Tips for Writing Feature Articles

What differentiates a feature article from any regular informative or news article is the novelty of style, delivery and wordplay that the author uses to create a light, informative read. Feature articles give writers more breathing space to express one's writing style and to tackle the topic in question in a more creative and less straightforward manner. Originality is vital to a successful feature article, which is something a writer builds through time and experience, but for starters, there are only a few fundamental steps to keep in mind, and you're on your way to becoming a good features writer.

1. Keep a brainstorming notebook handy

It's always handy to keep a pad of paper or a small notebook within convenient reach. Ideas don't just come whenever we want them to, and they often hit us at the most unexpected places and during the most unexpected times. If you've ever been hit with a brilliant idea while you're on the road or out on the hiking trail, you know what I mean. Besides, many potential ideas take time to nurse and develop so you can come up with a good article. It's a huge advantage to always have something to scribble those fleeting thoughts on whenever they come along, so you can go back and review them when it's time to wind down.

2. Do your research

The most important step to any successful article is, more often than not, the one that's most overlooked. Do your research! What decides an article's worth is its credibility, and only good, solid research can give you that. Whatever discussion you tackle must be backed by accurate facts and data that you can reliably source should your article come under fire.

3. Start with something light, like an anecdote or a descriptive passage

What good will writing a thousand-some word article be if you can't entice an audience to pick it up and read? Any article should start with something that would pique the interest of readers and endorse your article as an interesting piece. Your first paragraph, or your first sentence for the matter, can either make or break you. It's your most potent and effective marketing tool in getting your article across to more readers. One of the most popular techniques would be to start by relating an interesting or comical anecdote that would introduce your topic. A catchy scenario or passage will also do the job perfectly. Also, after reading your first few paragraphs, your reader should already be able to grasp what your article's about.

4. KISS (Keep it short and simple)

Don't subject your reader to the equivalent of linguistic torture. A feature article, after all, is supposed to be light, entertaining and informative-not deathly pedantic like your physics textbook from way back in college. A winding article that goes through all the nitty-gritties of your topic is testing the patience of the reader. Choose only a good amount of detail to include in your discussion; you don't have to tackle the less important aspects of your topic. Give the most vital pieces of information that you want to get across, and choose the details that go along with it. However, be careful that you don't omit too much detail that you end up with a vague outline for an article.

A good technique is to always keep in mind your target audience. If you're writing an article on diving for general sports enthusiasts, you don't have to go through the trouble of explaining technical aspects because it will only bore your readers. On the other hand, the detail is something you'd consider writing about more profusely if you're writing for a diving magazine.

5. Hold it with the highfalutin language

It's good to drop profound vocabulary into your article now and then, because aside from enriching your readers, they do add to the aestheric effect of an article. It's good, too, to know your limits. Dropping in too many "big", highfalutin words is the equivalent of suicide; you'll drive your readers away without even trying. Think of the experience of reading through a medical textbook without any medical background; the technical jargon will be enough to give you a headache and work as a natural soporific. Knowing when and how to impress is the key when it comes to word selection, so stave off the temptation of loading up on the big guns.

6. Reread your article in a day or two

As any writer knows, mental fatigue can set in pretty quickly doing this sort of work. Rereading your article in a day or two will give you time and space to objectively reevaluate your article, add new ideas and tweak it to come up with something better. This also gives you time to proofread your article for grammatical or typographical errors.

There's no surefire way to ensuring a successful article, and a writer's only tools are vocabulary and creativity. These steps are but a simple guide to the writing process, which is a complex and sometimes grueling undertaking. It takes a lot of patience and experience to overcome hurdles and produce good quality output, but at the end of the day, you'd find that writing can be an extremely noble and rewarding task.