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Research and reporting features
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May 25, 2008 - Posted by Sue Ferguson
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Feature
writers tend to spend much more time researching and reporting their
story than writing it. That's because to write with authority,
intelligence and a fresh perspective, you need a comprehensive picture
of your story's topic. Here are a few excellent guides and resources
that feature writers should check out
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Style and structure
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May 25, 2008 - Posted by Sue Ferguson
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As seasoned writers know, the creative side of their work demands they think about, practice and play with writing styles and structures. Much of this can be learned by heeding the advice of experts. Here are some links to theoretical reflections about, and practical tips on, the writing process.
At the same time, one of the surest routes to becoming a better writer is to become a better reader - so you may want to check out some of our favourite stories.
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Selling to, and working with, editors
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May 25, 2008 - Posted by Sue Ferguson
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Editing can be mysterious work – so mysterious that talents as indubitable as Marcel Proust, Theodor Geisel (Dr Seuss) and JK Rowling all received multiple rejection letters before finally getting an editor to pay attention to their work. Knowing what will sell in the world of feature writing, where and why is, at best, murky business. But you can demystify the editing process and exercise some control over the destiny of your work in two basic ways: by understanding what an editor does; and by perfecting your story’s pitch.
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The ethics of feature writing
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May 25, 2008 - Posted by Sue Ferguson
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In Chapter 10 of The Bigger Picture, Ivor Shapiro writes of "the seductive similarity" between feature writing and fiction writing:
Both
are rooted in careful observation, research, sympathy for the human
condition, and careful thinking. Both are characterized by writing that
paints pictures and draws the reader inward and onward by means of
scenes, plot, character development, voice, tone and point of view. And
both operate and succeed at two distinct levels—that of narrative
(where the audience asks, in the literary critic Northrop Frye's words,
"How will this story turn out?") and that of theme ("What is the point
of this story?"). But there are important differences, too—the most
obvious of which is that good journalists don't make stuff up....
Here are some works and resources mentioned in the chapter.
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Favourite features
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May 25, 2008 - Posted by Sue Ferguson
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Here are links to some feature stories that we love, Canadian and otherwise. To view many more exemplary works, search by genre, subject or award (as well as author, keyword, title and publication) at the J-Source database of award-winning journalism.
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The ethics of feature writing
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August 23, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey
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In his book, The Bigger Picture, Ivor Shapiro includes a chapter about the ethics of feature writing...
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Tyee fellowship final countdown
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June 9, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey
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With just 3 days left to donate, The Tyee's Investigative and Reporting fellowships are just $1,000 shy of the fiesty publication's $10,000 goal. The money raised will fund two stories - one investigative and one solutions-based - on critical issues in British Columbia...
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CAJ workshop: Storytelling for Broadcast
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May 19, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey
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 Storytelling is at the heart of all good journalism. "Storytelling for Broadcast", a workshop led by broadcast journalism professor Marsha Barber at the upcoming CAJ conference, offers journalists specific tools to create compelling news features and documentaries.
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edited by Sue Ferguson
This page draws together resources and information supplied by the authors of The Bigger Picture, a textbook guide to writing feature stories edited by J-Source editor-in-chief Ivor Shapiro.You’ll find a variety of web-based resources to help both the new and not-so-new journalist perfect and reflect on their pitching, reporting, researching and writing. You’ll also find links to some classic and amazing feature stories. Many of these resources are referenced in The Bigger Picture and some short excerpts of the text are reproduced below (as noted), but content on this site is updated regularly so please let us know what else we might include.
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