Five Tips for Great Feature Writing
From Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer Michael Vitez 
Greetings students!
Thomas McHale, an English teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, who is passionate about good writing, has asked me to provide five tips for feature writing. I’ve been a feature writer most of my professional life, and these following tips have served me well. I hope you find them useful.
1) Show, don’t tell.
Anyone who reads my stories will see that they rely heavily on telling details and quotes. My goal is always to create an image in the mind’s eye of the reader, to let him see. I do this by trying to create scenes, by observing the subjects of my stories doing what it is they love. The best quotes often come not from direct interview questions, but from observing the subject of my story interacting with others. Let’s focus on the story at my website, www.michaelvitez.com under “my favorites” titled Penn’s Greatest Success Story. It is about a custodian named Dan Harrell. He is in charge of the Palestra basketball arena, and also had spent ten years working on his undergraduate degree and was about to graduate in his 50s. I chose to focus the story around his busiest and most exciting day — the last home game of the basketball season — against Princeton. You can see all of my five rules put to good use in that story. For this particular rule — show, don’t tell — I point to the ending of the story. I let the reader see. This is my favorite ending of any story I’ve ever written.
If the link to the story doesn’t work for any reason, read it in a Word document by clicking on the link below.
The Greatest Penn Success Story.doc
2) Spend the time.
This is bedrock and fundamental. Too many feature writers in America today are in a hurry, and don’t appreciate the value of spending the time. Well, you won’t get the scene you need, or the details, or the quotes, to make your story powerful and the best it can be if you don’t spend the time. Good writing depends on good reporting. When you spend the time, gather the great quotes and telling details, gain a certain level of confidence, then you can write with voice and passion and authority. I repeat: good writing depends on good reporting and good reporting takes time. Going back to the story on Dan Harrell, the custodian _ I waited a few weeks to do the story, because I wanted to base it on the day of the Penn-Princeton game. I was there by 5 a.m. when he arrived to sweep and mop the Palestra floor, and I was with him all day, even when he took a break to do homework, and back at night for the men’s and women’s games. I was with him probably 14 hours that day, and it was worth it. Had I not been with him earlier in the day, when he was cleaning the locker rooms, and putting little cards into the lockers of the seniors, I wouldn’t have understood the impact of what I saw later that night, which led to my favorite ending of all time. A good feature writer will only use his best stuff, and throw away the rest. Feature writing in one sense is very inefficient — you’re spending a lot of time — but the outcome should make it worthwhile. This is all relative. Some features require months of work, others all you have is a few hours. But don’t take the shortcut.
3) Prepare in advance.
This is important for several reasons. It is insulting to the people or person you are writing about if you show up and are clueless about the subject of your story. He isn’t going to like you, trust you, open up to you or take you seriously if you haven’t done your homework in advance. So read up or do some interviews in advance if you can. Also, in a feature story like my profile of Dan Harrell, I knew that I was going to make the day of the Penn-Princeton game the basis of my narrative, the heart of my story. So that day I wanted mostly to observe, see him in action, stay out of my own way. Of course I asked him questions throughout the day, but these were mainly in response to things I saw him do or heard him say. Well in advance of the big day, I interviewed his wife and daughters by phone, interviewed a couple of his professors, and sat down with him to talk about his course work, etc. You can see how I wove all that stuff seamlessly into the story. By the way, I thought the beauty of this story was that he wasn’t just a custodian but a student, and that’s part of what made this profile so good and different, I thought it was important to focus on that aspect. In fact, the editor wanted me to start the story with something from his academic life. All of which leads me to rule 4.
4) Follow your gut
The world will knock you down. Editors will say your ideas are stupid. You will struggle in the middle of your stories, wondering why you chose this idea, uncertain how it will end up. Have faith in your idea. Follow your instincts. And here is a corallary to following your gut: be curious about the world. A good feature writer must be interested in the world, see things and find wonder in things, be willing to talk to anyone, ask questions that might seem embarrassing but are necessary. Essentially what I’m trying to say is have no fear. Pursue what you think is a great idea. Because if you love the idea, your passion will come through and there is a good chance the reader will love your story, too. But if you are bored with your story, not interested in it, how do you expect the reader to care? So don’t be embarrassed or intimated. Go for it!
5 Write soon, and tell the story to your keyboard first.
This is a practical tip I learned the hard way early in my career. When I was starting out in journalism, i covered cops and courts in Portsmouth, Va. I was a suburban kid and this was a poor Southern city — a completely new experience for me. I’d often come back to the office filled with wonder and awe at what I’d seen. My editor would ask me about my story, and I’d tell him with all my enthusiasm and detail. Then I would write the story, and he’d inevitably be disappointed, crushed. The story I had written in now way resembled the story I had just told him. I learned that I tell it best when I tell it first. And editors and readers respond best the first time they hear it — so let them read it first! When I come back from a story, or, for instance, after I’d spend the day and night with Dan Harrell at that Penn-Princeton game, either late that night, or first thing in the morning, before speaking to anyone, I sat down at the keyboard and wrote. I might write stream of conscious, just getting it down in story form, and go back and check the quote and details from my notes once I got the basic draft down. When I’m doing stories that I’ll work on for months, I also write scenes and critical moments right away, while fresh, when the story is still pouring from my fingertips. If you wait a week, or maybe a few days, or even a few hours, the memory and enthusaism will fade. This is not necessarily true for news stories, or complicated budget stories. Talk to your editor, figure out the news angle that’s best, or make sure you understand the critical components. But for scenes and feature moments, tell the story to your keyboard first — and soon!
Hope this helped you all.
Best,
Michael Vitez
staff writer, The Philadelphia Inquirer
author, Rocky Stories: Tales of Love, Hope and Happiness at America’s Most Famous Steps.
winner, 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism
Filed under: Uncategorized
To make my story the best it can be I have to follow Mr. Vitez’s advice and go with my gut. I need to put the right information where and make my story as well organized as possible. I think the most important piece of information that I learned from Mr. Vitez’s tips were to show not tell. Having the reader feel like they know the person in the feature story after they are done reading is what I would want. Details are extremely important to all stories and can really attract the reader.
To make my story the best that i can possibly make it, Mr. Vitez’s advice goes a long way. I think that i will use his follow your gut advice because i do feel that people lack a sense of it. I think it’s important to ask whatever question you may need to in order to make your story good.You must not have fear in order to come out with a good story. I think what makes an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and writer varies to how much time and dedication the writer puts into it. If the writer works as hard as they can and puts details and interesting facts in, the reader is going to feel good when reading the story. It all depends on how much work the writer puts in; If the writer doesnt care much, it’ll show through their work. Details are extremely important to all stories and when used properly and wisely, the reader may become very intriegued to the story.
To make my story the best it can be, i will follow my gut. If i feel that a certain piece of information should be added to my story or removed to make it better, i will add it or take it out. I am the same age as my readers, so i want to make the story interesting. I can use Mr. Vitez’s advice or writing as a model because if i like a way that one of his stories are writen or how he put it together i could use it as a model and try to make my story similar. I think that what makes a good feature story from the perspective of a reader is the story has to be interesting and grab your attention. It also has to effect the readers life in some way. From the perspective of a writer, i think an effective feature story will stand out to you and you find that you are interested in it. I find that your work is your best when you are writing about a topic that you are interested in.
I really enjoyed the feature story Mr. Vitez chose to add to show a good feature story. The advice Mr. Vitez gave will stick with me while I’m writing my feature story, especially the part about following your gut. In other english classes where I’ve had to write papers, I have gotten stuck in the middle of the paper and whish I chose a different topic. To make my story the best it can be, I’m going to add a lot of detail to show and not tell the story because that is what makes a great feature story, when the reader can see what’s happening in thier mind.
The feature story that Mr. Vitez wrote was very enjoyable to me. After I was done reading it I felt as if I knew the guy and it made me think about the person I would like to become. Tip number 4 and 5 helped a lot. I am planning on uysing those for my story. Tip 5 is extremely helpful because when I get done looking up information or interviewing, I feel as if i am done; like i have done my work for the day and i will coninue it at another time. Tip 5 is a big helper for me. I am planning on giving much detail and having the readers feel that my paper is a good bit of advice and an eye opener, since it is on “How the Holidays affect students both acidemically and physically.”
In order to make my story the best it can be, I am going to follow all of Michael Vitez’s advice.The one advice that really stood out to me was to spend time on the story. This piece of advice stood out to me because there are many times in journalism where I feel that I have to rush to get my stories done. Although I cannot take forever to write a story, I have to spend enough time on it in order to tell the story passionately and confidently. The “follow your gut” advice also stood out to me because it taught me that I have to have confidence in myself. If I think that the story is going to be a good and interesting topic, then I should write about it. In order for a feature story to be the most effective for a reader and a writer, it must talk about specific people. For example, a feature story about football fans in general is very boring and it offers little new information. However, a feature story about a specific fan whose life revolved around football would make an effective feature story.
I personally really like the story about the janitor from Philidephia. It was a great example of how hard some people work and the great things that eventually come to them. He is a real inspiration, and deserves more recognition than this one article gives him.
-To make my story as good as it can be, I want to really capture the audiences attention. I want them to be interested in what I have to say, and make them not want to stop reading the article.
-To make a good feature story, you need a human element. Something that really hits home. The writer will be encouraged to present it as best he can and the reader wil be intrigued by it.
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Personally, I did not get to see the story. I believe was broken. However I find Mr. Vitez’s article on writing to be very informative. From now on I tell my story when it’s done and trust my instincts on it. I could write more but I have no example to work from the file is long gone.
I think each piece of advice is crucial in writing an effective feature story. In my opinion, the most important part is tying each aspect together, the unity of all of them. Background information and spending the time to prepare in advance is where it all begins. If you are aware about the person you are interviewing then you’ll be more confident in approching them with out of the ordinary questions. The piece of advice that I think I most need to focus on is the last one: telling your keyboard first. Sometimes it is hard not to talk about and get distracted after an interview. All of the advice is really useful and I’m glad that I had the opportunity to read it. The story about Jordan was really moving and it showed how in depth and detailed the interviews and planning was.
This is very helpful especially since I am the Arts & Features editor for my high school newspaper The Student Voice. I’ve read other stories of yours and they are very captivating, vividly depicting the character with only words. However, I have some questions about the tips and just about my personal experiences with feature writing:
Some times too much detail can be overwhelming to your piece. However, all the information you get from observing and interviewing a source may be so good that you don’t know where to start or what to cut out of for story. How would you handle this?
Since I am a reporter/editor for the school newspaper, there is a limitation on the amount of time you can spend with a source because of other classes. In addition, the paper’s production is every month, but between productions we learn about journalism. During production, everyone plays at least a little role in every part of its editing and creation. This leaves only about two weeks to actually submit a draft and final. What would you suggest feature writers do in this time span?
Gwen Baxley
The Student Voice
University Academy CHS
Jersey City, NJ
Thank you very much Mr.McHale, I liked the article. The part I liked most was rule number five. I recently wrote an article about Public Schools and found that when I just simply began to write rather than speaking to many people about how I should swing it I found that writing it was way easier. I also agree with rule number two. Spending time on articles is something that I have done and need to do more of. My one question though is, being a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, do you still wonder if the stories you write are good when you finish?
I am thinking Mr. McHale for asking Mr. Vitez for the 5 tips for Great Feature Writing. It really helped me. The question however is directed toward Mr.Vitez.
I really enjoyed the feature story Mr. Vitez chose to use as an example. Out of all of his advice, I have learned to stick to my gut. It is important to ask whatever questions you may need in order to make your story good. I think from the persepective of the reader, you need to grab their attention and lure them into the story. You want to write about something that interests you as well. If you write about something that is boring, your reader will most likely think it is boring too. If the writer really works hard to get all the information they need, and incorporate details, then you are looking at a great final outcome.
This was one of the most helpful and in depth stories i have read and the 5 tips could not have been any more right. I believe that you do need to show and not just tell, and that students need to be able to vindicate the position that they take. The tip i found most helpful and I am sure other journalists will agree with is going with ones gut. People can tell you like you said your ideas are stupid but nine times out of ten most people would like to read about and idea someone is passionate about. If your gut is telling you its a good idea then believe it is and like you said Mr. Vitez put time into your reporting. Prepare your story to show the the people that turned there nose at you that you were right and its a great feeling to say “hey you were wrong.”
Thanks for the tips they were really helpful to me considering that this is my first year taking journalism. I really agree that show dont tell is a great story tip because it gets the reader more engage in the story and graps their attention to make them want to read more. it helps paint a picture in the readers head about what is going on. I also like the idea of following your gut because i have spent hours just rewriting the lede to my sports article because i was not sure if i could write what i wanted to write. I discovered that my story flowed better when i just sat down and wrote when i didnt stop and reread to make changes in between. Even though you write feature articles my advisor said that sports and feature are alike, so what advice would you give to a sports writer to make to story engaging and to open up with interesting ledes?
When it comes to Mr.Vitez’s advice, I found the part about spending time to be very helpful. I think many journalists are just in a rush to make a deadline that they lose passion for writing their story.It is important to develope a good angle and have supporting quotes to enhance your story. As far as the connection with the people that you are interviewing, it is essential that they trust you and you take time to build a relationship. The best results seem to come from taking your time and plannig ahead. All this advice is definitely important when writing your feature story.I’ll be sure keep this in mind when I’m constructing my story.
You all have some great comments and questions.
Glad I could be of help. I want to stress a few things. Good writing is often spare, you cut unnecessary words. Every word has to tell. this is often hard for young writers (and old ones!) because you love your work. It is often much harder to write short, to be clear and concise, than to be flabby and rambling and all over. Good writing requires discipline. There is a balance between letting it just flow, but also pruning and tightening and often rewriting. Sometimes I think of a feature story like a big slap of stone. You get the story down, but then you chisel and cut and shape, and turn it into a piece of art that you are proud of, that you even love.
As for chosing a lede, as someone asked, this is sometimes easy, other times difficult. It often depends on the kind of story you’re writing — a straight news story, a narrative story, or a more conventional feature. In a general feature, you want a lede that will catch the reader, and allow you quickly to get to the heart of the story. Sometimes the lede is in your gut. You know during the reporting process that his anecdote or detail or observation just has to be the lede. Other times you’re not sure. When that happens, after a while, just take your best shot and go from there. Maybe a better lede will comet to you as you write the story, or things will become clearer about what you’re trying to say and emphasize as you write the story, and rewriting the lede becomes easier.
as for student from Jersey City, Gwen, who said she she sometimes doesn’t know what to cut or leave out — be ruthless. You make choices. Throw away the milk. Keep only the cream. Your reader is itching for a reason to turn the page, put down your story. Don’t give him one. Make it lean and powerful and fresh. Why have three people make the same point when one will do? When reporting, get three people to say it, because that gives you more confidence to write with authority, but you don’t have to quote all three.
As for the idea that you only have so much time — quit making excuses! Go back after class. Or another day. If the story’s great enough — miss one class. Life and journalism can be difficult balancing acts. Do not use your story as an excuse to miss class or to be lazy and negligent about school work. But if you know you are in the middle of a special moment, be selfish and get what you need at that moment. Your fidelity must be to your story, to making it as great as you can — relatively speaking. You all are high school students, not fulltime journalists. But my thought still stands — no excuses.
I think the most important piece of advice is # 3, perparation. Not only can it help you get more out of an inerview, but it can help in collecting facts for your story and open your mind to new ideas and angles. Preparation also goes a long way towards devleoping a good perspective. If you know the people and events involved in a potential story, you have a handle on how you might want to aproach the story. The five point process is a great model on how to plan a story and then write it. I plan to try letting my writing flow, and then go back and edit. We have to meet word count reqs. so it can’t hurt.
I think that these all are great tips but i believe that the last one for me is the hardest to follow. I think alot ofpeople other than me also have the problem of over thinking and over analyzing their piece and thinking way too much about every word they are writing. So i will use the advice given in number five and try to apply it to my own stories to make them more ‘from the heart’ i guess instead of from my head.
These tips will really help a lot. I think the one that will help and effect my write the most is the “show, don’t tell” bullet of advice. The story Mr. Vitez wrote about Dan Harrell really had a good ending because of this. I see the difference it makes using quotes instead of just telling the readers what happened when writing it out. All of the advice was good though, I’ll be thinking about all of them as I prepare and go to interview from now on because I can see how they all made such an impact on Mr. Vitez’s example story.
“Follow your Gut” I’m sure will help me through stories as well. I’ve hit that down before where I’ve questioned everything I’m doing and lacked motivation in it because I didn’t think it was going to end well.
Thank you Mr. Vitez for your help.
Mr. Vitez’s words were very helpful and inspirational to me. In particular, I liked what he said about showing and not telling. So many times have I read a piece that says something along the lines of “She was happy that she did well..yada yada yada.” It is so much more interesting to have the scene unvelop in front of you. I will try to be more aware of this when composing future stories.
I really enjoyed the piece on the janitor because even though an outsider may have looked at the man as though he was simply a janitor who decided to go to college, Mr. Vitez dug deep into the situation to reveal the hidden story. Just like he mentioned before, it is always important to follow your gut because even if it appears like the story’s a dead-end, there may be a treasure trove of ideas buried beneath it that you just have to unearth. I’m really excited to write a features piece now with a new mindset on how to approach it.
I really liked how you knew when you were going to do that profile story on janitor Dan how you knew before the Penn-Princeton game was going to be a huge part sometimes I go into my writing trying to just do it on the fly with no clear path and it helps me see that its best if you have a basis.
The story of janitor is a classic how someone persevered and overcame something. But you changed it into something more and a feeling that it could have happened to one of your elder relatives in that time. Thanks Mr. Vitez for the words of a professional in this area.
I liked Mr. Vitez’s fifth and final tip as I was able to relate to is best. I have found that latly I have had trouble telling stories or giving directions more than once. I’ve come to find the task quite daunting. If I wrote everything down first, I wouldn’t have to worry so much about that.
Numbers one (show, don’t tell) three (prepare in advance) and four (follow your gut) all were the main points that helped me. Number one helps with understanding what your reader wants to read/ look at. You want to tell your story before you give the details and scenes of the story. Three is mostly advice that is very helpful. It give you the sense that this can not just happen in one night and that time needs to be spent on it if the story is going to be worth reading. My favorite advice is number four. Now a days when you are taking a test or doing something you are told make an educated choice. In stories you can’t really do that; you either have the information for the story or you don’t.
I learned many things from reading this article that can help me further my writing into a professional type paper or essay. “Follow your gut” was my favorite piece of information because I feel that too often people write to please others and not themselves. If you follow your gut your writing will be sincere and truthful.
If you show, don’t tell you will prove valid examples, that possibly the reader can relate to. I enjoyed reading this article, for I learned several new pieces of information that will definetly help my writing in the near future.
I liked how you set this post up so easy to read and understand. I would definitely be able to use your five tips of show don’t tell, spend the time, prepare in advance, follow your gut, and rrite soon, and tell the story to your keyboard first to help me be successful in writing a feature story. I love your use of imagry and quotes that are in your articles. Everyong always wants to take short cuts to write a story but your tip on taking time gathering your information is very helpful. I plan on using your tips to write my next feature story.
I think that Mr. Vitezs tips are very helpful and after reading them I am going to take time out to prepare in advance before interviewing anyone. If you go into an interview unprepared then you wont get the right information or not enough. You always need to be thinking of extra questions, the more information the better. His tips are very clear and straight forward. I like when he talks about creating an image for the reader so that the story captures their attention. A story shouldnt be boring, if it is what was the point in writing it.
I think that these five tips are really helpful. They can be summed up in five sentences, and are therefore easier to remember. The summed up version will help remember the elaboration. I can definitely use these tips when I start to write my feature story, in addition to the Dan Harrell story. That story was very well written, and had a ton of details and quotes. You got to know Harrell through the story, even if you never met him. It was really inspiring.
From reading this article, I learned a lot about writing and the tips that Mr. Vitez. I highly agree with advice number two because he talks about spending time on the piece that you are creating. He includes how many people today hurry through writing their articles and don’t really spend time of making it the best it could be; instead, they focus more of just getting an article out to the public and making their deadlines. Spending time on the article and focusing what needs to be done will help any journalists by giving them the confidence and enough information to write the article. I think that spending time is the most important of all the other advices that he gave because it really relates and intertwine with the other advices that he gave. Spending times allows one to get enough information, prepare before hand and overall allow you to be prepared mentally that you could write this story. Mr. Vitez goes into detail with all of his advices that he gave which is helpful because it makes it clear to us, as the readers of what he’s talking about and we can get idea of what he’s trying to say.
After reading Mr. Vitez’s advice I have to say I agree with all of them. Each bullet contributes greatly to writing a good feature story. The one bullet I believe will help me the most is prepare in advance. By having any kind of background information on your subject can be very helpful for the interview as well as the writing process. This post was very easy to read and the feature story on Dan Harrell was so inspiring. The way the story flowed really gave me a great image about Dan and his connection to his studies and his work.
I’m going to follow the step Mr. Vitez gives in spending the time you need on the feature story. I’m going to try to get all my interviews done well before the deadline, because if you need to go back for more information, you aren’t scrambling in order to finish the story in enough time to meet the deadline. Also, I think there’s another message in the advice that I will use, and that is don’t do the interviews just because you need to get them done; do it because you want to do it. You want to get the most amount of information, but also get it in a format that is easy to understand. You want to ask for the information of your interviewee as how members of the public would ask those questions, and in that you get the perspective of the reader.
I think that this article was very valuable for writing leads. I think that the repeating theme in the advice pertains to the fact that time and preparation are key. I think that when writers publish material they publish something on the first or second effort. Rarely do we ever write the article before we publish it. I think that writing it helps because it helps process your thoughts on paper. Then transitioning to the computer really helps enforce your ideas.
I think that the Mr. Vitez helps me because I never prepare my writing. I sort of “go with the flow” and then proofread. Sometimes I don’t even proof read the articles as well. Another thing I like about his response is that the advice has a simplicity to it. The advice is rather well known but how he words it makes it seem more practical and easy. I will definitely use his advice when writing leads. I feel that someone who writes a story that is compelling and is writing in an intriguing way makes it entertaining and effective for the reader and writer of the story. Also when someone prepares for writing a story, the reader will notice the “polish” of the article. You can usually tell when an article is prepared before written.
1.) The steps that i will take to making my story the best it can be is using the show don’t tell method, because the story sounds better if you show the reader what is happening opposed to telling them. I am also going to prepare my story in advance and ask a lot of questions to the people i am interviewing.
2.) i can use Mr. Vitez’s advice or writing as a model because he gives great examples and it will heavily improve the clarity and quality of my story.
3.) I feel that what makes an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and a writer is showing the readers what is happening and not telling them. I also feel that it connects on a level between the two and the main point is clear and everyone understands it.
4.) My favorite point is follow your gut because i feel that way too often people do not follow their gut and then something turns out the wrong way. I also like the prepare in advance rule because it helps the writer write a story the best that they can and it makes the story more understandable to the reader.
I thought that this piece of advice was huge. I believe that reading an article or a piece of work is so important to show and not tell. It is very easy to simply tell the reader what is going on, but in order to keep the reader interested you have to find other ways to keep their attention. A great way to do this is to show and not to tell. Not only does it add to the piece of work but it makes the work go above and beyond.
I found Mr. Vitez’s five tips very helpful. The two tips that I found most helpful were tip number two, “Spend time,” and tip number four, “Follow your gut.” I think that it is very important that you spend time on writing your article. Writing a news article is a long process and it is very important that you take your time and write an article to the best of your ability. I know that from my own experience’s I have struggled with finishing articles on time, therefore not producing my best work. I know understand by better planning and taking my time I will able to produce a better article. I also thought the tip to follow your gut was very helpful. I know that I have been in the middle of writing an article and thought to myself, “Why am I doing thing?” I think it is important to follow your gut, and write about what you are passionate about. I find that when I am writing about a topic that I truly care about I create a better story.
All of the tips, are very helpful. But for me, the hardest one to follow is the last one. I always over think everything. I make so many unneeded changes the original is usually the best. I am going to try and use the advice from tip number five ‘so I can make my writing the best it can be.
In order to make the story I am working on the best it can be, I will follow Mr. Vitez’s advice and show, not tell. For my story, instead of just stating that students like block scheduling, I can show it by giving the readers an image of students going out after school because they only have homework from four classes instead of eight. I will also spend the time collecting good resources and correct information to ensure that my story is both interesting and accurate.
I can use Mr. Vitez’s writing as a model because he is very organized. His story on Dan Harrell flows nicely and everything is related, which I will follow when writing my story on block scheduling. The story on Mr. Harrell is also interesting for readers because they see him being passionate about his job as a janitor, and they want to read more. This is what makes an effective story for both a reader and writer. The story is a success when readers give it their full attention and find it interesting. The same goes for writers because a story will not be effective unless the writer is passionate about the subject. They must be interested in what they are writing about for readers to be interested.
I thought that the Harrel story was really good. The ending was really well written, and the story was definitely news worthy. The five tips were very helpful. I especially agree that it is best to use your gut when writing a story. I also, agree that you should take your time to develope the story and get it right, and also that you should write it soon while it is still fresh in your mind, and while you still have enthusiasm about the story. Whenever I write part of a story and come back to it later I feel like I am writing in a different tone, and that I am not writing as well as I was in the beginning. I feel that the story loses its flow.
To make the story that I am working on the best that it can be i will make sure that i take my time. I will also make sure that I go into my interviews prepared. I will try to only use the best information and throw out the rest. I can use Mr. Vitz’s story as a model by using it to help me write a good ending, and to help me keep the reader interested throughout the entire story. In my opinion an effective feature story to a writer is a story that gets their point across while keeping the reader interested. To a reader, I think that an effective feature story is only a story that is interesting to them, a story whose content is important or meaning full in some way.
Mr. Vitez’s feature on Dan Harrell is superb. I have never seen the Palestra or Dan Harrell, as far as I know, yet I can see him kneeling in a blue suit, scraping gum from the planked floor of a massive gym. The end of the story was as good as Mr. Vitez made it out to be. This makes his advice easy to follow, though the Pulitzer prize and years of professional experience don’t hurt.
I am particularly fond of points 1, 3, and 5. Vivid imagery is always powerful. It can turn a good story into a good article. Nothing is more important than putting an image in the reader’s mind. Otherwise, it is boring. People don’t care about someone they can’t even imagine. All other things are just tools to help better create the image.
As Mr. McHale knows, pre-interview preparation is important to me. The difference between interviewing a stranger and interviewing someone with whom you are somewhat familiar is fundamental. It is hard to imagine an interview for which the interviewer is unprepared that yields effective results.
It makes sense to tell your story to your keyboard or pen first. A story is never told as enthusiastically on its second time around as its first. It is easy to lose the original thoughts and emotions that are attached to an experience after recounting it. This seems like wise advice.
I plan to work on all of this advice in writing my feature. Specifically, I will try to begin to write my feature while I still have time to review it.
I would like to know how Mr. Vitez would handle a situation in which he does not have as much time as he would like to write a feature.
This article had great tips for me. Showing, not telling will be the hardest thing for me, it always has been. I understand what Mr vitez means by that statement, but its always hard for me to give good examples and show something.
Preparing in advance is probably what I will focus on in this story because I seem to rush a lot of things, and then the quality suffers. I want to make this story the best it can be, so I will write it with time to review it, and make the changes I need.
My question is which one woudl MrVitez think is the most important
I enjoyed this article because it was very well written and also gave me a lot of important advice that i will be able to use. I can learn to use more imagery in my writing because that is something i have trouble with. I will also make sure that i stay more organized so the reader does not loose focus.
To make my writing the best it can be, i think the most interesting piece of advice that i could use is the last one that said to “write soon, and tell the story to your keyboard first” i thought this was really good because a lot of the time writers will think too much before they write (including myself) and then the story will probably lose some of the emotion. I think it’s really important to basically free-write at first to get all the ideas down, then go back and edit and add details and quotes to make it better. I think this will help to make a better feature story because it will have a lot of emotion and capture the full effect of the story since you’re writing it as soon as you get the information.
I thought this article was very helpful. It is very well written and gives a lot of detail and advice on how to write a good feature story. It helped me realize how to use imagery in my feature story and show the reader how someone loves or doesn’t love what they do. Also it explains that you should stay organized and keep everything focused on one point so the reader stays focused on the story. I also like how he says to follow your gut no matter what the situation is.
I really enjoy reading Mr. Vitez’s work. It is kind of like reading a story, but the story didn’t take a year or two to publish, but rather was in the newspaper within a month or a week. He is very descriptive when he is writing his story and I highly enjoy reading the scenes that he creates because they are so visual and you feel like you were right there reporting with him. In my story I am going to try to create a scene like one of Mr. Vitez’s and try to add as much detail and description as I can. Even though he writes news articles, they have the feel of a story, so I am going to try to take that same angle in my feature story and see what I can come up with. By writing like this, the reader can get a very good sense of what the person or event was like, like in the story about the Penn Grad, I felt like I was standing right next to Mr. Harrell while he was cleaning the gym.
From reading this article, I learned that I should prepare my story ahead of time. I should write and describe every aspect and detail of the story so that the reader will be able to understand and visualize what’s happening.
When I first read that Mr. Vitez was leaving us 5 tips, I thought they’d be about the actual writing we do in a story. I like that the tips were not just about the writing but about the whole journalistic process as well. It goes to show that a good story can come from anyone who is prepared for it and you shouldn’t rely solely on your writing skills. I think I worry so much about the actual quality of the work that I don’t focus on the other aspects he describes in his tips. Readers only see the work you put out and not the time and effort you spent behind it, but when you read a good story you could tell when the writer worked hard on it and got good details. When reading the janitor story, Mr. Vitez got so much specific details about his life and his job that you could tell he spent a long time with him. As a writer, you know how bad your first draft was and how much you improved on your next draft and to you a good feature might just be doing the best you can do, even if others don’t like it.
I really liked the advice about planning ahead since before i interview anyone i usually plan my questions ahead. I also usually come up with follow up questions to answers that person might give.
I enjoyed reading this article because it shows a true struggle of a man’s journey. His article incorporated all of the advice he gave, especially imagery. It was almost as if you could see the squeaky, clean floor. I will have to use these recommendations in my writing. It is important to spend a lot of time on a story. Do not rush through it, or it will not be what you want it to be.
I thought it was a very interesting story. I really liked the details put into the short paragraph about the car he drove to the arena. I thought it summed up who he was and what his priorities were. He doesn’t care about looks, impressions other people have of him, etc. He wants to do his job, help other people, and reach his goals.
My favorite quote was by Coach Fran Dunphy, who said, ““He’s got a doctorate in life.” This quote, again, shows what kind of a person he is.
I think this advise will really help me write my paper, especially points two and four. I do feel like I sometimes rush with my interviews. There is definitely an advantage to taking your time, and really digging deep for quotes or specific details. Though i do take my time to prepare pre-interview, i sometimes loose my goal durring the interveiw, and let my interveiwee decide where they want to go with the questions i ask.
I also feel that going with your gut is critical. When a question pops into your head, it’s best to just ask it on the spot. Though, as reporters, we need to be respecful, it’s important to really push the subject too and get some real answers out of them.
I thought it was a really good story, because its different than most other similar stories. I think he gave a lot of good advice, and I’m going to have to work on including all of his advice into my stories. I think that I like the imagery the most in his story, as it really gave a very good impression of what it would be like to be there.
What steps will you take to make the story you are working on the best it can be?
I think the most important thing that I can try to do is his first tip, show not tell. I think it is very often that we just recite facts rather than really painting an image or scene. This can be done successfully done with many quotes, this showed me that I need to take in depth notes and write many quotes. I will also keep in mind the idea of writing it down right away! Write the story before it slips away. I will also “spend the time” It is important to put in my best effort, and follow my gut!
How can you use Mr. Vitez’s advice or writing as a model?
I can use the story model in a few ways. Many good quotes were used. I think that helped develop the character and the scene. I liked the quotes, “When you get the floors clean, and you come in here, it’s like it was the first time when you’d walk into Connie Mack Stadium and see that sea of green grass- a beauty-ful thing.” I think that this quote expresses a lot about the character, his creativity and appreciation as well as his joys. It also shows is tone or manner when speaking, for instance “beauty-ful.”
What do you feel makes an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and a writer (reference the story you read)?
I think that the story and the steps both demonstrate the idea of preparing in advance. The story had such a clear focus and was very in depth. It was obvious that the writer knew what they wanted to say and how they would say it. None of the steps matter if you don’t have an idea. As a writer, it is easier when you have an idea because you can weed out all of your bad notes or unnecessary quotes and focus on what you want to say. It makes the overall piece easy to write because you know where you’re coming from and where you’re going and ending. This is also very beneficial as a reader. I hate reading a story and thinking ‘so? what’s your point?’ or ‘what is this even about?’ I don’t take anything away from those kinds of stories because they are too hard to follow. Brandon also touched on the idea of staying focused. Without a focus, you’re story has no real meaning.
Mr .Vitez’s article was helpful. I enjoyed reading his story. He taught me that reader’s look for imagery in stories, and imagery can be helpful to make the story detailed and attention-grabbing. Mr. Vitez’s scenes are so descriptive that while reading, I felt like I was actually in the scene! In my story, I’m going to try my best to write out a descriptive scene such as Vitez’s so the reader can feel like they are in my story and living it. I feel like imagery is exactly what makes a story affective. Any descriptive words in a story is what makes it affective. Any moments in a story that makes the reader’s eyes glued to the paper makes it affective. Mr. Vitez’s work is inspirational and someday I hope to have writing skills just like him.
I found Mr. Vitez’s advice very helpful. I especially liked his fourth point about following your gut, because how can other people find your story interesting if you didn’t put any feeling or interest into it yourself? I also learned that I should write things as they come to me (point five). I always have great ideas come to me at first, but if i don’t write them down immediately I loose my train of thought.
This article contains some great tips for my writing. I really liked the advice that you should write your story ASAP, after getting all the information needed. I find it is hard if you wait a couple of days because you loose some key information. One important step I forget to take is to free write, to get all the basic details down. I always try to make the best piece I can do at the start, which is not good at all. Letting all of your thoughts flow onto paper, or computer, is the best way to not let important information be forgotten. I also will take more time preparing for interviews because going into an interview with insufficient knowledge is really awkward.
One question I have is how Mr. Vitez is how he is able to write an effective story is he is being rushed?
After reading the 5 tips written by Mr. Vitez, I learned that #3 a good reporter and writer needs to prepare in advance. I agree with him that if you don’t do your homework of finding out information on him, its like insulting the person you’re interviewing. He also pointed out if you show him you obliviously know nothing, then the person won’t want to talk to you. In his story of Dan Harrell, Mr. Vitez interviewed his wife before hand to get a idea of what he would talk about on his day with Dan. I though this was an interesting way to get into the persons personal life. I tought this was a great idea because of all the details of his family life he included in the story.
I think that this advise of preparing in advance will help make my interview with the principal more productive. First,
I would look up information on what other schools had done if they needed more days, and research an central theme that I will focus on. Also I believe that I would have a tough time with spending time because I am not good at long interviews where I have to get information.
I find Mr. Vitez’s advice on following your gut the best advice in the whole article as i often times find myself struggling with my topic and wondering why i chose it but if i stick with it and put my heart into it i can pull it all together. i will follow vitez’s advice to make my story work and i feel that it actually helped me out a lot in preparing to write my feature story.
This article is helpful on a number things. The point that stuck out the most was the show don’t tell tip. In the past I’ve just thrown information at the reader instead of incorperating it into the text. I needed to make the details flow better and the article provided shows how to do that. Make a seperate paragraph to describe more of the story. Use adjectives you need to look up. These things are essential.
After reading all of the tips, I realized that I could really improve my writing. One of the most useful tips I found was the fact that you should write as soon as possible after experiencing something, because it is still fresh in your mind. I usually don’t like to do start working until later at night, so the information doesn’t really come to mind right away. It ends up taking longer to write. Tip number 3 was also really important, because being prepared helps things move much quicker and easier. By learning a little bit about the person you are speaking with, you can come up with more in-depth questions to ask instead of asking a lot of really basic ones.
Making the story interesting for the reader is the main point to writing any kind of news article. By following the tips that Mr. Vitez outlined in his article, you can make the story better. His tips are pretty general, but by starting off the right way, you can end up with a much more interesting story.
I think all of Michael Vitez’s advice can be applied to all stories and really focus on key strategies that can make or break a story. When writing a profile story, it’s important to focus on the person you’re writing on more than anything else. A profile story must include very interesting information about your subject that you must dig up by researching and taking time to interview your subject. A good story can’t be written in one day; it’s imperative to find out who you’re observing, plan out how you’re going to approach him or her, and take the time to reiterate the most important facts about his or her life that a reader wouldn’t typically see.
I am considering righting about the blood drive, but to do that i would need to get all my information in the next two days. I might also write about study hall and the way students use their time in study hall.
i think i might pick one student who is nervous about giving blood but goes through it anyway to help others.
to make its a good feature story i think you need to be able to go through the obvious stuff and go deeper.
What are some feature topics you are considering?
I am not really sure. I think I might do something on underclassmen having to put down a deposit on their proms. Many believe it is because of the class of 2010 but others are not sure.
What steps will you take to make the story the best it can be? Like Michael Vitez of the Philadelphia Inquirer, I will have to spend the time preparing for the interview (or in the category of “prepare in advance”) as well as during the interview and then again spend my time wisely after I have done my interview (also known as “write soon, an tell the story to your keyboard first”). I am going to have to make sure that I ask the correct questions that “shows, not tell” the story as he put it.
How can you use Mr. Vitez’s advice or writing as a model?
Everything he said had importance and it was all correct. “Show, don’t tell. Spend the time. Prepare in advance. Follow your gut. Write soon, and tell the story to your keyboard first,” he said. All of this is great advice because it allows you to focus on the important parts when you are writing. You can you “show, don’t tell” when you are writing by giving examples and quotes like Vitez said. If a good writer gives the reader enough detail the reader can emerge themselves in the story. “Spend the time” is important when you are in an interview because if you rush through it, you may not get the details for “show, don’t tell” as well as if you spent the time in the interview. “Prepare in advance” is important because it allows you to get all the questions you want to ask down on paper so when the time for the interview comes you do not forget about any main points. “Follow your gut” is important in writing because if you do not do stories you truly want to do or feel passionate about, it is not going to be a good story. You need to feel something while writing it to be able to write a wonderful article. Last “write soon, and tell the story to your keyboard first” is important because if you wait too long after the interview to write it you may forget how you originally wanted to do things and your article may lack because of it.
What do you feel makes an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and a writer (reference the story you read)?
I feel that the thing that makes an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and a writer is the passion that a story can have. If it has details that makes you involved in the story and feel passionate about it, it is a successful article.
I think this article helps a lot when it comes to getting your information and putting it together correctly. My favorite piece of advice was number 4, to follow your gut. We can learn how to write, we all know how to do that. But to write well requires following your gut, as Mr. Vitez said.
One feature story that I could write about is an upcoming powder puff football game at school. If I were to write this article, I would have to interview the people who will be participating in the game and the people who are running the game. Some advice that Mr. Vitez could give me as a writer is to go with my gut. I think that is the best advice given. An effective feature story is one that grabs the readers attention.
A feature story i am thinking about writing is about title 9 is taking away scholarship opportunities to be equal with women when they are simply not as interested as men are.
The steps i would take to make my story the best it could be is seriously take the time out to do it. I usually dont think about getting background information before going into an interview. i was used to just going in and seeing what happens but thats a habit i must change.
I can use the above advice to help me write a story by using patience. he also mentioned follow your gut because sometimes i dont know how i am going to end something and it worries me.
The main thing that is effective is to just write about a story that is overall enjoyable. If it isnt a good story to report on noone will read about it
This list of tips is very helpful and shows there is great experience behind it all. You really know your stuff it’s impressive.
I’m considering doing a feature topic on a production in Flemington about the director and how she puled the whole thing together, and your most important tips in this situation would probably be numbers three and four.
I will prepare in advance by looking up the show and finding what it’s about. I already know a little about the director from past productions I’ve seen as well.
Theater and entertainment truly inspire me, and although people may think it’s a poor story idea this tip list inspired me to follow through with it and do the best that I can do with it.
For the writer, I think the key to an effective feature story is passion. If you get someone like me to do a sports story, I will be completely uninterested and the story will flop. However me writing a piece on a production will be filled with passion, and soul. Filled with details and quotes and things to make the article really pop because I care about what I’m writing and I want people to enjoy reading it.
For the reader it has to have something to hook you. Whether it be inspiration, excitement, etc. If it’s just a story about someone with nothing to offer, no one is going to want to read it.
The Great Penn Success Story- has that hook that a reader needs. At first you start off with the little knowledge of he’s a janitor and that’s boring. Then as yu get into it, you realize that his story is truly one to be admired. The hardships getting in let alone graduating as a part time 46 year old student is tough. On top of that, he raised three young girls and supported/inspired an entire team of athletes. Not to mention his spotless cleaning.
I think that these are some of the best tips I have ever received in my writing career. I especially liked the tip about being confident in your story and following your gut. I often feel like the story I’m pursuing is not something that people will want to read about. Now, I know that if I really spend time on a story and get to know my subjects, as well as write the story with a positive frame of mind and, my story will turn out just fine.
It was clear that in the story about Dan Harrell that Vitez took the time to understand his subject and become passionate about what he was writing. This passion grabbed me from the beginning, and made me kept reading all the way to the fabulous ending. I also thought it was effective to add as much description and imagery to the story as possible. I know this is one of the main reasons why I enjoyed Vitez’s story so much, and this is something I am going to consider when I am writing my own feature story.
I think that the best advice in Mr. Vitez’s article is the section about following your gut. To be INTERESTED and to be CURIOUS about the world around you is very important for anyone. For a reporter trying to find out specific information it is crucial that you go out there, ask questions, and not be afraid to embarrass yourself or ask a lot of questions.
this was very helpful.
some feature topics i may consider are of the children’s play at hunterdon central, and how traveling to younger children and exposing them to theater as well as entertaining them with good moral stories; the impact that this has on children.
or a teacher/ student at hunterdon central. or the environmental bennifits of the new rain garden project and other active ideas to create a greener school and more environmentally safe environment.
to make a story the best, i have to put in the time to write it and gather information and quotes, to fully illustrate the meaning behind it. i can use many aspects of mr. Vitez’s advice. firstly, his advice about preparation, time , and as he said “first tell the story to your keyboard” so that you ideas are fresh and flow and is new to the editor or reader.
an effective feature story hass to get the attention of the reader, has to be entertaining, interesting, and something different. something that they may not have found out or have known otherwise.
What do you feel makes an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and a writer (reference the story you read)?
The steps that I will take to make ta story the best that I can is to talk to different sources and follow the advice given by Mr. Vitez. All of his tips will make my writing far better and will make the article even more enjoyable for the reader. I think that in order to write a quality article, one needs to be able to follow their gut and spend time on the topic, that way their article will have lots of substance and you will feel confident in the piece. I also really liked the tip about showing the reader what you want them to know and not just giving them lots of information. That will always be helpful in making the article flow better and easier to follow as the reader. All of Mr. Vitez’s tips were shown when I read his features article. It was clear that he uses his own advice when writing because there was so much substance and I could easily follow and understand what was happening while enjoying the article as a whole.
You can use Mr. Vitez’s advice on writing in many ways. For one, it is clear that the reporting for his story was done well because there are so many different quotes and information that it makes the article more interesting to read. Also, in the article that Mr. Vitez wrote, it was helpful to see that he spent so mu ch time at the Penn-Princeton game with the janitor to fully understand his job and the surroundings. This is how his article truly became great because he took the time to understand his subject. Writing this way is how good journalistic writing should happen. As a reader, being interested and learning is what makes a good feature story. When I and intrigued by what is written and I am learning about the person, that is when I want to continue reading. Being a writer, I feel that reporting the most interesting but truthful facts are what makes a good article. If I have been given good and reliable information, as a writer, I would pick the information that stands out because it will most likely stand out for the reader too. For example, when Mr. Vitez wrote in detail about the janitor being the locker room preparing, it made the reader intrigued to continuing reader and it also would have be interesting as the writer because it was in the article.
Some feature topics that I am considering writing about are, the fan base of girls sports compared to guys sports at our high school. Also I would consider making our upcoming Powder Puff football game into a feature story. When writing these stories i will use the advice of spending time reporting, writing, and editing my story. I will have to manage my time for this feature story so that I can avoid that rushed feeling at the end. I will also try to incorporate as many people as I can into my story, and use many quotes to add to my story. I think a successful feature story must appeal to a broad audience, so that not only a person with an interest in the topic, but people who are not interested in the topic would like to read it. For example, in the Penn Story, it is about a sports lover and sports arena, but it can appeal to any type of audience because of the message it sends.
Mr. Vitez had many important and useful pieces of advice to tell in this article. I’m sure if i follow these pieces of advice in my next feature story i will make it a good one. To me the most important piece of advice that i think will have the greatest impact in a feature story is show no tell. I think that the story will have a greater impact on the reader if it is read to them first than told to them.
I found Michael Vitez’s step to be very good. They showed me what a feature story really needs ans the credentials that make the story great. Specifically I learned that it is actually a good idea to start writing right away. I always thought that one was supposed to wait and analyze the notes before writing but writing just to get the story down first is actually a pretty smart idea. From Michael’s tips, I found that the most important part of a story is its details and how they are presented. No reader wants a boring article that just presents details. It is important to have an article capture the reader’s attention and have story create a scene or image. Michael Vitez’s will be very helpful in writing any feature story.
The story that I am really eager to write about, is a story on a rookie politician running for office in Readington. He has always been interested in making a difference, and he believes he can do it by changing existing policies and making new ones. The rookie happens to be a fifty one year old man, Mark Berry. His roots are deep in the community being the Board of Education President for the past couple of years and has been a member for quite some time.
The steps I hope to take to make it a really good story is really get the emotional aspect of it. What drives a person to actually run for office, and how many nights one can-not sleep because of worries, or thinking about how to answer interview questions, and how crushing losing would be. I also hope to get some really good quotes so that people who read my story can gain some knowledge of what kind of person he is. Hopefully there is a certain event, or injustice done to him that influenced him to run for office, so I can paint a portrait of him to the reader.
Two of the most helpful tips that Mr. Vitez offers me is spend time, and be prepared. I hardly give myself any time to complete a story. The most I give myself is twenty minutes before school the day my stories are due. This one will be different, I will give myself multiple set of blocked out time specifically for my story. This is the only way I can assure that my story can be the best it can be. Also I don’t think I prepare myself well enough. Which means at interviews I won’t know what questions I should be asking to get them to talk about what I need to hear, which would mean I’m just wasting my valuable time and theirs and not gaining anything from the interview.
What makes an effective feature story, is something that informs yet makes one feel something emotionally. If it does that for the reader the reader will be happy for experiencing the emotion, if the writer knows he has accomplished this, then that allows him to feel great.
michael vitez has good advice, some of which i have heard before. Sticking with your gut feeling on a story is one such piece of advice. Showing and not telling is an important piece of advice that should be kept in mind when writing a story. It is important to give the reader an accurate description of the situation in the story using only the facts. Obviously the more time you spend on a story the more potential it has to be a good story that why it is so important not to rush through things. Preparation is something that we have talked about before and it is a good idea not to just jump into a story before you know anything about it. Writing when your ideas are fresh is something i have heard before and think is very important. You can lose your flow if you take your notes for a story one day and try to write it the next.
What are some feature topics you are considering?
I think I’m going to write a story about Mr. Smith’s retirement at the end of the school year.
What steps will you take to make the story the best it can be?
I will take some serious time to prepare myself with some advance work already done.
How can you use Mr. Vitez’s advice or writing as a model?
I would try to do supporting interviews before the actual main interview and I will try my best to show and not tell. I would interview past students and colleagues.
What do you feel makes an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and a writer (reference the story you read)?
I think what makes a feature story most effective is to tell it like a story and flesh it out with enriching details. In the case of Dan, the custodian. Vitez mentioned fellow students perspectives along with colleagues. They found out his past school history, plus his college major. Simple details like that flesh out the story.
Mr. Vitez gives great opinions about how to write a very efficient and successful feature story. to make a story the best, i have to put in the time to write it and gather information and quotes, to fully illustrate the meaning behind it. i can use many aspects of Mr. Vitez’s advice. firstly, his advice about preparation, time , and as he said “first tell the story to your keyboard” so that you ideas are fresh and flow and is new to the editor or reader.
an effective feature story has to get the attention of the reader, has to be entertaining, interesting, and something different. something that they may not have found out or have known otherwise. Go with your gut is very important because not that many people write with meaning or purpose. The reader will feel it more if the author writes with meaning and heart and soul. Writing soon and telling it to the keyboard is very useful as well. The sooner your write it the better it will be because you’ll have more of the details and you’ll still be interested in the subject.
Mr. Vitez’s adivce was really helpful to me. It was really helpful because it helped me to realize how to write an actually good story. I really liked his piece of advice when he said, “My goal is always to create an image in the mind’s eye of the reader, to let him see. I do this by trying to create scenes, by observing the subjects of my stories doing what it is they love. The best quotes often come not from direct interview questions, but from observing the subject of my story interacting with others.” I found these few sentences to be the most helpful.
He also said somewhere to “have no fear.” I think that’s the best advice you can get because it really would help for you to break out of the shell; to think outside of the box. Basically,I think when you have no fear, it makes things more interesting; and it’s more what readers classify as ‘unique and fun’.
I think my absolutely favorite tip from him would be when he was explaining how you should write your story before telling anyone else about it because the enthusiasm will fade. In addition, when he was saying about how if you would wait a few hours or days before writing the story about what you had interviewed, you won’t get the best story out of it. It’s the best if you write it while all the enthusiasm and thoughts and quotes are all right there in your head.
I hope that one day maybe I could be a good writer like he is, because his advice is so good.
All of these tips make a lot of sense and seem like they would all benefit when writing a story. Personally I think number four follow you gut is very important. I feel that when you follow your gut your doing what you truly think is the best. When you debate it and sometimes alter what your gut said it changes what you truly believe. Thats why I feel that is very important because it brings out the best possible story. Also I feel that the first one is very important also. To show and not tell is what brings your story to life. I keeps the reader into it and excites them. If your story is boring then who wants to read it. I don’t care if the information is so good that it will stun people. If it isn’t good to read then the reader will go somewhere else to read it because who wants to read a boring paper.
These five tips for great feature writing seemed to be very helpful. I found the part about spending time to be the most helpful. I believe many journalists are in a rush to meet a deadline that they lose passion and sometimes key information while writing their story. It is important to develop a good angle and have supporting quotes to make the story as best as possible. When writing my story I can use his techniques to enhance my story. I’ll try to take the time and try to be prepared in advance to make the story good.
I feel that the thing that makes an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and a writer is the passion that a story can have. If it has details that makes you involved in the story and feel what the writer is talking about, it is a successful article.
These five tips were very informative, i wish i had the time to read the article about Dan Harrell the custodian and part time student in his 50′s. It seems very interesting, it also seems like it is your favorite piece that you’ve written. I also like the fact that you explain how you used your tips inside the article that you wrote and stated where you used them, so if i have a chance i will go take a look and read to see exactly what you’re talking about. I am definitely going to refer back to these five tips to help me whenever i write a story now and hopefully it’ll help spice up my articles that i write from now on.
The most important thing for me to follow will be the fifth one, because I have the habit of telling people what I’m going to do, and my written word can never measure up to the first one because they’ve had the spoken one in their head.
In addition, it’s important for me to write the story as soon as I’m done accumulating notes, because if I don’t the story will leave my head.
I want to make my features story on the powderpuff football game. To make it the best I can be, I should interview various participants (coaches, players, cheerleaders) a few days before the game to know their expectations, feelings, ect., go to the game (if the due date allows) and in the article talk about what powder puff football is.
i think an effective feature story is one that features a character or an event that the writer is genuinely curious about, because then the writer enjoys writing the article, and the reader will enjoy reading the article if they can sense the writer’s enthusiasm. For example, in Vitez’s article, I could sense that he enjoyed working with Dan the custodian. Since he did, the article was written well and so I enjoyed reading it. Also, Vitez researched Dan and spent a lot of time on the article, so there was a lot of detail, which made the article more vivid.
I’m not quite sure what I want to write my story on, but whatever it may be I plan on using Mr. Vitez’s advice to follow steps. For it to be successful, I will be sure to show and not tell my story with specific details and facts. Presenting those details is a huge part of the story which is probably what I learned most from the advice. Preparing for the story is going to be difficult and time consuming but it will be worth it. Because, as the advice says, if you put in the time the story comes out a lot better. That somewhat ties in with the good advice to follow your gut which I certainly plan on doing. Because this world isn’t going to be easy on anyone it is important to try my best to zone other people out when they’re thrashing on my work or ideas. Above all, I feel that is the best advice he gave and it probably the advice that will most be seen through my future work. As long as I follow his steps, I feel like my feature stories, and all writing for that matter, will be enjoyable and successful.
Mr. Vitez has many good tips and they will all help me improve my writing. The one that will help me the most is being prepared in advance will help me the most if I already know what the person does I will have and idea of what I’m going to talk to them about.
This was really good advice, but what was really inspiring was his story. Not even the subject matter, although that was of course inspiring, but the way Mr. Vitez wove in quote and little details to enhance the plot. The ending was great, and the beginning, stating right from the beginning, Harrell’s attendance at Penn made me want to read on.
As far as advice goes, two things really struck me. I liked #2 a lot. It is so true. If someone rushes to get something done, let’s face it, it’s not going to be the best it can be. If you actually care about your story, you’re not going to mind spending time on it. And time and patience is going to give you the best story possible.
I also really like #5. Write the story down before you tell anyone. This also is so true! If you first pour your enthusiasm out into your document, all of your initial energy and passion will be there for your readers.
I am still not sure what I am going to right my feature story on, but this is sparked some ideas. I would love to do a profile story (if not now, eventually) on someone who has a great story to tell.
3 of Michael Vitez’s quotes stuck with me: follow your gut show, don’t tell and prepare in advance. These rules subconsciously go together. Personally I’m always doubting my judgment and partially that’s because i don’t prepare enough in advance. Vitez tells of how preparation effects everything about your piece; which is true. Also im not good at ‘painting images’ i often tell not show. Now i know what i should focus on improving when it comes to writing feature stories.
As far as my own feature story goes, I’m still indecisive on it. I want to explore the different kinds of feature stories before i stick to a topic because as of now i only know of profiles. But when i do I’m going to use all of Vitez’s advice.
As a whole, i believe the an effective feature story should engage the reader from beginning to end.
I think the third point of advice is the most useful. Taking time to research someone and developing great questions can get you information to write a very interesting story. If you think of questions on the spot, you will probably not learn anything you could already get from preparing. You will be spending time asking the person questions about themselves and general information instead of asking questions about what they do. The fourth point of advice seems very useful to me because I am always unsure if the topic I chose for my story is good. I never think the topic I selected will have enough information behind it to make an interesting story. If you apply the third point then you can find enough information for anything. Now you just have to go to your extinct and ask yourself if you can write a get story and that makes a good journalist to be able to identify this.
Some of the topics that I am thinking of writing about include the football game tonight and the success of the marching band in competitions. I can make my story the best that it can be by going the extra yard, getting good information, and taking time to think things through.
I need to do a lot more showing and less telling in my stories. this will make the reader more involved than if i was just laying out the facts. An effective story is one that is interesting and to the reader, includes any and all important information to the reader, and flows well from start to end.
I enjoyed the story on the custodian who became a student. As for what I might write about, I’m still considering it. For the steps I need to take, I should do some research first, and make sure I know what I’m talking about. I never like to follow others models, ad I feel it pressures me to make changes to my natural way of writing (making the end result awkward). The details of my story should make it worthwhile to read.However, he does present it quite well.
Micheal Vitez made many good tips about how to right sucessful feature stories but the one that helped me the most was I learned that it is actually a good idea to start writing right away. Before you lose your idea you should always write it down as soon as you think of it. Also, you want to make it exciting so the reader does not stop reading.
Everytime I write a story i think of too many ideas at once and i loose concrete ideas and the story does not turn out how i want it to. also, i combin ideas and it is confusing to the reader. I am going to write my ideas down right away and write it piece by piece so that i dont leave anything out.
also, alot of detail helps keep the reader on task. If the article does not interest them, they will not continue reading. I think the article should include a specific place or person to hold the readers interest.
I believe the best advice is to show not tell, and to use plenty of details. This is what I intend to do in my feature story. I, myself, find I stay interested in articles if they have a lot of imagery. As long as there is a strong picture in my head, my interest stays, and I yearn to read and learn more. I will also try to jot down as many quotes as I can, because a good quote can make the article. I will also try to “spend the time” because good note taking is another key to a good article. The more information you get, the more you have the work with, the better the article.
I think that Mr. Vitez’s tips are very helpful. He tells you what to do to have a successful story. He gave examples and he straight up tells you that you will get knocked down. It is going to happen, you’ll just have to get passed that. I could really use his advice to improve my writing. One tip that i found helpful was show, don’t tell. Sometimes it’s easier to say something rather then explain in detail and show a visual of what you are talking about. I really enjoyed reading his story. He used vivid detail and made me want to keep reading to see what else happened.
I have not yet decided what or who I am going to write about for my feature story. One thing I am trying to do is find a topic that really interests me. This stresses part of the fourth tip from Mr. Vitez which is to be interested and emerged in your story. I agree that if you don’t like the topic you are writing about, it will show to your reader and in your work. Important steps I can take to make the story the best is spend time preparing for it in advance. I think it will definitely show in your final work. I also know I need to take my time and not rush or take shortcuts. Doing that may open up the possibility of making mistakes and missing important details to the story. I believe many aspects play an important to make a good feature story for the writer and the readers. I think the most important is to make you feel connected and develop a relationship to the topic of the story. But this can only happen if the writer is connected as well. If you use all the tips above it should all weave together and make an effective, informative story.
2 of Michael Vitez’s quotes stuck with me and they are follow your gut and spend the time. Because its good to know the importance of taking your time writing a feature story and truly understanding the story you are writing about. It makes sense that if you’re going to write a feature story about someone then make sure you have all the important details and make sure the readers and the feature person feel like you really care about your article. Having faith in your own ideas teaches you to be courageous and it also helps you to be strong and stick with your own thing. That piece of advice reminded me to have no fear of disturbing the universe with the ideas i think are important.
I’m still not sure what i want to do for a feature story yet but I’m exploring my options and will definitely use Vitez’s advice because it is good and useful.
I enjoyed reading these 5 tips because it reminded me of how it’s the better way to do things today rather than the typical tips you’d find.. I personally like tip number 2 because I agree that if you use your time and devote your time to the person you’re interviewing, you will learn more about the person and yourself and most likely get more information than you need. These tips sound like they will really benefit students in the learning to becoming great journalists.
one thing that really stuck out to me on the first tip “show, Don’t tell” was at the end he emphasized how much he liked his ending. He was proud of it. I think when you know you do great writing, if you follow these tips, you’ll know and be proud of the end result and i hope that’s what ill get with my feature story. Also his second piece of advice made me realize i need to set aside time for this at home and school or else this isn’t going to be my best piece. A good journalist knows how to arrange and rearrange until everything’s perfect and perfection is essential to catching the readers attention. Last but not least, i absolutely loved his last tip. Who cares if the world thinks you can’t conquer it. Take a fresh look at an old story, or take an interesting angle at what seems like a boring story and prove the world wrong. Find something people think they know everything about and prove them wrong.
These tips are going to help me tremendously in my feature story. I am going to be sure I spend enough time to make a well made, thought out story. I am also going to be sure I show things instead of telling, and will also make sure I say what I feel needs to be said. The example is helping me see how I need to right, because it gives examples of the tips he gave. I think time, elaboration, effort, and a good tone make a good story as the readers point of view. From a writers view, I feel that word choice, time spent, and the tone make it a good story.
I find it is hard if you wait a couple of days because you loose some key information. One of the most useful tips I found was that you should write as soon as possible after experiencing something, because it is still fresh in your mind. I find it harder to wait a couple of days because I forget some key information. I think a successful feature story must appeal to a broad audience, so that not only a person with an interest in the topic would enjoy it, but also people who are not interested in the topic. The writer must dig deeper and write about the things that are not so obvious. I am not sure yet what I want to write about, but hopefully on someone who has a great story to tell, and that I will enjoy writing about.
I am still unsure of what my feature story will be about. Some steps I will take to make my story the best it can be is to definitely follow these rule and guidelines, especially the one about preparing in advance. I believe that is very important, to know what your getting yourself into and what type of questions to ask and why so that your look like you know what your getting yourself into. I can definitely use all of these tips and guidelines to better my writing. He has definitely been doing this for a while and knows what he’s doing. I also really like the follow your gut part. I like the idea of writing about what you want to, not what others expect you to. Writing is creativity, be yourself when you write. I feel that using all these tips and writing about something that interests other people including yourself, makes a good feature story. You want to write about something exciting or inspiring. If you write about something boring, nobody like like it.
I think that Mr. Vitez’s tips are very helpful as well as being very honest. He talks about what you have to do to have a successful story and gave good examples. He was being honest and tells you that you will get knocked down and everything wont be so easy. It is going to happen and people need to be ready for that and be able to change. Some advice that Mr. Vitez could give me as a writer is just to stick with my gut feeling. I think that is the best advice given because an effective feature story is one that grabs the readers attention. As a whole, i believe an effective feature story should keep the reader interested from beginning to end.
To achieve a good feature story i would definitely have to follow Mr. Vitez’s guidelines. Personally i would have to step number 4 because it gave me the best impression on what a feature story should be like. If your writing what you feel is right then overall it is going to be a bad story. You have to trust and follow your gut in order to have a good writing piece. You also have to believe that what you are writing is a good story.
The topics i am most set on would be like a comeback story. A story where the main focus or character has had to overcome a challenge and rise above it.
I really got a thrill out of reading Mr. Vitez’s story. He uses great detail and gave me the motive to want to keep reading and see what else was going to be revealed
I think that Mr. Vitez’s advice on writing a feature story will be very useful. He touched on many key points that I would not think of otherwise. To write a good feature story, you need to be very descriptive with your words and focus on little scenes to make the reader feel like they are there while reading it. You need to really emphasize key points to the story which will make it more meaningful. I also learned from Mr. Vitez that you really need to take the time and effort into writing a feature story. The more time you spend on it, the better it will turn out. In addition, it is essential to do your “homework.” You need to have many different interviews done by different people to fully understand your topic. Also, you don’t want to wait a couple of days to start writing, or at least brainstorming, your feature story. As soon as you spend time with someone, interview someone, etc., you want to start writing details down so you don’t forget anything and to make sure that your feature story is effective. To make an effective feature story for the reader, you really want to “show, not tell.” You want to include as much details as you can to help reader visualize the scenes. To make an effective feature story for the writer, you want to spend as much time on it as you possibly can and make sure your topic interests you.
I thought this advice was very helpful. It is so true, especially in the first part when he talked about being proud of your work. With all of my essays I know I will get a good grade if I am proud of the work I am handing in. I liked the point about preparing in advanced. I cant explain enough how much better my stories are if I plan what i need beforehand. Whether it be writing the information I would like to gather, or organizing my thoughts, It really helps to plan ahead.
I am thinking about writing a story about technology in our school, such as net-books, social networking, and smart phones.
At the moment, I have not come up with a topic in which I want to write a feature story about. I feel like of the five steps you listed for great feature writing, number three is the most crucial. Preparing in advance will not only make writing a story easier, but it also applies to many other things in life. I liked how in almost every paragraph of your story, there were numerous quotes, always attributed to their speaker, and I will definitely try to mimic such writing techniques. One technique with which to make the story more effective for both the writer and the reader is to be sure to “show” the story rather than just “tell” it, by providing vivid details and quotes from multiple sources.
This is very good advice. I also find that I write better when I start writing my thoughts and ideas down right away into a rough draft. I also think it’s a good idea to spend a lot of time with the person so you really know and understand them to write your story to its full potential. Also by preparing in advance you will have a better understanding of what questions to ask and maybe an idea of what topics you want to discuss more or less in the story. I agree that if you show, not tell your story will be much more interesting and your readers will want to read it and keep reading so I will try to take this into account as I am writing. For my feature story I would like to write about something that has to do with social networking like Facebook or someone who has done things that not many people do. I can use his advice to help me prepare for my interviews and get as much out of the interviews and spending the day with people as possible so I can get all the information I need to write a good feature story. I will then try to start writing soon after in detail that shows and gives a picture of the story instead of just telling what happened. From a reader’s perspective I feel that an interesting topic to make a detailed story makes an effective feature story. From a writer’s perspective I feel that sufficient research like spending the entire day (with the person of interest in the story) and good background information makes an effective feature story.
Mr. Vitez’s information on feature writing was very helpful, and will allow me to construct a good article that people will be excited to read about. I agree with him when he says that it is important to show and not tell. You want to engage with your reader, and make them want to read your article. You don’t want to bore them. To do all of this you will have to spend a lot of time preparing, researching, and writing the article. You have to be willing to invest your time into the story, and committed to having it turn out good.
To make an effective feature story from the perspective of a writer it is important to want to keep reading. To want to know what happens. In Mr. Vitez’s story about the custodian going to college, we wanted to see him succeed, and have all the players thank him for what he did, because he was a good man and cared for others. We wanted to see if he would succeed, and we wanted to see that he was taken care of by the basketball players since he took care of them. You have to show them what you are writing about, not tell them.
If you want to make an effective feature story from the perspective of a reader, then it is important for the story to have interest, and not be a boring story about the weather. It has to have interesting facts/ details that you would never have known without reading the article. You want to know how and why it happened, not just who and where.
As of right now, I am still trying to come up with a possible feature story. But things to keep in mind while writing a feature story is just simply following Mr. Vitez’s 5 tips for great writing. You can easily sit down and a write a story no problem. But the underlying dilemma for writing a good feature story is to rather “show the reader” rather than telling. I think this is one of the easily forgotten tips when trying to begin writing a good story. I think his tips and ideas are very informational as we begin to start writing these types of news stories. They will allow us to grasp the task at hand to better understand the process of writing a feature story. You want the readers to read a particular story without hesitation or second guessing themselves about what they just read. By simply following all five of these tips, I feel more aware as to go about writing this type of piece. The five tips are: Show not tell, spend the time, prepare in advance, follow your gut, and to Write soon and tell the story to your keyboard first.
I am still unsure on what exactly ill be writing about for my feature story, but i know that when I finally do pick a topic, I will be using Mr. Vitez’s tips. They were very helpful and gave me a better idea on how to go about writing the story. The piece if advice that I say will help me the most would be the show don’t tell rule. I’m going to keep this in mind while I’m writing, so that my feature story isnt dull.
I haven’t really come up with a topic for my feature story yet, but when I begin to write it, I will take Mr. Vitez’s advice very seriously. I will be sure to prepare myself in advance and take a lot of quality notes. When we wrote the hard news stories, I learned that I didn’t really have as many notes as I thought I did so I won’t make that mistake again. The most helpful tip for me was the 4th one. When I am writing, I usually tend to worry that my story/topic is really boring and that no one will want to read it. The advice to follow my gut and believe in my story helps because it will allow me to focus on making the story as good as I can make it, and not whether the topic is interesting to everyone.
I think an effective feature story needs to get enough information across in a way that doesn’t bore the reader. You can have an exciting and easy-to-read story that doesn’t get enough information across, and I don’t think that is a very successful story. The perfect feature has a balance between informative and exciting/interesting. The author needs to fill the gaps between facts and data with more story-like elements that make the reading exciting.
At the moment I have no idea what i should write my feature story on. As i was going through his tips an idea didn’t pop in to my head like with the other stories. To make my story the best it can be I think I will follow these tips and focus on what he said. How can you use Mr. Vitez’s advice or writing can be used as a model for my story by using his tip to use a lot of detail. I personally love to use detail and to paint the picture of what is going on in a persons head. I feel that if you describe the setting and use a lot of quotes then the reader knows what you are talking about and most likely will not get lost, confused, or bored with your story. I think that an effective feature story from both the perspective of a reader and a writer should include quotes. I feel that quotes add a lot to a story and give some what of a personal aspect to the story. In the feature story buy Mr. Vitez he used many quotes and it portrayed the character and personality of Dan Harrell well. As a reader I could feel the emotion and the attachment Harrell has to the team, his job, and his school.
I’m not sure what to write my feature story on yet. I might write about something involving my counselor and his job. To make the story the best it can be, i will definitely follow Mr. Vitez’s advice and take his 5 tips into consideration while writing. I find tip number 1 most important because detail seems like a main key. While reading his story Penns Greatest Success Story, i noticed he used a lot of detail which really helped tell the story. Another tip i found helpful was number 3. Being prepared and organized can really help in story writing. To make an effective story for a reader, i think it should include a lot of detail and have an interesting topic to cover. Also, quotes keep an article interesting and help the reader get a sense of the personalities.
I really enjoyed reading The Greatest Penn Success Story. In this story your first tip “show don’t tell” was really evident, especially when talking about cleaning the basketball court. This made it easier to read because you could picture what was going on in your head. Also I think “spending the time” is really important too. In this story time was obviously spent because there were a lot of great quotes used that fit right into the story. Additionally. “prepare in advance” is another really important tip that I didn’t personally really think of. In this story the author definitely came prepared considering there is so much different information in this story, there is no way he walked into this with nothing. Overall I think these tips will allow you to write a great story.
This advice is great for feature stories. It gives me more insight as to what steps I should take when writing a feature story. All 5 steps are really important, but the ones that I thought were most important are step 1: show, don’t tell and step 4: follow your gut. In order to write a great feature story or to be a good writer in general, you have to be able to show the story or scene, and not just tell about it. You have to describe things in detail and “show” a scene so that the reader can see it in their mind and know what you are talking about. If you just tell something, the reader won’t be as engaged in the story and won’t be able to visualize it in their mind. Also, following your gut when choosing a story is important. Sometimes I can discouraged or become uncertain about what I am writing, but if you follow your fut and finish what you start you can make a great story. It is also important to take the time to get all the information you need to create a good feature story. You need the best stuff you can find and you can only get that if you spend the time to gain enough info and experience in what you are writing about. Mr. Vitez’s tips are great for writing a feature story and I agree with each step. I will use all of these steps when writing my feature story so that my story will be good and my readers will enjoy it.
I think that the story “Penn’s Greatest Success Story” is very effective because it shows Harrell’s life and how he effects the people around him. I think it is very effective that Vitez chose to interview many people who know Harrell and are around him a lot because this gave the writer (Vitez) more info to write about. Vitez also spent the time with Harrell to get to know him and see what he does from a first person point of view, which gives the story more detail and doesn’t just tell about it. The reader is able to see what Harrell does and how he helps and encourages the people around him. Also, in the end of the story when the junior varsity basketball player plays on the court, scores a goal, and then shows the team how Harrell good luck helped him score the goal, this shows the reader how much people love and appreciate Harrell. A good writer shows what they want to say instead of just saying it.
Mr. Vitez’s tips are really helpful in writing a feature story. I can use his advice or writing as a model because then it can help me prepare in advance for the story, and to write about what I want to write about. It is important to prepare in advance because then the process of writing the story will be easier because you planned it out, and you don’t have to rush around that much to get information and write the story. Following my gut is also a good tip because in order to write a good feature story, I have to have passion in my writing and the person/topic that I am writing about. I also have to have no fear in what I am writing and to write about what I feel is a good idea to write about. I also can use the tip show, don’t tell because people do not really want to read something where the writing is just telling them all about the topic. It makes it more interesting when there is a lot of detail, and when the writing makes the reader create an image to see what the writer was talking about. I do not really know yet what feature story I want to write about, but to make the story the best it can be, I will follow Mr. Vitez’s tips and prepare, follow my gut, spend the time, show instead of tell, and write as soon as I can. I think that all of these steps are important because then I will have a good feature story that the reader would want to read. An effective feature story from the perspective of the writer is when they are passionate about the topic, because then it shows in their writing because it wouldn’t be boring. For instance, in Mr. Vitez’s story, he was very passionate about it and had a lot of details, and in the end, the story was really interesting and not boring at all. From the perspective of the reader, what makes an effective feature story is when the writer shows them about the topic because that is what makes the reader want to read it.
I believe that the advice that Vitez wrote will prove very helpful in the writing of my feature story. In the past I realized that the most difficult part of writing a story is always trying to put all the information you have into something other people would enjoy reading. I would always sit at my computer and draw a blank when I already thought about how I exactly wanted the story to sound.
In my next story I intend to write about either distractions in school or student homework load. I feel these are good topics as they cover ideas that our school community cares about. To make my story exceptional I plan to use what I learned from writing my other stories and also the advice in this post to make my story more interesting. The pieces of advice that will help me the most will definitely be “spend the time” and “show, don’t tell”.
An effective story, to me, should include an attention clinching lead and should also be concise in its theme. I plan to show all of this in my story.
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