Feature Writing, Second Edition

by Tanner, Stephen; Kasinger, Molly; Richardson, Nick

• ISBN13: 9780195578614
• ISBN10: 0195578619
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-11-18
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

At the root of all forms of journalism is the desire to convey a story and a wish to tell it accurately. While news reporting remains the staple of contemporary journalism, increasingly opportunities are opening up for feature writers and even those who aspire to longer forms of journalism and creative non-fiction. Using a step-by-step description of styles and techniques, Feature Writing will show students how to research, structure and write stories, how to navigate legal and ethical issues, and how to market their work: while learning how to tackle different styles of writing, from profiles, to issue-based stories, to columns, to biographies and advertising copy. Along the way they will be introduced to some of Australia's best-known journalists and writers and the hard lessons they have learned from their experience of writing, helping students forge their path to publishing and a career in feature writing. Key features: Plenty of examples of various writing styles and forms for students to help discern what works and what doesn't and why. Wide ranging topics interviews, obituaries, reviews, political commentary, sports scandals etc to open students up to the multitude of potential career opportunities. New to this edition: Three new chapters: Sports Writing; Music, theatre, books and art; and Motor vehicles and technology. Updated case studies and practitioner interviews how a story was written from the writer's perspective are linked with examples as the writers discuss particular stories they have written and the obstacles they encountered. Feature Writing will also be available as an e-book in October 2012.

Author Biography

Stephen Tanner is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Wollongong, Sydney.

Molly Kasinger is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and Media (Journalism), Bond University.

Nick Richardson is Group News Editor for News Limited's Leader Community Newspapers in Melbourne.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Part A: Mastering the Techniques
1. : Preliminary Work
2. : Researching the Story
3. : Interviewing
4. : Interpreting Your Data
5. : Developing Writing Techniques
6. : Getting into Character
7. : Ethical Concerns
8. : Legal Pitfalls
9. : Editing and Polishing Your Work
10. : Selling Your Story
Part B: Different Styles
11. : Profiles
12. : Issues-based Features
13. : Sports writing
14. : Writing Reviews
15. : Music, theatre, books and art
16. : Motor vehicles and technology
17. : Writing Indulgence: Travel, Food and Drink
18. : Columns
19. : Book-length Writing: Creative Non-fiction
Index