In every newspaper, there are the reporters — those that can find the facts and get them straight. Then, there are the storytellers.

The storytellers — or feature writers — are those that can step beyond the “who, what, when, where and why” to touch the humanity in a subject. They can take any issue or topic and bring it to life in a way that both enthralls and connects with the reader.

They have the luxury of writing without boundaries but the burden of writing with flair and creativity. Such storytellers develop their own style and push the limits of conventional newspaper writing

Put simply, a feature story is a story that focuses more on entertaining than on informing. Feature stories often do not have a timely component (although they may) and may be written on virtually any topic.

If a feature story is written primarily to entertain readers, then who determines what readers want to read about? William E. Blundell, a former features editor at the Wall Street Journal, and author of The Art and Craft of Feature Writing has a list of the five things people want to read about.

1. Small, cute things – Blundell says people want to read about a three-legged dog that saved a baby more than they want to read about how missiles work. He adds “other cute animals” and “well-behaved small children” into the category of what people want to read about most.

2. People who are actors – Blundell says people care about the people in society who are “either pressing the buttons and pulling the levers, or those getting ground up in the gears.” He warns against writing features about people in the middle ground – who he calls “the uninvolved” – like lawyers, consultants, researchers and analysts. Profile features, Blundell says, should be about people who make things happen or who are directly affected by some action.

3. Facts – They are suitable to be the driving force behind a feature story, according to Blundell. He warns against trying to fill holes in a story with random facts and statistics, which he says is just an effort to cover up flaws in a story.

4. People who are observers – As Blundell points out, it’s starting to get low in the what-makes-a-good-feature totem pole. People who are the observers of events (the lawyers, consultants, researchers and analysts) make for good secondary sources in features, but they don’t always pan out to be the best cornerstone of a feature.

5. Numbers – While people do like to see how things relate to other things, Blundell calls densely packed numbers in a feature story “cyanide” to reader interest. Numbers just slow the reader down.

Approached from a different way, feature writers explore the people, places, things and feelings that make N.C. State or any college campus unique. They look behind the headlines to find the human angle. They talk about the fun, the absurd and the sad. They look at angles that unite students and those that make them unique.

Topics for feature stories are all around. They’re in buildings, events, people, signs, Web sites. Everywhere. You probably walk by the nuclear reactor every day. What is the reactor used for? How much does it cost to operate? Who pays? Sports too lends itself to feature stories. Talk with athletes and find out what they do for fun. Go beyond the obvious.

People Stories

College campuses are filled with interesting people, tens of thousands of them. N.C. State is no exception. People stories focus on individuals or groups of people. Simple examples include a “Day in the Life” feature that follows a student through their normal routine. Others may profile a prominent leader, an achiever or someone with a unique job or role on campus. For example, a profile on the Wolfpack mascot, the announcers at athletic events, the Brickyard preacher, the Hillsborough Street violinist or a student in a band.

A group story, however, can get more creative. It could focus on a certain religion, campus organization or students with an interesting bond. It might look at the students in a particular program or those that live in a certain place. For example, a story about students in rodeos, Habitat for Humanity volunteers, bartenders, karaoke junkies, typical college roommates or students with children. It might be married couples, graduate students or students from out of state. It could be medical students, poets, singers or skateboarders.

Places

Places are a little easier to identify. They might be a destination, a campus relic or just a staple on the college “scene.” For instance, a feature story might look at destinations around campus for day trips or spring break. It might explore the best hiking trails, the closest parks or the best places to take a date. It might take a road trip, hike the Appalachian trail or outline the best places to visit in Durham.

Other places are closer to campus. A feature story looks beyond the basics of a place and explores its history, its importance and what sets it apart. Think about local eateries, bars, clubs or theaters.

But feature writers don’t just explain when the place is open, what it offers and where it is. They interview the owners about the history and their connection. They would talk to locals about that particular places “charm” and they might explore the changes it has undergone since it was built.

An easy example is the Berkeley Cafe or Six String Cafe. What sort of “scene” is in the building? What artists went through before they made it big? What type of people go there? How did it get started? How would a local describe it? Tell the story through the eyes of the owners, the acts and people.

Campus “relics” also make good features. The Free Expression Tunnel, for instance. Why do people use it? What sort of things get tossed on its walls? What is it like to paint the tunnel? What sort of controversies do they start? Other ideas: the steam tunnels, the Court of North Carolina, the Belltower, etc.

Activities

College campuses are abuzz with activities. Anything that students do is fair game for a story. Think of things that students do when they get together in a group: they play cards, they skateboard, they do service, they talk via instant messaging, they order late night pizza, they play the guitar, they party, they wrestle in pudding, they shop, they take dance lessons.

A feature story could look at these aspects of “college life” but through the eyes of college students. Writers might follow a group of friends through dance lessons and talk to dance instructors and other students. They might drop in on a few late night poker games. The story doesn’t have to focus on simple, hokey, college activities either. It might be a serious piece about binge drinking. Or a fun look at getting tattoos. Or maybe stories about dating. Anything that college students are doing.

New trends

N.C. State isn’t the same campus it was 50 or even 15 years ago. Technology, rules and shifting populations have changed the experience of college students.

How has dating changed with the Internet? What about speed dating? What is it like to live in an apartment with the Nuisance Party Ordinance looming? How does living in a co-ed dorm break down gender boundaries? How have area restaurants changed with the Atkins craze? What happens with the popularity of video games?

News you can use

Features might also offer “tips” for college living based on interviews with other students and experts. Think — the best places to kiss on campus, the best Valentine’s gifts, how to maximize your dorm room space, finding the quietest spot on campus, or dealing with an annoying roommate.

Issues

Sometimes controversy makes a great feature story because feature writers can explore the human side of a headline or issue. So students are complaining about the Nuisance Party Ordinance? A feature story looks beyond the legislation and takes the reader to a scene of a part when the knocking starts. What happens when a ticket is issued?

Or, perhaps, a feature story looks at the experience of homosexual students on campus.What obstacles do they face? What comments or looks do they receive?

Or, even issues like illegal file-sharing. Sit down with a massive downloader. How many songs do they have? Are they dismayed? Go to a party run entirely on downloaded music.

Take the reader along

Sometimes, the feature writer gets to take the reader to places they may never go — or places they go every day but in a new light. Take a few trips around the nighttime Wolfline path — what sort of things do you see? What kind of people climb on board? Take a tour of the nuclear reactor or take them through a night of “speed dating.” Take them along on a karaoke night.

No matter where the writers takes the reader, he should let the story be about the observations and experiences through the eyes of the sources he met along the way.

Set it up

This is where feature writing gets fun. Feature writers can make stories by incorporating contests, set-ups and reader feedback. For instance, send students on a blind date. Do a makeover. Do a “cribs-style” showcase of an apartment. Ask readers to send in their best Halloween costume to accompany a story on what college students do to ring in the day. Take out a personal ad. Anything that puts readers or staff members in a fun scenario that readers will want to hear about.

Writing the feature story

So now it’s obvious that there’s no shortage of inspiration for stories. Just as the possibilities are endless… so are the styles. But in general, there are a few rules that feature writers follow when constructing their craft.

Common Myths

Because the rules are so relaxed, features writers often fall into the trap of writing columns rather than stories. There are a few rules that generally apply to features stories, though they may be bent from time to time.

• First person: Feature stories are usually not written in first person, using I, me or we. First person detracts from the subject by putting the emphasis on the writer. Keep the focus on the subject.

• Opinions: Just like news stories, feature writers do not provide commentary or insert their own opinions into the story. Stories should be free of opinionated statements including adjectives and descriptions that go beyond what the facts convey.

• Summaries: As a story draws to a close, writers often feel compelled to sum it up for the reader or to come up with some amazing insight or point at the end of their article. Don’t. Tie the conclusion back to the lead and make the reader feel like they’ve come full circle with the story. Let a quote, an observation or some pieces of information be the final line. Let the readers draw their own conclusions and make up their own minds about the subject matter.

• Real people: A feature story is built on more than the facts and the observations of the writer. It relies on quotes, colorful language and real people. Without real people, it’s useless.

The Structure

A feature story might start with a poem — or quote a famous person. It might paint a scene or toss out a shocking quote. But no matter how it starts or how it flows, all feature stories have a similar structure.

Like news stories, they go in a certain order: lead, nut graf, body. The lead grabs the reader’s attention. The nut graf provides a “road map” for the story, and the body takes it away. The conclusion brings the story full circle.

The Lead and Nut Graf

Without a doubt, the most important part of the story is the lead. The lead contains the first words a reader will see and decides — for better or for worse — whether they’ll keep reading.

A lead in a feature story should not start with the who, what, when, where or why. Leave that for later. Instead, it should introduce the subject in a creative way. Think “show,” not tell. Don’t give the facts or the issue, show them using real anecdotes, examples or color.

But the lead should not go on for too long or you’ll lose the reader’s interest. And it has to be connected to the story.

The nut graf is the “road map” for the story. It connects the lead to the rest of the story by explaining, exactly, what the point of the story is. It explains the “who” or the “what,” relating the lead to the larger issue at hand. More importantly, it explains where the story is going.

Topics for feature stories are all around. They’re in buildings, events, people, signs, Web sites. Everywhere. You probably walk by the nuclear reactor every day. What is the reactor used for? How much does it cost to operate? Who pays? Sports too lends itself to feature stories. Talk with athletes and find out what they do for fun. Go beyond the obvious.

Beyond the nut graf

After the writers has caught the reader’s attention with the lead and summarized the story in the nut graf, it’s time to move into the body of the story, a body full of direct quotes from multiple sources (at least three) and transitions that help the story flow and add information. There are a number of structures used to write features stories, each tailored better to different topics.

Inverted pyramid

This is the standard news structure but can be useful for some features. In the inverted pyramid, the writer addresses the most recent or most important aspect of the story directly after the nut graf. Using quotes and transitions effectively, the writer provides in-depth background for the remainder of the story. In that way, the “heaviest” or most important part of the pyramid is first, leading down to the least important information.

Narrative

A narrative story tells, well, a story. It plays out the events or developments over time. It may recount the story or events in the order they occured. But others try a more creative approach. They may set up the present situation, then jump back to a point in the past and work forward to the present. Others may just start at a critical point in the past and work their way to the present. Others may compare the past and the present throughout the story.

The hourglass

Sort of a combination of the two and the most commonly used features body. An hourglass story organizes the top of the story in order of important, then transitions into a narrative that recounts or explains the events at the top.

Hubs and spokes

Reporters dealing with campus life issues may use a “hubs and spokes” approach. These stories have no chronological order or most-important information, they are just describing a trend, phenomenon, scene or activitiy. Think of the hub and spokes approach as a wheel. One idea, event or scene is the central hub a number of related events or scenes are the spokes. The hub will be used in the lead, the nut graf will explain the significance of the wheel in general and the spokes will develop the story. When writing about tatooing, for example, the “hub” would be the most dynamic interview or scene from your research. The “wheel” is, of course, college students getting tattoos. The spokes may be other interviews, scenes at various tattoo parlors and discussions about health issues.

Keeping it connected

With so many different interviews, scenes and ideas, it’s easy for feature stories to become disjointed. Therefore, a strong writer must use anecdotes, transitions, quotes and foreshadowing to keep the story connected and moving. The goal of the transition is to help the story flow, linking one quotation to another, and to add information that isn’t contained in the quotations.

Anecdotes

The bread and butter of a features story. Use real examples, scenes and descriptions to add color and life to your story. It’s vital to “show” your reader instead of “tell” your reader. For instance, if a gay students laments that it’s hard to fit in on a conservative campus, that’s fine. But it’s not compelling. Use a clear example from their life to “show” how difficult it is. If you want to discuss how hard pre-med students push themselves to get ready for med school, don’t just say they work hard, “show” the reader they work hard by describing in vivid detail the all-nighters at the library, the empty cups of coffee that line their windowsills, the nights spent pouring over textbooks while their roommates are partying.

Transitions

Transitions are vital to move the story from one thought to another, logically and painlessly. A good transition bridges two scenes, thoughts or topics by finding the common link between them. Take this example from Contemporary Editing by Cecilia Friend, Don Challenger and Katherine McAdams about a man who nearly died of a heart attack has completed a marathon.

Haskins staggered through the final mile, gasping for breath, his feet like cinder blocks chained to his legs. It took him more than four hours, and no medal awaited him at the finish line, but he had won something more precious.

Haskins suffered a massive heart attack two years ago, on the night of March 16. He had been out of shape and overweight for years. He was shuffling up the stairs to bed when he felt a pain in his left shoulder and could not catch his breath.

The common link in the two paragraphs could be the man having to catch his breath. Look at the revised paragraphs with that used as a transition:

Haskins staggered through the final mile, gasping for breath, his feet like cinder blocks chained to his legs. It took him more than four hours, and no medal awaited him at the finish line, but he had won something more precious.

Two years ago, it was not the 26.2-mile race that made Haskins fight for oxygen, but a flight of stairs. As he shuffed up to bed on the night of March 16, he felt a pain in his left shoulder and could not breathe. Out of shape and overweight for years, Haskins had suffered a massive heart attack.

Quotes

Quotes are a key element of any news story. They add credibility to complex issues, give voice and life to the people represented and add color and drama. It is important to integrate carefully chosen quotes throughout the story. Too many quotes lose the reader, jumble the flow and confuse the general focus of the story. Too few quotes leave the story bland, monotonous and boring. Use quotes to provide emphasis, emotion and drama. Not everything needs to be quoted. Simple facts and most non-opinionated material can be included in the transitions. Be sure to attributed all opinions or controversial facts.

BAD: “When I give a tattoo, I disinfect the area first, then try at a small portion. If that goes well, I’ll numb the area and proceed,” said Scary Jon the tattoo guy.

BETTER: Scary Jon said he doesn’t begin painting as soon as a student plops in his chair. First, he disinfects the area and pricks a small portion of the design. If the student doesn’t squirm, he numbs the area and proceeds.

“The last damn thing I want is some drunk ass freshmen jumping out of my chair, crying like a girl and jabbing my needle in my eye, “ he said.

BAD: “I’ve really enjoyed this event,” said Tom Boring, a senior in political science who attended the crafts fair.

BETTER: “Dude, making those pots was totally psychechedelic,” Tom Notsoboring said, echoing the sentiment of a number of crafts fair participants who say they enjoyed the event.

It’s also important to avoid repetition. Quotes should not repeat previous information or simply restate something you already said. Instead, they should provide a different insight or passionate exclamation of opinion or emotion.

Finally, accuracy is key. When writing a story, if the reporter is unclear about the exact wording of what a source said, use an indirect quote. If a quote reads awkward, paraphrase it. Be cautious, however, to keep the integrity of the quote and the correct information when paraphrasing material.

Foreshadow

Even when writers plan to build the suspense or lead up to the most important aspect of the story, it’s always a useful tool to foreshadow what is to come. Leave the reader wondering why the source in a story wasn’t wearing a seat belt when they climbed in the car. It’s only later — when you describe the car crash — that that fact will come rushing back.