Writing Magazine Features and Getting Them Published

I had every intention of trying to figure out the secret of getting a feature article published in a magazine. Little did I know that I already have the skills to do so. When I attended this workshop, I quickly learned that I had learned most of the information in my specialized writing class and from Brian McDowell in my news classes. The man who spoke was a well-known published reporter whose articles have been featured in a variety of magazines. Everything I have learned at Morrisville, he said, will give me a good chance at getting published. 

The skills I learned are: Writing a feature story, sometimes losing structure to create something great, being dedicated, using creativity, solid reporting, accuracy, and writing about something that you are interested in. Sounds easy, huh? Well, in order to do so, writers need to understand the basic format or structure of a news story in order to branch out and write a feature story. The speaker explained that feature writing is the type of writing most magazines want, so it's important to have that basic knowledge or structure support. 

It is also important to use a lot of graphics, photographs, or video. People like visual things; the presenter said the visuals will help craft the story narrative. He also said that the editor in chief, as well as section editors, should always be writing in addition to their other duties. This is another thing that my staff does already. I was proud in that moment. 

He said a 'nut graf' should be the first 3-5 paragraphs, and the writer should follow it with support, such as quotes. There should be an ending that refers back to the lead of the story. A writer should never start an article with a quote, because it is rare that a quote lead works. The best thing to do for a feature story, he said, is to find out information about the person that other people do not know already. 

“Don't be shy and let people push you around,” he advised. This was his best suggestion throughout the whole workshop. He's right: you can’t get anywhere or get anything published unless you are out there--and aggressive. When you are submitting your article to a magazine, he said, have someone look it over first. It's your only chance for them to look at your work. He said if it's bad, they will never look at your work again. He said to learn the masthead and focus on the section editor and not to bother the editor in chief.

So basically, It was pretty cool to learn that all of these skills that are required, we have because of the Journalism program at Morrisville. It was a good workshop because it reminded me that I am a journalist who loves writing.

-Catherine Flood, '13
Editor in Chief, The CHIMES