Know How to Write a Feature Story for Your Media Assignment

by Assignment Desk Education Consultant

If you are a media student, you surely know the importance of a feature story in your academics. It is extensive in terms of the marks it carries and the efforts involved in its completion. And while you are busy swamping other tasks, here are the ways to write a feature story in a quick and effective manner. These guidelines will serve as a one-stop destination for your search for media assignment help.

Let us start by understanding what a feature story is.

Feature Story: It is also known as people stories. The beauty of it is that it is a story which is all about the details of human elements of life, where you paint a picture out of these details on a paper for your reader in a way that it becomes alive to them.

Now it is time to learn how to write a feature story, let us begin.

STEP 1: Search for a Topic

1. Find a Persuasive Story

Taking a simple or boring story won’t fulfil the purpose here. Your story should be interesting and engaging in order to bring it to life.

2. Do an Extensive Research

Knowing the background information of your story is surely going to help in understanding the cause and effects underlying it. Along with this, it sets you up to prepare your interview questions.

3. Choose an Appropriate Class of Feature

There are various ways in which a feature story can be written. Choose the one that fits your strength of writing the best:

Human Interest (focusing on a person or group of person)
Seasonal (writing in certain time of year)
Historical (juxtaposing past and present)
Behind the scenes (insight into unusual processes or events)
Profile (getting into the window of someone else’s life)
Instructional (journey of learning something)

STEP 2: Interviewing Subjects

1. Proper Scheduling of Interview

Interviewing is the heart of a feature story as it gives you an insight into the story. However, it should be properly scheduled. Here are some tips:

Make sure that you schedule it as per the ease and convenience of the interviewee.
Schedule it for 30-45 minutes with one person. Don’t line up more than 3-5 interviews in a day.

2. Perfectly Planning the Interview

You surely can’t and you strictly should not go to take an interview without prior planning. Your interview should be pre-planned. This calls for proper research on your part as it gives you an outline for your interview question. Along with this, following points should be kept in mind:

Ask open-ended questions as they are a source of detailed information.
Go with the flow of the interview. If the answers of interviewee make you want to ask questions beyond what you prepared for, then go for it.
Ask your interviewee if he is okay with the information being recorded in audio format. If yes, go for it and if he refuses, respect his privacy.
Write down notes as and where required.
Interview as many people as possible as this increases your pool of information.
Don’t forget to thank your interviewee for his time and help.

3. Be a Good Listener

Remember that the primary aim of your interview should be to listen what the interviewee has to say rather than asking what you want to hear. To achieve this target, you have be all ears to the interviewee.

STEP 3: Writing the Feature Story

1. Draw an Outline

A great writing starts with a great outline. Therefore, make that feature story rock solid by first formulating a blueprint for the same. By considering three important factors, you can develop an intriguing outline. These three factors are- approach of your story, researched facts and figures, and the interviewed information.

2. The Do’s and Don’ts of Writing

As you write the final document as per the outline, do consider this list:

Don’t tell an event, show it to your readers with the power of words and the creative eye that you have.
Don’t overuse the quotes from your interview.
Don’t write your opinion.
Do use language that is reader-friendly.
Do double check it for accuracy.
Do add a hook to it and expand it wisely.
Do proofread.

By following the above mentioned steps and considering the points as suggested, you will surely make that feature story come to life and get you good grades.

Summary

This articles helps you learn the art of successfully interviewing people and turning facts into feature story such that your readers will love it and your professor will grade it A+.

Author

Marie Claire is a assignment assistance provider at Assignment Desk. In her leisure time, she likes to take her pet for a walk.