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HUMAN INTEREST AND FEATURE WRITING:Obtaining facts, Knowing how to write

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Feature and Column Writing ­ MCM 514
VU
LESSON 11
HUMAN INTEREST AND FEATURE WRITING
Human interest is hard to define. Most editors say stories about children, animals or human emotions
have automatic human-interest value. Consequently, a story about a little girl and her father combing the
city for their missing sibling has guaranteed reader appeal. So does a medical feature about a young
woman struggling to cope with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or one about a doctor at the
research hospital trying to find a cure for baldness?
Consequently, if you want to write a profile about a man who traps or frees birds for a living, you
probably have a sufficiently unusual story for broad reader appeal.
The talking bird story also has unusualness--assuming the little fellow really can muster up verbs and
nouns--as well as human interest and proximity.
Of course, you can write a feature without conflict, human interest, importance, prominence, proximity or
unusualness, but if your feature has none of these qualities, it is probably not going to be very interesting.
And dull features do not appeal to anyone except perhaps the subject of the article.
However, unusualness is extremely important to the feature writer. A university teacher who turns
junkman is, in fact, unusual. A junkyard owner who earns his doctor of philosophy degree and becomes a
university teacher is equally unusual. On the other hand, a male registered nurse is less unusual, and
probably is not worth a story. Verification is the key to deciding if a story is truly unusual.
A strong human interest feature does three things: (1) It describes an extraordinary experience; (2) it
shows how people have coped with a problem common to many people; and (3) it focuses on a timely
issue of wide regional or national concern.
A human-interest story may emphasise such news elements as relationships, drama, conflict, or oddity.
While the inverted-pyramid pattern of organisation is not common in this type of feature story, punch and
anecdotal leads can be used effectively.
Another type of features are those of human interest or human value. This is very popular source of
writing features. Such features can be written on ever-green subjects like health, family, equality between
men and women, industry, economics etc. Nowadays, many newspapers and magazines are full of
features on freedom of expression.
Understanding the human interest story
There must be something appealing to the emotions, not only of the writer but also of the readers as well.
This could be developed from a situation or an incident, but must be based on facts of timely nature.
A human-interest story entertains the reader more than informs, except for the fact that it is usually based
on facts of a timely nature. It has little news value and probably would not be published except for the
interesting style in which it is written. Hence, it entertains the reader more than it informs though it
influences a great deal, in certain cases.
It must be short and crispy, averaging between 75 to 200 words. However, it is not as such a strictly
defined parameter.
It can be written about almost anything ­ from living to inanimate ­ that is, persons, places, animals and
objects. However, it is more personal and intimate, than being objective. Hence, it is meant for enlivening
the news pages, both in make-up and content despite the fact that it is frequently based on generally
accepted truths that everyone knows what happens when young boy meets his parents after he has been
kidnapped, but people like to read about emotions.
It is not necessary that it must be a story of an ordinary man; rather he achieving an extra-ordinary feat is
better, while the extra-ordinary person cannot be erased from this list.
Obtaining facts
The feature writer must develop a habit observing keenly and of being intellectually curious. He must
learn to think of interesting little happenings, and registering them, both in his mind and notebook. He
must also recognise particular sources of human interest, that is, any unusual situation or incident, which
can touch emotions by arousing interest or sympathy.
Any major news event can have a human-interest angle.
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Feature and Column Writing ­ MCM 514
VU
Knowing how to write
Think before writing by outlining the order in which you will present the facts, and from where to start
and finish, may be closing either with a surprise or dialogue, as most of the human-interest stories follow
the regular pyramid order. However, it is advisable that following a narrative or chronological order is
better because most of the human interest stories follow this order, whereas some stories follow a
combination of the pyramid and narrative orders.
Now the question is:
How many angles could be made possible? The writer must determine the emotions to which he wishes to
appeal. As such stories are short, the writer must appeal to only one emotion.
The writer must try to present a story in original way to hold the readers' interest. Secondly, it must be
written for a particular reader, not for everyone and any one as it cannot be consumed and understood by
all.
Avoid presenting the story in the form of a condensed synopsis, as it will not let the reader become
involved in the situation. A reader must become part of the event if the story is to be really successful.
However, try to build the story on one full-length scene, by not using too many details, and must be
bringing up few characters. Also avoid summary, if possible!
The writer can use `Direct quotation', as the more familiar the quotation is, the more interesting it will be
for the reader.
The usage of a question, striking statement, verses or quotation, paradox, contrast, description and literary
or historical allusions (more familiar the allusion is, the more it will be interesting for the reader) can be
pretty useful in making the story interesting. Succinctly, novelty intros are the key to hold the readers'
interest. However, do not give away the point of the story too soon.
One must be following the lead or intro with concrete, actual and solid details. Try to include some
dialogue if possible as the story becomes more personal the readers will hear the persons speak, and the
story looks more interesting.
The writer must be building suspense if he can, but it must not be over done. He must avoid telling too
much of a story, and try to explain just enough of a point to suggest the rest to the readers, as they like to
associate their own experiences with what they read.
The writer must never try to moralise, as it is all up to the reader to give meanings to the story.
He must use devices of the fiction writer to hold readers' interest by using simple, specific, exact and
colourful words, and short sentences. Hence the generalisations must be avoided, as the stress is on
`individualise the typical'.
However, do not sentimentalise or over-write something, besides avoiding triteness, lack of clearness and
verbosity.
Re-writing the story
If there is a need to re-write the story, it must be done by eliminating the following writing faults:
1. Stodginess (Boring)
·  No unfamiliar in the familiar
·  No phrases that hit off the ideas in ways that are different
·  Clichés, platitudes, standard verbal equipment
2. Verbosity (Using too many words where a few can do)
Too many verbal stimuli for the required effect, inducing weariness, tempting readers to skip
3. Circumlocution (An indirect way of saying something, especially unpleasant)
The stimulus always coming, never arriving; hence the reader is always uncertain, impatient and
irritated.
4. Lack of clearness (Clarity in communication)
·  Involved phrases
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Feature and Column Writing ­ MCM 514
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Long sentences
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Ideas badly arranged
5. Lack of dramatic quality (Novelty)
·  No luring quality
·  No awakening of the readers' curiosity
6. Abstractness (Nothing concrete in words)
·  No vivid pictures
·  Slips of the mind
7. Absence of rhythm (Flow of expression)
·  Nothing which carries on
·  Jerky
·  Disordered
·  Clumsy
8. Monotony of rhythm (Triteness)
No variety
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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