J371 Winter 2013

Short Feature Assignment

Tallmadge

 

DEADLINE, first draft: Thursday, 1/17 by class time. Bring 2 paper copies of your story to class.

DEADLINE, second draft: Sunday, 1/20 @ midnight.

 

Write a 500–700 word short feature on an event, object or business for the class magazine. No profiles – you’ll do those for a later assignment.

Guidelines:

  • Your story must include a compelling lead; a scene, anecdote or description; and direct quotes to bring readers closer to your subject.
  • Your story must focus on an event or individual outside of yourself.
    • Do not write a review of a concert, art showing, book or movie
    • Do not write a first person piece
    • Do not write an opinion piece
    • Do not write about a sports event
    • Do not write a story from a press release
  • Do not repeat a story that has been done before, i.e., an encounter with Frog or on your neighborhood coffee shop. Write on a popular topic ONLY IF you approach it from a different or unusual angle. Talk to at least one source for your story, preferably two. Do NOT use friends, roommates, family members or significant others as sources.
  • Be creative, but remember your story must be grounded in REPORTING, meaning you have to use sources and description of a particular scene or event to ground your story in reality.

 

Pointers

  • In choosing your topic, reach outside your comfort zone to explore something new or interesting to you. Don’t recycle overdone stories, such as Ninkasi Brewing Company or other local microbreweries, which are great but they have been written about over and over. Try going off-campus into the wider community to find fresh, interesting story ideas.
  • Ground your story in a specific place and time. Let readers know where you talked to your source (or sources), or what time of day and where a particular event occurred.
  • Keep verb tense consistent throughout the story – most feature stories are written in past tense. Your story must be written in the past tense if the event you are covering is finished.
  • Structure your story logically. The main focus should be in the present but include background if readers need it to understand the significance of what you are writing about. Keep it simple: One idea per graf; one source per graf.     

 

 

HAVE FUN!