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TEN STANDARD ARTICLE FORMATS:The informative articles

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Feature and Column Writing ­ MCM 514
VU
LESSON 43
TEN STANDARD ARTICLE FORMATS
These are classified as articles on the basis of the material.
1. How to articles ­ easiest of articles
These articles tell the readers "What is the subject and how it must be handled?" These are considered to
be the easiest by the experts. However, layman or an immature writer cannot do this.
People like to know how things must be handled, and how issues must be tackled.
Such articles provide an answer to these questions.
2. Profile and interview articles
These are pretty common in English journalism as far as profile is concerned, whereas in Urdu, interview
is part of the routine. However, both are popular with daily and magazine journalism, but magazines take
lead.
All articles are never profile or interviews, as interviews are considered to be part of public relationship
effort, while profile can show real person according to a writer.
3. The informative articles
Most articles fall in this category in which divergent kinds of information is given. In these articles, all
subjects can be brought under discussion.
It is comparatively an easy article type for the experts, while novices avoid writing such articles.
Nevertheless, novices become experts later as far as such writings are concerned.
4. The expose` articles
An expose` is "A public report of the facts about a situation, especially one that is shocking or has been
kept secret". It is considered to be part of making the article writing most successful, but it is found less in
both Urdu and English journalism, whereas daily journalism carries this banner.
5. Personal experience, reminiscence and As-Told-To articles
All these three take most of the space meant for articles. Personal experience is popular with the novices
and new writers, while reminisces (writing about past) is covered well by senior writers. As-Told-To
(kind of interviews) is a field of everyone.
6. The essay or personal experience articles
Essay is difficult to write, as the writer cannot keep readers' interest intact. However, these are still
written by a few.
An essay is a running kind of article, and personal experience gained recent currency with English
journalists. Now it is coming to Urdu journalism as well.
7. Humour and satire articles
These articles are less attempted by all writers, and hence these are a forte of a few. Writers of humour
and satire can be counted on fingertips, while few keep on trying. In this field, the exits and arrivals are
constant.
8. Inspirational articles
These articles show wow minor and impaired people achieved high tasks, and how these people are
becoming extra-ordinary. Writers look around for such examples to inspire others for reaching the
highest. A lot of people write about such successful examples to a great length.
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Feature and Column Writing ­ MCM 514
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9. The historical articles
Journalism is current, but history is its context, and the thumb rule is `Let history flow with the current'.
Articles about historical events are written, but are mostly connected to the current ones, and historical
events are never written in isolation.
Journalism is about history, never writing complete events, but becoming part of the history for
tomorrow.
10. The Roundup articles
Activity of any nature is summed up in this format of articles. Seminars, conferences, festivals etc. are
covered for magazines, which are part of the roundup articles. These are not difficult to write if the writer
has been attending the functions.
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Table of Contents:
  1. IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE:Feature writing, Explanation of the definition
  2. SOURCES OF MATERIAL:Commemorations, Science and Technology
  3. INTERNET USAGE IN FEATURE WRITING:Be very careful, Website checklist
  4. WHAT MAKES A GOOD FEATURE?:Meeting demands of readers
  5. DEMANDS OF A FEATURE:Entertainment and Interest, Both sides of picture
  6. CONDUCTING AND WRITING OF INTERVIEWS:Kinds of interviews
  7. WRITING NOVELTY INTROS:Punch or astonisher intros, Direct quotation intros
  8. STRUCTURE OF FEATURES:Intro or Lead, Transition, Body
  9. SELECTION OF PICTURES, ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS:Sources
  10. FEATURES AND EDITORIAL POLICY:Slanting or angling feature
  11. HUMAN INTEREST AND FEATURE WRITING:Obtaining facts, Knowing how to write
  12. NEWSPAPER FEATURE STORY:The Business Story, The Medical Story
  13. THE NEWSPAPER FEATURE STORY IDEA:Conflict, Human interest
  14. MAGAZINE FEATURE VERSUS DAILIES:Feature versus Editorial, An overview
  15. WRITING THE SPECIALISED FEATURE STORY:The Deadline Feature Sidebar
  16. MODERN FEATURE AND ITS TREATMENT:Readers’ constraints
  17. MODERN FEATURE WRITING TECHNIQUE:The Blundell Technique
  18. ADVICE TO FEATURE WRITERS:A guide to better writing, Love Writing
  19. COLUMN WRITING:Definition, Various definitions, Why most powerful?
  20. COLUMN WRITING IN MODERN AGE:Diversity of thought, Individuality
  21. ENGLISH AND URDU COLUMNISTS:More of anecdotal, Letting readers know
  22. TYPES OF COLUMNS:Reporting-in-Depth Columns, Gossip Columns
  23. OBJECTIVES AND IMPORTANCE OF COLUMNS:Friendly atmosphere, Analysis
  24. WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIALS AND BASIC POINTS THAT GO IN TO THE FORMING OF A COLUMN?
  25. STYLE:General and a specialised writing, How can a columnist improve it?
  26. GENERAL STYLE OF THE COLUMN:Unified Style, Anecdotal Style, Departmental Style
  27. STRUCTURE OF A COLUMN:Intro or lead, Main body, Conclusion
  28. COLUMN WRITING TIPS:Write with conviction, Purpose, Content
  29. SELECTION OF A TOPIC:Close to your heart, Things keeping in Queue
  30. QUALITIES OF A COLUMN WRITER:Personal, Professional, Highly Educated
  31. WHAT MUST BE PRACTISED BY A COLUMNIST?:Pleasantness, Fluency
  32. SOURCES OF MATERIAL OF COLUMNS:Constant factors, Interview
  33. USEFUL WRITING DEVICES:Be specific, Use Characterisation, Describe scenes
  34. COMMON WRITING PROBLEMS:Eliminate clichés, Don’t misuse words
  35. WRITING THE COLUMN:Certain thumb rules, After writing the column
  36. ARTICLE WRITING:Introduction, Definition, Contents, Main Segments, Main body
  37. HOW TO WRITE AN ARTICLE?:It is more efficient, It is more believable
  38. TYPES AND SUBJECTS OF ARTICLE:Interview articles, Utility articles
  39. FIVE COMMANDMENTS, NO PROFESSIONAL FORGETS:Use Key Words
  40. ARTICLES WRITING MISTAKES:Plagiarising or 'buying articles, Rambling
  41. WRITING THE ARTICLE:Various parts of article, The topic sentence
  42. What to do when you have written the article?:Writing the first draft
  43. TEN STANDARD ARTICLE FORMATS:The informative articles
  44. LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR WRITERS:Libel, Doctoring Quotes
  45. REVISION:Importance of language, Feature writing, Sources of material