Feature Article Writing Intensive
GUIDE TO NONFICTION COURSES
The Feature Article Writing Intensive happens in a short time span (1 day in NYC, or 2 days on Zoom). The course includes a mixture of lectures and exercises. It’s open to writers of any level. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.
Feature articles are the story side of journalism—pieces grounded in facts and current events that are formed into a compelling narrative with a human perspective. Such articles can examine virtually any topic, from the latest news to the newest trends to profiles of interesting people. And they can even grow into narrative nonfiction books.
To succeed at features, you need a reporter’s eye for detail and accuracy, a writer’s knack for hooking the reader, an insider’s understanding of news media—and the curiosity of a cat. Here you’ll learn about the various types of features and their special requirements, as well as how to market your work.
Whether you seek to write stories drawn from serious news or the lighter side of life, we’ll show you how to create articles that grab the attention of editors and writers.
A great overview of feature writing.
Leslie Griffin
managing editor
Notes
Feature articles are fact-based journalistic pieces. Reporting—research and interviewing—is essential. If you wish to write nonfiction that is more literary or opinion-based, look at Memoir Writing, Essay & Opinion Writing, or Personal Essay Writing.
Upcoming Classes
Syllabus
This course gives an overview of the basics of writing feature articles. Course components:
Brief lectures
Writing exercises
Topics:
What is a Feature Article?
Structure
Reporting
Profiles
Branching Out
Pitching
Note: Content may vary among individual classes.
Related Courses
Essay & Opinion Writing I
Various types of viewpoint writing—essays, op-eds, reviews, and more.
Creative Nonfiction 101
A great entry point for the creative forms of nonfiction—memoir, essay, feature articles, reviews, etc.
Personal Essay Writing
The writer’s view on a topic, interlaced with experiences from the writer’s life.