Feature Writing… The Adventure Continues Because all business is no fun!

SO NOW YOU HAVE SOME STUFF TO WORK WITH... INFORMATION FROM YOUR INTERVIEWS SHOULD INCLUDE: DESCRIPTIONS REPORTING (ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION) OBSERVATIONS

SETTING AND CHARACTER: Setting relies on the writer’s skills of observation and interviewing Did you take note of the setting and environment? Did you write down some descriptions?

SETTING AND CHARACTER: Did the setting figure into your questions? If you saw something that you were curious about, did you ask about it? Where did it take you? What did it give you? Establishing the setting helps establish the MOOD of the story It’s a challenge to write a fairy tale about prison - the setting must make the story believable - it is an integral part

SETTINGS AND CHARACTERS Characters ARE the story Describe them in every way possible

SETTINGS AND CHARACTERS Use of anecdotes Little stories within the big story Allows the writer to show the characters in the story doing something Add credibility, believability Make the readers remember the story better

USING DIALOGUE AND ACTION Dialogue = conversation Builds on the importance of character and adds depth to the character Adds a change of pace Conveys the human and emotional side Provides action to move the story Conveys personality and authenticity

DESCRIBING THE ACTION: Action helps convey character What are they doing and how are they doing it? Shows more details about the characters

DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE, SIMILES AND METAPHORS: Remember the basics first Reporting, interviewing and observation These three skills helped you gather the details to write descriptive language

DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE, SIMILES AND METAPHORS: Start with verbs AVOID constructions of “to be” “She hurried” vs. “She was in a hurry.” Verbs are the FOUNDATION for descriptive language

DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE, SIMILES AND METAPHORS: ADJECTIVES They are there to enrich descriptions USE VERBS AND ADJECTIVES TO WRITE ABOUT PEOPLE IN A WAY THAT HELPS A READER SEE THEM

DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE, SIMILES AND METAPHORS: Comparison = enhanced understanding SIMILE Draws a comparison between two things She was like a flower that burst into bloom under the sunlight of his smile. Uses “as” or “like” Remember it because comparisons can mean something is “similar” which sounds like SIMILE

DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE, SIMILES AND METAPHORS: Asserts that one of the things is the other She was a flower bursting into bloom under the sunlight of his smile WHY USE THEM? They help people understand relationships Help people visualize Draw the audience in by making the story relatable to self

POINTERS FOR WRITING: If you need a breath when reading a sentence out loud, it needs to be two sentences Don’t separate two independent clauses with a comma. Use a period or semicolon instead. Don’t stack too many adjectives in front of a noun. It makes the sentence difficult to understand.

Feature Writing… The Adventure Continues Because all business is no fun!