don’t just tell show it to the reader through the use of senses.

16. Tips in Feature Writing Use simple words and shorter paragraph. Avoid being wordy. Make sure the feature article contains dramatic quality.

17. Tips in Feature Writing Give examples to make your article convincing or easy to understand. Tie up the ending with the opening paragraph. Make a striking title.

18. A PEN FOR TIBONG The Excelsior Champion in Features Section NSPC 2013 – Olongapo City

19. Every time I look at a poorly-sharpened pencil, I am reminded of Tibong , my Dumagat classmate in the second grade who came in our midst as a stranger and a stranger when he left. Tibong is one of the few Dumagats who opted to be in mainland Isabela just to have access to elementary education. And like his fellow “black and curly-haired” species who suffered discrimination in their quest for literacy, Tibong experienced the same fate—and it is the worst. I would never forget that smile the moment he entered our class during our first day in the second grade. It was as if the place was a total stranger to him. He scanned every corner of the room—from the newly-painted ceiling and the tiled floor to the decorations tacked on the bulletin board.

20. When he approached me, I frowned when he innocently caressed my brand new bag and said, “Gusto mo magpalit tayo?” then he showed me the blue plastic bag with barely one notebook and a three-inch mongol pencil in it. Tibong to us was a complete stranger, so different from a class of the “elite.” His black complexion, curly hair, and flat nose often became a subject of mockery. While my classmates boast their new pens and notebooks, Tibong was just seated at a corner looking in awe. And contrary to our obsession of eating sandwiches, hotdogs, and hamburgers during recess, Tibong savored every bit of a boiled camote wrapped in banana leaves.

21. I still remember when he introduced himself on the first day of classes and how he turned to be a laughing stock. With pride, he gave us a clear picture of his identity, his home, and his playground. He shared that he loved swimming and fishing in the crystal-clear water of the Pinacanauan River. When our teacher asked where he lived, he said proudly that they dwelt in the bosom of the wilderness of Sierra Madre. The class laughed when he said, “Sa gubat Ma’am, kasama naming naglalaro ang mga unggoy !” And the laughter became louder when my classmate commented, “ Mukha kasi siyang unggoy , Ma’am!”

22. When the laughter died down, he stooped and shyly moved to his seat at the corner of the classroom with no one to talk to. Despite the sitting arrangement made by the teacher, nobody even dared to sit beside him and so he remained alone on his first week of schooling. For a month, the chair beside Tibong was emptied and when our teacher changed the seat plan, I was assigned to sit beside him. I was so hesitant because I was sure then that I would be part of the mockery—and it did.

23. “Mag- ingat ka baka magpalit kayo ng mukha ni Tibong ,” one of my classmates warned. “ Uo nga , baka mamaya pag dumilim hindi ka na rin namin makita ,” the others commented and the class laughed louder again. Afraid that I would be sanctioned if I would not follow the sitting arrangement, I pulled the chair one meter away from Tibong and seated. Intentionally, I detached myself from him. But everything changed when our teacher asked us to narrate our greatest adventures.

24. While most of my classmates found pleasure in narrating their escapades in various amusement parks in the country or their adventures in Subic Safari, Tibong amazed us all when he narrated, though in a strange accent, how he and his friends enjoyed the cool breeze of the mountain, or the clear water of river, or the white sand beaches in Palanan. We were amazed more when he described vividly the Philippine crocodiles, the Philippine eagles that fly freely in the canopy of the wilderness, and the Ludong , an endemic kind of fish. But what awed us all was when Tibong described and gave the local names of the species of birds in the Sierra Madre. In his stories, he created a clear picture of the place he once left and the home he gambled to earn education in the lowland.

25. “But, it’s really hard to live here—harder than trekking the mountains or crossing against the raging currents of the river. I felt like I was a stranger for no one understands me...for many judge me at the outside but failed to look what’s within this black skin and this curly hair...” he said in local dialect while wiping his tears then walked directly to his chair and clasped his plastic bag. It was only then that I moved my chair closer to Tibong . I patted his shoulder, and said “ Huwag ka ng umiyak .” He never responded but handed me instead his plastic bag with barely a notebook and a pen.

26. The next morning, Tibong’s chair was empty and it was emptied until the end of the school year. Nobody knew why he dropped schooling—even our teacher. It was as if nobody cared. The three-inch poorly sharpened pen Tibong gave me is a reminder of the plight of the Dumagat children. Were it not for the discrimination they received in school, we could have sharpened their pens— the symbol of their quest for a culture-responsive education.

27. TUITION FEE-FREE By Lester Dave G. Pua Dona Aurora National High School Fourth Place, Feature Writing-English NSPC 16 Pagadian City

28. Worrying about not being able to go to college next year? The Philippine government got your back as for the academic year 2017-2018, it will be implementing its free college education program for the first time. Just look up for your school in the web to see if it's included in the list of the hundreds of institutions benefiting from the breakthrough. Recently, the information easily spread like fire as the Filipino youth kept sharing the said list and related reports in different social media platforms, all celebrating the good news. It's confirmed, the Philippine government is allocating P8 billion budget to the Commission on Higher Education to pay the college students' tuition fee in the state universities and colleges all over the country.

29. This was made possible after the efforts of youth groups and education advocates to pursue the realignment of the certain fund to what they consider as one of the greatest investments of the country, education. With the help of officials who share the same advocacy, they finally got a nod from the government to pay more attention and allot ample budget to the tertiary level. University of the Philippines and Polytechnic University of the Philippines are among the school benefactors which students will be spared by the government free from their tuition fee next year. However, miscellaneous, dormitory and other fees are not yet covered. Still, the college students are grateful, considering that the free tuition fee is already a big act of passing the hat.

30. Mark Joey Pua , a student of PUP, will be on his last year in college by the time of the program's implementation. He feels that it would be a great aid for him and his mother who works abroad to support his studies. "I feel happy to be one of the students enjoying the free tuition fee next year," he says. Mark is just one of the many millenials who rejoiced the milestone which they believe would be lessening the burden from their families' shoulders. Also, students who stopped their studies before due to financial reasons are given the opportunity now to go back to school and continue taking up their dream courses.

31. The hard works continue not only coming from the advocates but all the Filipinos to push through the further improvement of the program. They unceasingly ask and convince the government to make the free college education continuous so it would not be only effective for the next school year, but for the years to come. This, they believe, is to cater also to the next generation of college students. Worrying about entering college? Thanks to collective efforts, the Philippine government got your back, telling you to drop those worries, get back on your feet, wear your university uniform, and be a few steps nearer to your dream job!

32. OUTPUT 2018 Division Seminar-Workshop in Campus Paper Production Piazza Zicarreli Hotel, Upi, Gamu, Isabela The Role of Learners in the Department of Education’s MATATAG Agenda