Feature Writing (MC4382L)

Spring 2015

Instructor
Dr. SusanWeill

Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the technical expertise, research methods, interviewing skills and narrative techniques pertinent to feature writing. The course also explores how to target a feature story to a specific audience and how to submit feature stories for publication to newspapers and magazines.

Learning Objective:

The objective of this course is to instruct students in the art of feature writing, including how to gather background narrative, how to select sources to interview appropriate to a feature and how to use Associated Press style.

Learning Outcomes:

When you have successfully completed this course, you should be able to:

  • Identify feature ideas that are relevant to contemporary news
  • Apply the values and concepts critical to accurate, interesting feature writing in a global, multicultural society
  • Understand the importance of using culturally diverse sources in feature writing
  • Identify appropriate sources of information for feature writing, including a strategy for incorporating diverse sources to accurately reflect a community
  • Apply appropriate interviewing techniques in gathering information for a feature story
  • Apply Associated Press Style rules in feature writing
  • Demonstrate skills necessary to interview sources for a feature story

Scope and Nature of the Course
Many students who sign up for Feature Writing think features are simply news reports that include more description and more dialog. That is true to some extent. But while features are referred to in journalism as soft news, what this means is that features are usually about everyday events that have a “hook” to a hard news story. An example of a feature story would be a profile piece on a soldier who has safely returned from a war zone. Daily reports on the war are hard news. A story about the soldier is soft news, or a feature.
Features are also written in a different structure than hard news. Whereas a hard news story follows an inverted pyramid format, features are literary nonfiction, meaning the writer’s narrative style is more a storytelling style than regular news reporting. The information-gathering skills are similar for both, but it is the flexibility of focus and narrative style that creates a work of literary nonfiction known as a feature.
The technical expertise gained through this course involves journalistic practices discussed in the required readings and applied through the required coursework. The Pulitzer Prize-winning features of Rick Bragg provide examples of features considered exceptional by judges with extensive journalism experience. Think of these stories from the perspective of a student of music who listens to the great masters in order to become a great musician. By reading great works of feature writing, you learn what is required to become a great feature writer.
The research skills practiced through this course include the use of the Internet to locate information through databases and library holdings. The Internet has opened the world to exploration and made research much easier and faster, but feature writers use it as only one of their tools.
There is still no better way to collect information for a good feature than interviewing people and carefully scrutinizing and describing the scene of a story. First-hand experience and observation are the core of a great feature.
The narrative techniques examined and used in this course include the various storytelling styles acceptable for feature writers, including first-person (I, me, we) and third-person (she, he, they). The features assigned for reading and evaluation provide examples of the wide variety of narrative voices used in feature writing. Hopefully, by the time you complete this course, you will have a firm grasp on your own unique narrative voice.
Content Outline
Lesson 1: The Feature Story
What a feature story is; how to conduct research for a feature story; and how to organize the writing of a feature story.
Lesson 2: Practical Issues about Features
The language of features; how to package a feature for submission to a publication; and legal and ethical consideration of feature writing.
Lesson 3: Associated Press Style
What the Associated Press style is and how to use it for feature writing.
Lesson 4: Learning to Write Features by Critique
Learn how to write a feature story by evaluating the features of a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer.
Lesson 5: Writing a Profile Feature
How to write a profile feature through background research, interviewing and the writing process. Profile features describe people and develop them as characters through dialog.
Lesson 6: Writing a Personal Experience Feature
How to write a personal experience feature through background research, interviewing and the writing process. A personal experience feature is usually about an adventure, such as a life-threatening or life-changing event.
Lesson 7: Writing a Travel Feature
How to write a travel feature through background research, interviewing and the writing process. Travel writing can be about an exotic adventure or driving down a country road. Travel writing is detailed and colorful.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is your decision to writeeithera roundup/service featureORa report/explanatory feature for your feature #4.Be sure to read through bothLesson 8andLesson 9before you decide.

Lesson 8: Writing a Roundup/Service Feature
How to write a roundup/service feature through background research, interviewing and the writing process. A roundup/service feature is primarily consumer information about a specific topic, such as goat farmers, good fishing holes or nursing homes in your community.

Lesson 9: Writing a Report/Explanatory Feature
How to write a report/explanatory feature through background research, interviewing and the writing process. Report/explanatory features focus on one topic and are the most widely published of all features. They are investigative stories on topics such as seatbelts or vegetarian diets.
Required Materials
The books used in this course are also used on campus. The required texts for this course include the following:
Kramer, Mark and Wendy Call, eds.Telling True Stories, A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University,New York: Plume, 2007. ISBN 978-0-452-28755-6.

This book is widely available and reasonably priced (about $10).

AboutTelling True Stories: I selected this book for the course because it not only addresses the issues we all face as writers of nonfiction, but it is written by acclaimed writers of nonfiction so you get exposed to the various styles of other writers. This helps in developing your own narrative voice.

As stated in the preface of the book: "Writing well is difficult, even excruciating, and demands courage, patience, humility, erudition, savvy, stubbornness, wisdom, and aesthetic sense--all summoned at your lonely desk.Telling True Storiesoffers a step-by-step guide that can help you at every stage, from idea to publication. This anthology includes advice from fifty-one respected writers who are among the most experienced practitioners of narrative nonfiction in the country."

Bragg, Rick.Somebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Bragg. New York: Vintage Books, 2000. ISBN 0-375-72552-0 (Purchasing this book is not required, as the stories you must read for this course are also available in thePulitzer Prize online archives. Bragg won thePulitzer in 1996.)
A good dictionary (onlineis acceptable).
A thesaurus (lists of words with similar meaning). Your word-processing program thesaurus is acceptable oronline.

Writer's Market, current edition (recommended, but not required)

Course Procedure
The five assignments for this course must be completed in order. You may not submit an assignment until any previous assignment has been graded and returned to you. The reason for this submission restriction is that each assignment builds on the one before it, and you may receive essential instructor feedback on your graded assignment.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When your assignments are returned, you receive an email from TRACS. When you go to that assignment, be sure to scroll down toAdditional instructor's comments about your submission.

Be sure to set reasonable expectations for your own progress in order to meet the assignment deadlines. Following the Course Schedule & Due Dates in the Get Started lesson will help keep you on track. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS ARE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL.
Reading Assignments
All lessons incorporate reading assignments, and the bulk of the reading occurs in Lessons 1-4. In Lessons 1 and 2, you readTelling True Stories. Lesson 3 coversThe Associated Press Stylebook, though you are not required to purchase this book for the course and can access it online through Alkek Library. In Lesson 4, you read stories fromSomebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Braggand then write a critique. The assigned stories are also available in the 1996Pulitzer Prize online archives.
In Lessons 5 through 14, you read assigned portions of chapters inTelling True Storiesin order to gain insight into how to structure and write your own features. Each of these lessons culminates with your submission of one of your four required features.
Assignments
The assignments in this course are three types:

  • A critique of four features from Somebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Bragg; and
  • Four feature stories you will research and write.
  • Discussions you post related to your Bragg analysis and your four feature stories. You must post your discussion before the related assignment is graded. See the posted Discussion assignments through the Discussion link on the left sidebar of this TRACS site.

To help you plan your progress throughout the course, read through theCourse Schedule & Due Datesbefore you begin the coursework so you are aware of the deadlines for the assignments. LATE ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL.
All assignments will be submitted online via TRACS.

The critique you write of four assigned stories inSomebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Braggincludes an evaluation of the research methods, sources and writing style used by Bragg, and helps you see how the effective use of all three creates award-winning features. (The required Bragg stories are also available in the 1996Pulitzer Prize online archives.)
Each of the four features you write must be 800 to 1,200 words in length. For each feature, you are required to submit a pitch, interview notes, a short discussion of challenges you faced while researching and writing each feature, and the feature itself. Instructions for submitting each of these items are included in the course content.
Beforeyou write each feature for this course, you must fill out and submit a Feature Proposal and Sources Pitch Form. This is how you will "pitch" your story idea. I will review your pitch and return it with suggestions. Only after I have approved your pitch should you begin drafting your feature.

YOU NEED TO TAKE A SELFIE PHOTO WITH ALL FIVE PEOPLE YOU INTERVIEW WHEN YOU INTERVIEW THEM FOR EACH OF YOUR FEATURE STORIES. THOSE PHOTOS ARE INCLUDED WITH YOUR INTERVIEW NOTES FORM.Here are the instructions forhow to insert a photo into a Word document, such as the Interview Notes Form.

Interviews must be conducted in person. No email interviews or telephone interviews.

IMPORTANT NOTE:Feature stories that you wrote for another class, or published, should not be submitted for the assignments in this course.
Each of your four features should be typed or word processed in the following format.

  • Double space the feature on letter-sized paper.
  • Leave 1” side, top and bottom margins.
  • On the first page of your features, type in the top left corner the following information:
  • Your name
  • MC4382L
  • The date
  • The feature number and type of feature (#1, Profile; #2, Personal experience, etc.)
  • The word count (example: Word count 990) Your word-processing program can give you a word count (use the Tools tab in Word).Remember, 800-1,200 word length required.
  • On all other pages, include your last name and the page number in the top right-hand corner. (Word-processing programs will insert headers with page numbers, and you can include your name in the header.)
  • Use a 12-point Times or Times Roman font.
  • Be sure to use Associated Press style as discussed in Lesson 3. Most publications that accept freelance articles will send you a Style Sheet if you request one.
  • Save as .doc, .docx, or .rtf.

Note: Your features should be free of grammar and spelling mistakes, so proofread carefully and run a spell check of written assignments through your word-processing program.
When assignments are returned to you, keep them (in either digital or printed form) in a folder or portfolio. You need to have previous assignments for reference, particularly the edited ones with my suggestions for revisions.
Grading Criteria
Industry standards are utilized in grading your four feature stories:

  • Stories publishable as written receive 90 to 100 points (A).
  • Stories publishable with only minor revisions receive 80 to 89 points (B).
  • Stories publishable after major revisions receive 70 to 79 points (C).
  • Stories not redeemable by an editor receive 0 to 69 points (D or F).

IMPORTANT NOTE: I believe in rewarding effort in writing classes, so if a story is not quite publishable as submitted, but I can recognize the effort you put into it, I take that into consideration when assigning a grade.

The critique of assigned feature stories and the features you write are graded based on the percentage scale for grades as follows:
A: 90-100 percent
B: 80-89 percent
C: 70-79 percent
D: 60-69 percent
F: 59 percent or below
Final Grade
All assignments must be submitted before a final grade is assigned. Assignments must also be submitted in correct order. They are weighted as follows:

Assignment / Percent of Final Grade
Bragg Critique / 20%
Profile Feature / 20%
Personal Feature / 20%
Travel Feature / 20%
Roundup/Service
OR
Report/Explanatory Feature / 20%
Total / 100%

IMPORTANT NOTE:I reserve the right to raise or lower a grade by as much as 5% in response to conspicuously high or low levels of participation in Discussion.

Students with Special Needs
The Office of Distance and Extended Learning is committed to helping students with disabilities achieve their educational goals. A disability is not a barrier to correspondence study, and we strive to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals in coursework and test taking. Students who require special accommodations need to provide verification of their disability to theOffice of Disability Services, Suite 5-5.1 LBJ Student Center, 512.245.3451 (voice/TTY). Students should then notify theOffice of Distance and Extended Learningof any disability-related accommodation needs as soon as possible to avoid a delay in accommodations.
Faculty-Student Contact and Communication
According to “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education,”faculty-student contact is very important. Even though this is an online course, I encourage you to contact me if you have any concerns, questions, or problems. You are welcome to email me. My policy is that, except during non-holiday breaks or announced away times, any email I receive between Monday morning and Friday at noon will receive a reply within 24 hours. Emails received between Friday at noon and Sunday night will receive a reply on the next business day.

Free Tutoring Resources
A variety of free tutoring resources are available for students. Freeonline tutoringfor writing-related assignments is available from the Texas State Writing Center. Additionally, free in-person tutoring is available from theStudent Learning Assistance Center (SLAC)on the fourth floor of Alkek Library.

Academic Honesty
TheTexas State Academic Honor Codeapplies to all Texas State students, including correspondence students. The Honor Code serves as an affirmation that the University demands the highest standard of integrity in all actions related to the academic community.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State commits itself to the preparation of mass media professionals. Such a mission demands the highest standard of academic honesty and integrity. Violations of academic honesty, including but not limited to plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, collusion, deception, conflict of interest and theft, are not tolerated and can lead to severe penalties. Disciplinary actions for violations of the standards for academic honesty are outlined in theTexas State University Academic Honesty Statement, printed each year in theStudent Handbook.
Plagiarism: Presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own. Don't do it. Plagiarism on any writing assignment in MC4382Lresults in zero credit on that assignment.

Frequently Asked Questions
How will assignments be submitted?
All assignments must be submitted online in TRACS. Instructions for submission are included in the course.
May I submit more than one assignment at a time?
No. In this course, skills build from one lesson to the next.
How long does it take for a graded assignment to be returned to me?
Allow 5-7 business days for each assignment to be graded and returned after the due date.
May I meet with my instructor for extra tutoring?
The expectation is that students taking an online course are comfortable enough with the course subject to work independently to complete the course. However, you may submit questions related to course content to me via e-mail. I am also available for Skype conferences by appointment. Email me to arrange an appointment.

Students are also encouraged to utilize the free tutoring resources previously mentioned in the syllabus.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

TRACS Support

If you have questions about TRACS, click TRACS Facts on the TRACS login page. Then click theFor Studentstab at the top of the page. The TRACS Facts site contains training documents, tutorials, and tips on using TRACS. If you are unable to find an answer to your question in TRACS Facts, contact the ITS help team by email at , or by telephone at (512) 245-5566.