Writing Feature Articles, Fourth Edition

424 Pages·2006·4.24 MB·English

by  Brendan Hennessy

Writing Feature Articles
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Writing Feature Articles
Fourth edition
Brendan Hennessy
AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD
PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
For Ann,Caitlin,Huw,Daniel and Madeleine
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP
30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington MA 01803
First published 1989
Reprinted with revisions 1990
Second edition 1993
Reprinted 1994 (twice), 1995
Third edition 1997
Reprinted 1997 (twice), 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Fourth edition 2006
Copyright © 2006 Brendan Hennessy. All rights reserved
Copyright Chapter 9 © 2006 Frank Wynne. All rights reserved
The right of Brendan Hennessy to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying
or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to
some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright holder except
in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms
of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London,
England W1T 4LP. Applications for the copyright holder’s written permission to reproduce any
part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher
Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science and Technology Rights Department
in Oxford, UK: phone: ((cid:1)44) (0) 1865 843830; fax: ((cid:1)44) (0) 1865 853333;
e-mail: [email protected]. You may also complete your request on-line via
the Elsevier homepage (http://www.elsevier.com), by selecting ‘Customer Support’
and then ‘Obtaining Permissions’
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 13: 978-0-240-51691-2
ISBN 10: 0-240-51691-5
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Contents
Illustrations ix
Foreword:From a lecturer x
Foreword:From a writer xi
Preface xii
Acknowledgements xiii
I PRACTISING THE SKILLS
1 Introduction 3
The basic skills and resources – Gathering experience and
networking –Assignments
2 Getting organized 10
Books and equipment – Running a business – Assignments
3 From idea to publication 16
The feature defined – The stages in production –
Assignments
4 The world of ideas 41
Staff writers’ideas – Freelance writers’ideas – Development
techniques – The place of specialism – Checklist –
Assignments
5 Studying the print market 59
The world of features – Aiming at versatility – Assignments
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Contents
6 Subjects and treatments 79
Likely targets – Celebrities – Children – Crime – Education – Health
and medicine – Old age or retirement – Travel – Assignments
7 The commissioning and the editing 97
The editor’s point of view – Preparing to pitch – How to pitch –
Using your network – Organizing the assignment – When to
send specs – Dealing with editors – Assignments
8 Ways of finding out 115
Reliable sources – An interviewing strategy – Verification
skills – Assignments
9 Researching and writing online 142
Internet basics – Researching online – A writer’s
experience – Creating your own website – Writing online – Assignments
10 Creating the best order 159
Checking for the right ingredients – Putting your file in order –
Discovering what to say – Matching order to content – Assignments
11 Making a coherent whole 174
Examples of teamwork – Titles – The intro – The ending –
Links – Appendages – Assignment
12 Developing writing techniques 197
Choose the precise word – Be simple and concise – Prefer
the familiar word to the unfamiliar – Use the concrete rather
than the abstract – Avoid clichés – Be positive and honest –
Write as you speak – Vary your pace and rhythm –
Assignments
13 The style for the purpose 215
Describing memorably – Narrating compellingly – Explaining fully –
Arguing convincingly – Finding your own style – Assignments
14 Illustrating with impact 225
Entering the market – Relevance or art? – Subjects for your
pictures – Choosing your equipment – Working with a
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Contents
photographer – Pictures from other sources – Graphics –
Captions – The business aspects – A nomadic career –
Assignments
II EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS
15 Writing publicity 243
Advertising and PR defined – Advertising copywriting –
From PR into journalism – Obtaining publicity work –
Techniques for publicity writing – Assignments
16 Interview features and profiles 255
Choice of interviewee – Getting commissioned –
Setting up the interview – Choosing the method –
Preparing the questions – Interviewing techniques –
Editing the transcript – Formats for writing up –
Following up – Assignments
17 The regular columnist 288
Learning from the best – Getting a slot – All kinds of
discoveries – Many working methods – Assignments
18 The reviewer 307
How to become a reviewer – The reviewer’s tasks – The
writing-up process – Books – Music – Art – Theatre –
Films – Television – Assignments
19 The specialists 336
Opportunities galore – A marketing strategy – Producing
specialist features – Samples published – Specialist
columns – Research and fact checking – Assignments
20 Selling overseas 357
Guides to the market – Choosing your countries – Some
likely opportunities – Syndication – Assignment
21 Law and ethics 363
Copyright – Libel – The question of attribution –
Ethical concerns
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Contents
Appendix 1 Suggested responses to assignments 367
Appendix 2 National Union of Journalists – Professional Code of
Conduct 371
Appendix 3 Press Complaints Commission: Code of Practice for
the Press 373
Appendix 4 The Society of Authors’Quick Guide 1: Copyright
and Moral Rights 379
Appendix 5 Useful contacts 385
Appendix 6 Training 391
Bibliography 393
Index 403
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Illustrations
Figure 3.1 Page from Writers’and Artists’Yearbook 2005
(A. & C. Black) 23
Figure 3.2 Page from The Writer’s Handbook 2005(Macmillan) 24
Figure 3.3 Page from The Economist Style Guide, Eighth
Edition (Hamish Hamilton/The Economist
Books Ltd) 26
Figure 3.4 Looking abroad: a page from Freelance Market
News, Vol. 11, No. 9, April 2005 (The Association
of Freelance Writers) 37
Figure 4.1 A mind map with the subject ‘surgery’ 55
Figure 5.1 W. H. Smith – opportunities galore 69
Figure 8.1 Ways of finding out: Press Cuttings Agencies from
The Writer’sHandbook 2005(Macmillan) 117
Figure 11.1 Connections that make for coherence 191
Figure 14.1 How display techniques project a feature: Sunday
Timestravel page 230
Figure 14.2 Graphics from Press Gazette(30 July 2004) 233
Figures 14.3 Photographer collaborating with a writer on a TV film
and 14.4 set for TheAdvocate 238
Figure 19.1 Briefings from Campaign’s features editor 340
Figure 19.2 Line drawing with technical detail: from Building
Today 24 March 1988 343
ix