Feature Writing Handout
Feature Writing Handout
Feature Writing Handout
LEADS
Leads
The opening sentence must grab and
hold the reader's attention by using
specific, interest-arousing words.
Leads
The lead must catch the spirit of the story
and create the proper tone: serious,
sarcastic, ironic, flippant, melancholy.
Leads
▪ Can be and often are longer than one
sentenc
▪ Your chance to grab the reader's
attentio
▪ Should be specific to your stor
▪ Should not be filled with cliches
▪ Should be in third perso
▪ Must fit the mood or tone of the story
e
Narrative - tells a story
On senior Alicia Brigg's two-hour trip with her parents to church, she
turned around and noticed that in the back of the Suburban all her bags
were packed
“All of the sudden, I realized I wasn't going to church; I was on my
way to the airport,” she said. “I started screaming, crying and swearing at
my dad, trying to figure out what was happening.
That's when her dad told his 17-year-old daughter he had put her up
for adoption.
.
Descriptive
It's too disturbing to watch the big screen TV at his cousin's house. Too soon.
Too real
Instead, using his index fingers, Joshua Joseph twiddles a Dove soap box, the
one he used to scribble telephone numbers on when he was evacuating
He flips the box around. There's his girlfriend's number
Backward
His best friend's digits
Forward
His coach's number
This is Joseph's cell phone now. His real one is lost, somewhere back in New
Orleans along with most of his clothes, his family's house and life as he knew it.
.
Standing in the lunch line, the boy turned to April Haler and asked, “Will you
be my girlfriend?”
Then he turned to his buddy and started laughing.
Just another cruel joke on the fat kid.
April, who once weighed almost 300 pounds, is used to them. Since
elementary school she has been teased and taunted about her weight.
“I remember being called horrible names in elementary school every time we
went to the playground,” the sophomore said.
But life is changing.
_____________________________________
Startling Statement/Narrative/Descriptive
Zackary Jargowsky hates pronouns
He hates the “she” that sometimes slips out when he's playing
Quidditch with his friends, and the “it” he's been labeled by the ones who
don't understand
He hates the prolonged stares as people try to figure out what is going
on beneath his “Nightmare Before Christmas” hoodie and plaid, vertical
striped shirts — the ones the stylist said would help
.
A group of candystripers stand around the nursery, holding incubator babies. It's “loving
time.” Another young girl steps in with her mother and picks up a baby, too. She is not in a
uniform, but in a hospital gown, for the baby she holds is her own — and it's her “loving
time.
It's also time to say good-bye
“I sat in that rocker and held him and rocked him and I cried and cried and cried,”
Amber, a senior, said. “I wanted that moment to last forever so I could always hold him and
always be there for him.
“But I knew I couldn't. That's what hurt.”
”
Twist
How many children do you have
A simple question. Unassuming. Perfect for small talk
But Jim and Julie Silcock stumble
Dec. 29, 2002 flashes in front of them. And they don't know what to do
Haltingly, Julie responds. We have one son named James. He is a junior at
Princeton
But the questions don’t end there. For the past six years, they never have.
.
Another Twist
▪ Repetition (Melissa
▪ Short, punchy sentences. Fragments. (Joshua, Louis
▪ Using dialogue (adoption, Matt
▪ Mixing sentence length to set a rhythm (adopt, rodeo)
▪ Breaking the rules … starting with “And”
)
Rather than:
With America engaged in a war in Iraq, many students know U.S.
military men who have lost their lives
Leaguetown lost one of its own last month when Nicolas Barrera
was killed in Iraq.
Try this:
When Briana Barrera didn’t hear from her son, Nicolas, for a
week she knew something was wrong. Maybe it was mother's
intuition, but she knew
And when she saw two officers walking toward her door, her worst
fear was confirmed
“The officers said they were sorry to deliver the news, but Nicolas
died with honor,” she said. “Dying with honor? How does that help?
My heart was breaking. My boy was gone.”
.
• Using cliches
No cliches
Take one for the team
Life is short
What's next?
After a strong lead and an
informative nut graph
Use the Transition/Quote
formula
Senior Daniel Palacios planned to spend spring break on a relaxing fishing trip
in Port Aransas with his father, grandfather and two uncles. Instead, he spent
most of the week praying to stay alive
On the second night of Daniel's family fishing trip, his grandfather's boat
filled with water and capsized. For three days, Daniel sat on top of the capsized
boat, hoping he and his family would be rescued
“I don’t know if I have ever prayed so much in my life,” Daniel said. “I made
a few bargains with God during those three days.
On the third day, after the Coast Guard called off its search, a fishing boat
found the men
“It was a miracle,” Daniel said. “As soon as we were rescued, we all got on
our knees to pray and thank God.”
transition
direct quote
.
For example:
(Lead “Don't be mad. I took some pills,” Karen Keaton cried as she
stooped over the toilet
A few hours later, the 14-year-old freshman died after a series of
coronary arrests
(Ending) Since the death of her oldest daughter, the Keatons have found
themselves becoming more protective. “I find myself watching for
things,” Mrs. Keaton said. “I’m not sure for what. I’m just watching.”
)
.
For example:
(Lead A group of candystripers stand around the nursery, holding
incubator babies. It's “loving time.” Another young girls steps in with her
mother and picks up a baby, too. She is not in a uniform, but a in a
hospital gown, for the baby she holds is her own — and it's her “loving
time.
It's also time to say good-bye
“I sat in that rocker and held him and rocked him and I cried and
cried and cried,” Amber, a senior, said. “I wanted that moment to last
forever so I could always hold him and always be there for him.
“But I knew I couldn’t. That's what hurt.
”
)
.
(Ending) This was evident as she stated the one word that described the whole
ordeal
“Pain,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks and falling onto her
sweater.
“True pain.”
:
GQ STUDD
Great
Quotes
Strong Lead
Transition/Quote Formula
Unique Angle
On contest day …
✏ Read the entire promp
✏ Take a moment. Remember what
stands out to you. Try to use that for your
lead
✏ Reread the prompt and highlight or
underline powerful quotes
✏ Also, mark your nut graph (usually
the news peg) in the prompt
✏ Cross out any unnecessary quotes or
people
✏ Write.
.
Good luck!