SO YOU WANT TO BE A FEATURE WRITER?

by Alastair Rosie

There are thousands of writers out there all of whom are just as good as you. If you’re dreaming about foreign travel and tête-à-tête with Kylie Minogue dream on, you’re living in a fantasy world.

However, if you’ve gotten this far there’s hope for you. You can get past those lines that read, ‘Unfortunately, while your story was well written we couldn’t use it in our publication.’ Signed X.

SO WHY SHOULD I READ THIS?

Because that’s what writers do. My reading habits are varied and fluctuate from literary fiction to Mills and Boon romances and everything in between. I read with a purpose.

• How have the writers written their first paragraphs?
• How have they backed up their opinions?
• What is the average word length for the different publications?
• What is the language style?
• How much space is taken up by advertisements?

BUT I CAN’T FIND ANYTHING TO WRITE ABOUT.

Wrong. Let’s say you live around the corner from a retirement home. Tom Jones works there and one day in conversation you discover he was a salesman for a leading multinational company. Now he works as a volunteer in a retirement home while he studies at a local college.

BUT WHAT CAN I GET FROM THAT?

You’re getting curious, let’s return to Tom. Go through your options. Why is a salesman, who can probably get another job as a salesman, working as a volunteer in a retirement village? It’s a quirky story in itself. Here are some options.

• A piece on downsizing in the 90s and its effects on the workforce.
• A profile on Tom Jones
• Retirement villages and the people who service them
• Alternative careers in a changing job market
• The Community Welfare course Tom is attending; what will it offer students?

Do you see how many ideas come out of one conversation? Each of those stories can sell to a different market, not all at once but in time they can sell.

HOW DO I START?

Find an angle. What is your story going to be about? Let’s do a story on the dedicated volunteers in retirement villages.

• Gather a list of sample questions, keep them simple and allow room for extra questions.
• Find yourself a concept, a line that sums the story up.
• Go through your list of publications and weed out the ones who won’t take it.

OKAY, NOW WHAT?

• Arrange the interview time, preferably by phone. Tell them who you hope to submit to and what the story is about; remember your concept?
• Make sure you arrive fifteen minutes early. Make sure and bring a pen, writing pad, tape recorder and spare batteries.
• The interview is really just a conversation, so get curious and start asking questions, but explain once again the object of the story.
• Get some background information on the village, anything you feel will back up your story.
• Do this with two other villages just to get a feel for the story. Don’t be too alarmed if it’s leading in a completely different direction. I started writing about dog kennels last December and wound up with a story on pet sitters.

WHAT OTHER RESOURCES ARE THERE?

• Press releases (usually brochures and other written material).
• Libraries, check both local and national newspaper archives.
• The Internet, need I say more? There’s a wealth of information out there, I could write a whole article on that point.

I’VE GOT THE INFORMATION, NOW WHAT?

• Stop asking questions.
• Sort out information and lay it out in piles on the floor.
• Revise your angles and find facts to back them up. Don’t disregard the rejects; keep them on file for another day.
• Lay out a plan. Now you know why your teacher took such pains to ask for a synopsis of your essay.
• Now write the piece from start to finish. Don’t worry too much about spell checkers, that comes later.
• Once you’ve written your piece, put it aside.

The feature takes time to develop and write. You’ve expended all that energy and now it’s time to relax. The story is still there but you need to recharge your batteries. When you’re ready, redraft it until you’re satisfied.

HOW DO I APPROACH AN EDITOR?

Editors organise written material for their readers. They’re not out to get you or destroy your precious work. However, please don’t waste their time and yours with silly questions. Editors are busy people and need to know what you are selling.

WHAT DO I SAY TO AN EDITOR?

"I have a story in which you may be interested. It’s about the dedicated volunteers in retirement homes, one of whom is a former salesman for Advance Publications. It includes advice for potential volunteers and exposes some of the shortfalls in the current system. The article runs to 800 words and includes a 200 word breakout, but doesn’t include photos."

In sixty words I’ve told the editor what the story is about, how long it is and given them some background information. I’ve also specified whether or not photographs are available. It’s guaranteed to get me a sympathetic ear even if I don’t sell a story. Editors have declined my idea and suggested another publication. The editor may ask you whether you’ve been published before. They need to know if you have completed a story before. Tell them where you’ve been published and what the article/s were about, even if it was for the school magazine. If you haven’t been published, don’t be afraid to admit it.

SHE WANTS THE PIECE, WHAT DO I DO NOW?

Go back over your piece and a sample edition of the paper.

Check:

• Paragraph and word length
• Style of language
• Your facts, make sure they’re correct
• Spelling, make sure it’s as good as you can get it
• Punctuation, go over it and line edit every line, does it fit? If not, rewrite until it does fit.
• Now give your story to someone else to read, preferably another writer or colleague, a friend can pick up glaring inconsistencies in my work that I’ve missed completely

OKAY, I CAN’T DO ANYTHING MORE WITH IT.

Now send it in along with a brief covering letter reminding the editor of the original story idea and explaining any changes you’ve made in the process of writing. This gives the editor the story history and shows you’ve been dedicated enough to follow through with a project.

SHE TOOK IT!

Congratulations, you’re now a ‘paid’ published writer, one of many I might add but it’s nice to see your name in print and even nicer to see the cheque in your hand. You’ve designed the concept, done the research, written the story and sold it, so give yourself a pat on the back and mention me to Kylie Minogue when you finally interview her, I’d like her to know I exist.

BUT WHAT IF IT’S REJECTED?

Don’t be too disheartened. I’ve got pieces on file for our magazine that are very good but I can’t use them. A story that was rejected by one paper can always sell somewhere else, even if it is a non-paying market. Never, ever take rejection personally. A while ago, the former Deputy Editor for Aussie Post, Peter Mayer rejected yet another ‘idea’ of mine. Perhaps sensing my frustration over the phone he added quietly, "however, I’d like to encourage you to keep trying; you’re on the right track."

It was all the encouragement I needed at the time.

Keep writing! 

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Alastair Rosie is a graduate of Box Hill Institute in Victoria and a widely published writer who laid the groundwork for the Professional Writing Web Pages at Box Hill. He helped launch the inaugural issue of Divan at the Victorian Writer's Festival 1998. A writer for the Australian Jodie Foster Web Pages, he is now seeking fulltime employment in the media industry while editing his first novel - which received an honourable mention in the Opus Magnum Discovery Awards (USA). 

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Easel/9319/

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