{"id":858,"date":"2016-08-20T23:38:29","date_gmt":"2016-08-21T03:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/chapter\/feature-writing-devices\/"},"modified":"2021-03-24T11:20:31","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T15:20:31","slug":"feature-writing-devices","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/chapter\/feature-writing-devices\/","title":{"raw":"9.5 Feature writing devices","rendered":"9.5 Feature writing devices"},"content":{"raw":"<h2><em><strong>Literary Devices<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\r\nFeature writers use a particular style of writing to convey the story\u2019s message. The use of literary devices helps in this task. These devices include similes and metaphors, onomatopoeia (use of words that mimic a sound), imagery (figurative language), climax, and more. Here are a few examples of onomatopoeia and imagery:\r\n\r\n<strong>Onomatopoeia:<\/strong> The tires screeched against the concrete as she hit the pedal.\r\n\r\n<strong>Imagery (example modified from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.butte.edu\/departments\/cas\/tipsheets\/style_purpose_strategy\/descriptive_essay.html\">Butte College, 2016<\/a>): <\/strong>The apartment smelled of old cooking odors, cabbage, and mildew; . . . a haze of dusty sunlight peeked from the one cobwebbed, gritty window.\r\n\r\nClick <a href=\"http:\/\/literarydevices.net\/\">here<\/a> for more information on literary devices, including specific examples.\r\n<h2><em><strong>Descriptive Writing<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\r\nA good feature writer uses plot devices and dialogues that help move the story forward, while focusing on the central theme and providing supporting information through descriptive language and specific examples. You want to show readers what\u2019s happening, not simply tell them. They should be able to visualize the characters, places, and events highlighted in the feature piece.\r\n\r\n<strong>Show versus tell<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Tell:<\/strong> Friends describe Amariah as a generous and vibrant person who was involved in several nonprofit organizations.\r\n\r\n<strong>Show:<\/strong> Tracey proudly recalls her friend\u2019s generosity. \u201cAmariah is usually the first person to arrive at a volunteer event, and the last to leave. She spends four hours every Saturday morning volunteering at the mentoring center. It\u2019s rare to not catch her laughing, flashing her perfect smile. She\u2019s just a burst of positive energy.\u201d\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s often tempting to end a feature piece with a summary conclusion. Instead, consider using an anecdote, passage, or compelling quote that will leave a lasting impression on your readers.","rendered":"<h2><em><strong>Literary Devices<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Feature writers use a particular style of writing to convey the story\u2019s message. The use of literary devices helps in this task. These devices include similes and metaphors, onomatopoeia (use of words that mimic a sound), imagery (figurative language), climax, and more. Here are a few examples of onomatopoeia and imagery:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Onomatopoeia:<\/strong> The tires screeched against the concrete as she hit the pedal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Imagery (example modified from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.butte.edu\/departments\/cas\/tipsheets\/style_purpose_strategy\/descriptive_essay.html\">Butte College, 2016<\/a>): <\/strong>The apartment smelled of old cooking odors, cabbage, and mildew; . . . a haze of dusty sunlight peeked from the one cobwebbed, gritty window.<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"http:\/\/literarydevices.net\/\">here<\/a> for more information on literary devices, including specific examples.<\/p>\n<h2><em><strong>Descriptive Writing<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n<p>A good feature writer uses plot devices and dialogues that help move the story forward, while focusing on the central theme and providing supporting information through descriptive language and specific examples. You want to show readers what\u2019s happening, not simply tell them. They should be able to visualize the characters, places, and events highlighted in the feature piece.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Show versus tell<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell:<\/strong> Friends describe Amariah as a generous and vibrant person who was involved in several nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Show:<\/strong> Tracey proudly recalls her friend\u2019s generosity. \u201cAmariah is usually the first person to arrive at a volunteer event, and the last to leave. She spends four hours every Saturday morning volunteering at the mentoring center. It\u2019s rare to not catch her laughing, flashing her perfect smile. She\u2019s just a burst of positive energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s often tempting to end a feature piece with a summary conclusion. Instead, consider using an anecdote, passage, or compelling quote that will leave a lasting impression on your readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"menu_order":5,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["jasmine-roberts","andrew-frank"],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc"},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[59,63],"license":[55],"class_list":["post-858","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-andrew-frank","contributor-jasmine-roberts","license-cc-by-nc"],"part":848,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":876,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/858\/revisions\/876"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/848"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/858\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=858"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=858"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}