5 Weeks Final Writing Project
The long feature.
We have looked at feature stories. They have several parts that are different from hard news stories. A hard news story looks like this:
Paragraph One: Lead, or lede – who, what, when, where, why
Paragraph two: detail on one of the points in the lead paragraph
Paragraph three: detain on another of the points in the lead paragraph
Paragraph four: detail on a third of the points in the lead paragraph.
And so on…
A Feature looks different:
Paragraph one: the beginning of a story about an un-named person or group. They are referred to as “the boy” or “the student” or the “lady,” a vague reference.
Paragraph two: more detail on the person or group, fleshing out the story that began in paragraph one
Paragraph three – even more detail on the person or group, bringing the story to a conclusion
Paragraph four – an inverted pyramid lead paragraph, where the person or group is finally mentioned (the who) and the rest of the information in a typical lede (what, when, where, why, how) is also spelled out.
Today: Take ONE prompt from the list I’m providing and write a longer piece 4-5 paragraphs, on it. You can do it two ways:
A. You can write a typical hard news lede – who, what, when, where, why, how
B. You can write a story about the person or persons in paragraph one.
C. You can then change the references to the person in the story to a vague reference, and you then move your lead down to the bottom of the story.
Or:
You can follow the traditional feature story line:
A. what is your story (answer the prompt)
B. Have you withheld the identity of the subject or subjects of your story.
C. Write a typical lede about them in paragraph four or five.
Here is your list of prompts:
1. What current fashion in clothing do you particularly like or dislike? Explain.
2. Convince someone why music or art or computers are important in your life. Make them appreciate your viewpoint.
3. If you had $100,000, how would you spend it?
4. What is your hobby? Why do you enjoy it?
5. If you could go somewhere where you've never gone before, where would you go and why?
6. What's, if anything, would you be willing to fight or even die for? Explain your answer.
7. Is there a machine you feel you could not live without? Explain.
8. Describe your neighborhood bully.
9. Write about a baby-sitting experience.
10. Write about an enemy who eventually became your friend.
11. Write about something you desperately wanted when you were younger.
12. Describe the best concert you ever attended.
The long feature.
We have looked at feature stories. They have several parts that are different from hard news stories. A hard news story looks like this:
Paragraph One: Lead, or lede – who, what, when, where, why
Paragraph two: detail on one of the points in the lead paragraph
Paragraph three: detain on another of the points in the lead paragraph
Paragraph four: detail on a third of the points in the lead paragraph.
And so on…
A Feature looks different:
Paragraph one: the beginning of a story about an un-named person or group. They are referred to as “the boy” or “the student” or the “lady,” a vague reference.
Paragraph two: more detail on the person or group, fleshing out the story that began in paragraph one
Paragraph three – even more detail on the person or group, bringing the story to a conclusion
Paragraph four – an inverted pyramid lead paragraph, where the person or group is finally mentioned (the who) and the rest of the information in a typical lede (what, when, where, why, how) is also spelled out.
Today: Take ONE prompt from the list I’m providing and write a longer piece 4-5 paragraphs, on it. You can do it two ways:
A. You can write a typical hard news lede – who, what, when, where, why, how
B. You can write a story about the person or persons in paragraph one.
C. You can then change the references to the person in the story to a vague reference, and you then move your lead down to the bottom of the story.
Or:
You can follow the traditional feature story line:
A. what is your story (answer the prompt)
B. Have you withheld the identity of the subject or subjects of your story.
C. Write a typical lede about them in paragraph four or five.
Here is your list of prompts:
1. What current fashion in clothing do you particularly like or dislike? Explain.
2. Convince someone why music or art or computers are important in your life. Make them appreciate your viewpoint.
3. If you had $100,000, how would you spend it?
4. What is your hobby? Why do you enjoy it?
5. If you could go somewhere where you've never gone before, where would you go and why?
6. What's, if anything, would you be willing to fight or even die for? Explain your answer.
7. Is there a machine you feel you could not live without? Explain.
8. Describe your neighborhood bully.
9. Write about a baby-sitting experience.
10. Write about an enemy who eventually became your friend.
11. Write about something you desperately wanted when you were younger.
12. Describe the best concert you ever attended.