How to Write a Yearbook Feature - PowerPoint

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					      How to Write a
     Yearbook Feature

 There is no substitute for good
writing. It flows. It glows. It lives.
                             -Susan Duncan
most yearbook copy should be
     features, not news.
     Make your features
interesting. If you are bored
  reading it, others will be
 Find a central idea or
angle for your story. As
 yourself, “How can I
 present this topic in a
      new way?”
Capture true feeling and
human interest in your
   Use a clustering technique or
brainstorming to get a list of ideas
to possibly include in your feature.
Compose good questions to use in
   your interview. Avoid yes/no
  questions. Ask plenty of HOW
     and WHY questions. Use
 DESCRIBE questions. You are
 asking questions to get specifics
           for your copy.
INTERVIEW the subject.
   Do not let the words
 “Give me a quote” ever
 come out of your mouth.
 Sit down and talk to the subject
with your question sheet in hand,
  but do not be limited by your
  pre-interview questions. Ask
follow-up questions. Write down
everything the person says or use
   a recorder. This is the most
  important part of the process.
If a person you are interviewing
says, “Just make something up,”
     tell them you are taking
journalism, not creative writing.
Give them more time or ask more
   questions to spur them into
saying something actually worth
     putting down on paper.
   Avoid “I enjoyed,” “I was
 excited,” “It was interesting,”
“hard work and determination,”
  or any other cliché quotes.
    Write the feature using
interviews from three or more
   sources. Write while the
     interviews are fresh.
     Write your lead, using a
 narrative, a shocking statement,
an incredible quote, an anecdote,
or specific information about the
Use at least three good quotes per
 copy block tied together with
  transition or fact paragraphs.
 Don’t be stodgy or too formal.
You are a student, not Confucius.
      Avoid Webster, too.
        He is also dead.
  End the feature with a good
quote, a scene, an anecdote, or a
       startling statement.
 Make your feature complete a
   circle from the lead to the
 conclusion. The reader should
sigh in admiration that the path
you began in the lead has been
    brought full circle in the