Feature Writing JMSC0054

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Feature WritingJMSC0054

• Gene Mustain
• Director, Reporting Writing Programme
• gene_at_hku.hk

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The Profile

• A profile is a story about someone worth reading
  about, someone who we think is interesting, for
  what they say, do or think.
• The goal of a profile is to enable readers to
  see the person and to understand who they are
  and what they are about.

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The Profile

• As with any good news story or any good feature
  story, the key to a good profile is good
  information.
• Good information for a profile is obtained
  through careful research, keen observation and
  skillful interviewing.

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The Profile

• A profile has a theme, a fundamental idea that
  the writer wants to leave with readers.
• Longer profiles may have sub-themes or
  secondary ideas.

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Common Profile Ingredients

• The persons background
• Anecdotes, incidents and examples
• The writers observations

• Comments by others
• Quotes from the interviewee
• When relevant, a news peg

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The Persons Background

• Background is biographical material, the kind of
  information one puts on employment applications.
• Age, education, occupation, family.
• It doesnt all go into one paragraph. It is
  sprinkled throughout, at places relevant to
  points being made.

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Incidents, Anecdotes, Examples

• Events, episodes, dramas, memories, stories and
  symbols from and of a persons life that have
  some relevance to the theme and sub-themes of the
  story you have decided to tell.

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The Writers Observations

• Writers of profiles help readers see by
  including observations they see or hear or think
  while interviewing their subject or observing
  them in action.
• The plaques on a wall. The family pictures on a
  desk. The way the subject talks, gestures and
  dresses, or treats another person.

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Comments by Others

• What do others who know the person you are
  profiling say or think about them? What do people
  who dont know them say or think?
• These comments may help you link parts of your
  story or provoke your subject to make
  interesting comments of their own.

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Quotes from the Interviewees

• If we can, it is good to hear the voice of the
  person you are profiling.
• Use interesting and lively quotes.
• Quotes can help you move from one part of your
  story to the next.

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If Relevant, a News Peg

• If the person you are profiling is currently in
  the news, peg or tie the story to news.
• People like to read about people in the news.

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Profiles The Beginning

• Write a beginning (which may be more than one
  paragraph) that invites the audience into the
  story and suggests what the story is about its
  main theme, the fundamental point you are going
  to make about this person and their role in life.

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The Profile The Middle

• The middle part of a profile is organized and
  easy to follow it develops ideas and issues
  suggested in the beginning. It provides vital
  information and involves the reader with the
  subject.

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The Profile The Ending

• A profile ends with a bang. It leaves the
  reader with a central idea, suggested by either
  the writers words and observations, or a quote
  from the subject, or from someone talking about
  the subject. The closing bang often refers to
  or reinforces the theme. The ending may be
  several paragraphs long.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of an Indian woman who ran away to
  escape the conservative traditions of the Indian
  community in Hong Kong. She stayed away five
  years, but still found that people expected her
  to live life on their terms, not hers. This is
  the story of a strong-willed woman who refuses to
  bow to social pressure.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of HKU administrator in charge of
  student development and commitment to community
  service. He is blind, but that never stopped him
  from achieving. This is the story of a man who
  regarded his blindness as simply a physical
  limitation to deal with and who tried to live his
  life as a normal person.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a HKU freshman who had to compete
  with 100 others for 16 spots on the debate team.
  Through talent, plus persistence and
  determination, she made it. This is the story of
  a student refusing to give up when roadblocks
  were thrown in her path.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a former drug addict from a Hong
  Kong housing estate who beat his addiction and
  went on to qualify for his A-level examinations.
  It is a story about someone overcoming adversity.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a HKU student whose mother put him
  in swimming lessons to help him overcome his
  asthma. He became a champion swimmer, not so much
  through natural talent, but through sheer
  determination to achieve.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a mainland student as she adjusts to
  life in Hong Kong and becomes acquainted with its
  people and places. The student discovers Hong
  Kong is a mixture of western and Chinese
  cultures, but also a mixture of beautiful natural
  and man-made landscapes.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of Yeung Sum, former chairman of the
  Democratic Party of Hong Kong, who also has been
  teaching at HKU since 1979. He also is active in
  many groups. The story is about a man who likes
  to be involved in society and likes to find
  solutions to problems.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a popular professor of geography at
  HKU who is a survivor of the Cultural Revolution.
  The story is about his strong will and positive
  attitude, and how these helped him overcome great
  obstacles in his life.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of an exchange student at HKU. She is
  from the Netherlands. Her father is Dutch. Her
  mother is Argentinean. She is not sure what she
  is. She was adopted when she was a baby. Her
  birth parents are probably dead. The story is
  about a persons search for identity.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a sociology professor at HKU who
  does not want to marry or have a family. The
  professor has relationships with men, but prefers
  to remain single. The story is about relationship
  changes in society that are related to careers
  and personal choices.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a 30-year-old HKU British student
  who has traveled extensively throughout the world
  trying to fit into hall life at HKU. This is a
  story about someone trying to fit into a culture
  they are not naturally inclined for, by age or
  experience.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a hip scholar at Chinese
  University who graduated from top universities at
  a young age. He has his own radio show and writes
  columns on international affairs. He is a fan of
  Paris Hilton. This is a story about an unusually
  talented young person in tune with different
  worlds.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a young woman who falls in love with
  the captain of the opposing debate team. Except
  she cant tell him that. She keeps it a secret
  for six months. She talks to him and sends him
  letters, but cant tell him of her love. This is
  a story of a woman obsessed by love, but unable
  to act on her feelings.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a 68-year-old photography teacher.
  He meets every Saturday in a park with dozens of
  students to show tricks of the trade. This is a
  story about a man in love with the craft of an
  art form, and who wants to pass his knowledge
  along to others.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a young man who as he comes out of
  the closet and tells his family that he is a
  homosexual. But he remains in the closet at
  work, where he worries about the reaction of
  friends and employers. This is a story about the
  difficulties gay people can face in Hong Kong.

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The Profile Stories of Past Years

• A profile of a student from a poor background who
  got eight As on his HKCEE exam, and was then
  offered scholarships to Harvard and other top
  universities. This is a classic rags-to-riches
  success story, the story of a child overcoming
  great odds because of a gift he was given great
  intelligence.