WS281 Writing Features for Fun and Profit (4 sessions)

A thriving market exists for features, including content for websites and blogs. This class begins by defining the important distinction between the feature article and "hard news", and explores how to find viable ideas for articles. We will then cover several aspects of feature-writing, focusing on the vital lead paragraph (hooks, angles, and grabbing  the reader's attention), structure, and narrative techniques that can enrich the article. Finally we examine a range of research resources and ways to market the feature.

About the Instructor: Alecia McKenzie is an award-winning writer and journalist based in Paris. She holds an MSc from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and worked at The Wall Street Journal/Europe.  She is the founder and editor of the arts-news site SWAN. Alongside writing books, she has written articles for a news agency and international magazines.