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UNIT I
DEFINITION: Feature is a story that is longer than a standard news story and written in a different
style. Features can vary widely, so you can have a news-feature or an arts feature. Although the term
feature implies softer news, a feature is often defined by its length and style, which differs from a
straight-up news story. Features also often appear in magazines though newspapers and websites also
run features. The middle section of a magazine is also where you usually find the features; this section is
known as the feature well. In writing a feature, one has to depend on the eye and the ear, sentiments,
feelings, emotions and observation. The difference between news writing and feature writing lies in
approach rather than in subject matter.

Feature vis-à-vis fiction and literature:

Fiction is the form of any work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not
real, but rather, imaginary and theoretical—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a
major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical, cinematic, or musical work. Fiction
contrasts with non-fiction, which deals exclusively with factual (or, at least, assumed factual) events,
descriptions, observations etc.

Literature: literature is the art of written work. The word literature literally means: "things made from
letters". Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms—fiction and non-fiction—and two
major techniques—poetry and prose.

Literature may consist of texts based on factual information (journalistic or non-fiction), a category that
may also include polemical works, biography, and reflective essays, or it may consist of texts based on
imagination (such as fiction, poetry, or drama). Literature written in poetry emphasizes the aesthetic
and rhythmic qualities of language—such as sound, symbolism, and meter—to evoke meanings in
addition to, or in place of, ordinary meanings, while literature written in prose applies ordinary
grammatical structure and the natural flow of speech. Literature can also be classified according to
historical periods, genres, and political influences. While the concept of genre has broadened over the
centuries, in general, a genre consists of artistic works that fall within a certain central theme; examples
of genre include romance, mystery, crime, fantasy, erotica, and adventure, among others.

Important historical periods in English literature include Old English, Middle English, the Renaissance,
the Elizabethan era of the 16th century (which includes the Shakespearean era), the 17th Century
Restoration period, the 18th century Age of Enlightenment, the Romanticism of the early 19th century,
the later 19th Century Victorian, and 20th Century Modernism and Post-modernism. Important
intellectual movements that have influenced the study of literature include feminism, post-colonialism,
psychoanalysis, post-structuralism, post-modernism, romanticism, and Marxism.

Feature Writing Techniques:

While writing a feature one should try to write a striking introduction which may arouse the reader’s
curiosity and interest. How to end a feature is as important as how to begin it. Sometimes the technique
of short story writing may be successfully employed to write a feature.
Figurative language helps recreate scenes or sensations. It is how a writer tells the story. Devices
include:

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 Metaphor -- An implied comparison between two unlike things. It is a word or phrase applied
to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Metaphors are used in poetry,
literature & anytime someone wants to add some color to their language.
Eg.: 1) Love is a battlefield.
2) You are a firework.
3) The test was murder.
 Simile -- A stated comparison between two unlike things. A simile is a figure of speech that
compares two different things in an interesting way. This comparison is usually used to make
the description more emphatic or vivid.
Eg.: 1) She is like a rose.
2) As black as a coal.
3) As busy as a bee.
4) As brave as a lion.
 Personification-- Giving life-like characteristics to something lifeless. It can also be said as
representation of an abstract quality in human form.
 Hyperbole -- Emphasizing something by deliberately overstating or understating it. Good
feature stories contain anecdotes, description, attributive verbs and direct.

TYPES OF FEATURE: Journalists disagree about whether all features entertain and inform. Most agree
that feature can be categorized into these general types, each with a special purpose:
1. News feature: a story that offers a human-interest view on a hard news event.
2. Informative feature: a story that present practical on interesting information.
3. Personality profile: a story that reveals the personality of someone through incidents,
anecdotes, and quote (not through a list of accomplishments, favorite things, or
biographical facts)
4. Human interest feature: The best-known kind of feature story is the human-interest
story that discusses issues through the experiences of another. A short piece (about 100
words), told in a unique or clever way, that concentrates on an unusual and emotionally
appealing subject (person, place, object, or animal)
5. Historical feature: A story is about an interesting aspect of a historical subject,
gathered from research and interviews. These features commemorate important dates
in history or turning points in our social, political and cultural development. They offer a
useful just a position of then and now. Historical features take the reader back to revisit
an event and issues surrounding it. A variation is this date in history short feature,
which reminds people of significant events on a particular date.
6. Personal- accomplishment feature: a story that focuses on an individual who
accomplished something amazing or who has over –come a particular life struggle.
7. Shared –experience feature: a story that shares information gained from the writer’s
firsthand experience in doing something.
8. Hoe-to feature: a story that explains how to do something.
9. Profiles: A very common type of feature is the profile that reveals an individual's
character and lifestyle. The profile exposes different facets of the subject so readers will
feel they know the person.

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10. Seasonal Themes: Stories about holidays and the change of seasons address matters at
specific times of a year. For instance, they cover life milestones, social, political and
cultural cycles, and business cycles.
11. Behind the Scenes: Inside views of unusual occupations, issues, and events give
readers a feeling of penetrating the inner circle or being a mouse in a corner. Readers
like feeling privy to unusual details and well kept secrets about procedures or activities
they might not ordinarily be exposed to or allowed to participate in.

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UNIT-II

DISTINCTION BETWEEN A FEATURISED NEWS STORY ANF FEATURISED ARTICLES

Feature stories are human-interest articles that focus on particular people, places and events.

 Feature stories are journalistic, researched, descriptive, colorful, thoughtful, reflective, thorough
writing about original ideas.

 Feature stories cover topics in depth, going further than mere hard news coverage by
amplifying and explaining the most interesting and important elements of a situation or
occurrence.

 Feature stories are popular content elements of newspapers, magazines, blogs, websites,
newsletters, television broadcasts and other mass media.

 A feature story is not meant to report the latest breaking news, but rather an in-depth look at a
subject.

 Feature articles range from the news feature that provides sidebar background to a current
event hard news story, to a relatively timeless story that has natural human interest.

 Features generally are longer than hard-news articles because the feature penetrates deeper
into its subject, expanding on the details rather than trying to concentrate on a few important
key points.

 In hard news stories, often referred to as inverted pyramid style, the reporter makes the point,
sets the tone, and frames the issue in the first paragraph or two.

 In a feature story, on the other hand, the writer has the time and space to develop the theme,
but sometimes postpones the main point until the end. The whole story does not have to be
encapsulated in the lead.

Non-fiction stories
Feature stories are journalistic reports. They are not opinion essays or editorials. They should not be confused
with creative writing or works of fiction.

• The writer's opinions and attitudes are not important to the story.
• The writer keeps herself or himself out of the story.
• Writing in the third person helps maintain the necessary distance.

Telling stories
Hard news stories report very timely events that have just occurred. Feature stories, on the other hand, are
soft news because they are not as timely, not as swiftly reported. Feature writers have the extra time to
complete background research, interviews and observation for their stories.

Here are some suggestions for polishing feature writing skills and developing an eye for feature story ideas.
 Feature stories give readers information in a pleasing, entertaining format that highlights an
issue by describing the people, places, events and ideas that shape it.

 Feature stories are really more like nonfiction short stories than hard news stories.

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 While there should a news peg for the existence of a story at a particular time, the immediacy of
the event is secondary in a feature story. In fact, sometimes there is no immediate event.

 The power of a feature story lies in its ability to amplify the focus on an issue through first-rate
storytelling, irony, humor, human appeal, atmosphere and colorful details.

 Features have a clear beginning, middle and end and are longer than hard-news stories.

Gathering data
Journalists use three tools to gather information for stories: observation, interview and background research.
After completing these, the writer brings the story to life through colorful description, meaningful anecdotes
and significant quotes.
 These elements are obtained when interviewing and observing by jotting down everything
encountered – smells, noises, colors, textures, emotions, details seen and heard in the
surroundings.

 The journalist keeps an open mind while interviewing subjects and researching sources.

 The writer avoids steering the story or imposing personal ideas on the sources.

 The writer avoids deciding on the theme of the story until sufficient information has been
gathered to show a direction or point of view.

Story format
The information in a feature is organized differently from hard news stories. Sometimes a writer uses
several paragraphs of copy at the outset to engage the reader before getting on with the main elements
of the story.

After the title and opening paragraph grab a reader, narrative hooks are used to persuade the reader to
continue reading. These hooks are attractive story elements such as action, mystery, drama or
appealing characters intended to pull the reader forward through the story. They are complex
narratives that come to life through colorful description, meaningful anecdotes and significant quotes.

 In hard news stories, the reporter makes the point, sets the tone, and frames the issue in the
first paragraph or two.
 In feature stories, the whole story does not have to be encapsulated in an inverted pyramid lead.
The writer can develop the storyline in a variety of ways and choose to postpone the main point
until later in the copy or even the end.
 A writer can choose to tell the story out of order to engage the reader's interest.
 A story could begin with a dramatic moment and, once the reader is curious, the story could
flash back to the history needed to understand it.
 A story-within-a-story could be used with a narrator in the outer story telling the inner story to
satisfy the curiosity of readers.
 A storyline could alert readers that the story began in a way that seemed ordinary, but they
must follow it to understand what happened eventually.
 As with any news reporting, feature stories are subject to the journalistic standards of accuracy,
fairness and precision. The quality of a story is judged on its content, organization and
mechanics.
 Features writers use The Associated Press Stylebook for correct journalistic style.

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How long are these articles?

 Newspaper features often are 500 to 2500 words in length.
 Magazine features usually are 500 to 5,000 words.
 Features on websites and blogs generally range from 250–2500 words, but hard drive space is
relatively inexpensive so the length could vary dramatically through the use of non-linear
hyperlinking of content.
 Any medium might use a shorter or longer story than usual, depending on its perceived value.
 Attention spans seem to grow ever shorter so brevity is valued. More than ever, all writing
today needs to be clear and concise.

Illustrations
Every story is illustrated, usually with one or more photographs, but the art can be drawings, paintings,
sketches, video or machinima, colorful graphs and charts, or other creative expressions depending on
the medium for which the feature is packaged for dissemination.

Is this just for print journalists?

As newspapers and other print media face stiffer competition today from Internet news media, more
feature stories are published because they can be more engaging to read. Wire services, such as the
Associated Press and reuters, which once distributed mostly hard news, now send feature stories to
members.

Public relations professionals frequently write feature articles. For instance, a company newsletter story
profiling employees voluntarily helping the local community could benefit employees and their families
as well as the firm's stockholders. Or a profile of a corporate CEO could be released to media when the
firm makes news.

Broadcast journalists use human interest stories, profiles, historical pieces, seasonal packages, behind the
scenes revelations and even how-to descriptions. These can be seen and heard everywhere in television
and radio news.

A typical television news package includes an edited set of video clips for a story narrated by a reporter
following a written script. Unlike a magazine article, for example, the TV feature story also will have
audio, video, graphics and video effects. A news anchor with an over-the-shoulder graphic will be seen
reading a lead-in introduction before the package is aired and concluding the story with additional
information called a tag.

SEARCH FOR TOPICS AND MATERIAL THAT CAN SELL

People: These articles are among the most common and popular to write and read. You could write about
someone with an interesting hobby, job or business; someone who is active in the community who is
retiring or moving away; a unique child, senior citizen, or disabled person; an artist; or a famous person
who has some link to your area. For example, you could write about an antique car collector, costume
designer, or a glassblower.

Events: These features are about public gatherings, such as festivals, exhibits, concerts, or shows. You could
even preview them, interviewing the people involved in organizing them. You could also write about
uncommon happenings, such as the birth of a second set of twins to a mother.

Lifestyle: You could write about people who live in houseboats or log cabins. You could also write about
people who operate successful home businesses.

Seasonal: You could write holiday features, such as how a certain ethnic group celebrates a major holiday.
Other ideas are: fashion, food, and sports, pertaining to the current season.

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Trends of the Decade: Why not write about men and women entering certain fields that were
traditionally limited to a certain gender? You could also write about new types of businesses that are
becoming popular.

Anachronisms: What about businesses that are becoming extinct? For example, I recently read a
feature article about the only person left in my area who repairs typewriters.

Interesting Places to Visit/Travel to: These articles could be about local or regional towns or even
organizations, such as the local historical society. Or, they could be more general features about foreign
countries that are becoming popular to tourists.

Informational: These could be about services offered to the public by the government and by social
service agencies, such as food banks.

How-to: These cover a range of topics, such as self-help: improving your physical and emotional health,
and staying fit. They could also deal with home improvements, such as interior decorating. Or, they
could be about car maintenance for particular seasons of the year.

First Person Experience: The most effective features of this kind are the ones where the writer has
participated in some different or unusual activity or job, and shared his/her perspectives. Do you know
someone who owns a farm? Be a farmer for a day and then report on it.

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Unit-III
PLANNING A FEATURE
Writing Process:
1. Story Ideas: Feature story ideas come from everywhere -- from your editor, personal
observation, conversations overheard in the dining facility, etc. Once you have a story idea,
decide exactly what focus you want to emphasize. Your focus is the angle you want for the story.
2. Remember your audience -- who you're writing for when writing features. Collecting the
information. Always do background research for your story, if possible. You must have a clear
idea of your subject before you set the interview.
3. Plan your questions: Always collect more information than you need. It's better than not
enough. Capture the emotion. People want to know how your subject feels about why he/she
does something. Use all your senses. See, hear, smell, touch, taste. Make notes of how people
move, dress, speak, etc. Observe. Train yourself to notice everything.

Write the story

• Use descriptive verbs and nouns instead of adverbs and adjectives.
• Use only the best quotes. The quotes must SAY or SHOW something.
• Be specific in description. Create a detailed picture the reader can SEE.

Revise and rewrite: Write the story, and then polish it. Test your story by asking "What is this story
about?" Your lead and focus transition should answer that question.
1. Time factor – this is one of the major differences between a news story and a feature. A news story
is time-dependent. There is always the need for new stories to be written as quickly as possible
after an event occurs. Feature stories, however are not as time-dependent as news stories. Let us
take a look at an example. For instance, if the sitting President of a country suddenly suffers from a
heart attack and is flown to hospital the news should be reported instantly – maybe within minutes
or seconds. So you see that news stories are heavily time-dependent. Features on the other hand
are not as time-dependent as news stories. For example, a story talking about the life of the oldest
man in the world is not time sensitive and since it contains no urgent content it can be written
within several weeks or months.
2. Writing style – the writing styles between a news story and a feature differ a little bit. News
stories go straight to the point. News stories use simple and very effective words to deliver the
facts quickly. But feature stories have a creative structure. They are colorful and flowery.
3. The length - a news story is shorter than a feature story. A news story can vary from just a couple
of sentences to about 600 words, but a feature story can be longer than 2000 words – especially
in magazines.
4. The lead – the lead of a feature does not give the news instead it gets the reader interested in
reading the rest of the story. News story leads sell the story. They tell what the news is about and
tell all the most important details about the news.
5. The ending – a news story can end anywhere after the most important things have been
mentioned, but a feature story has to be ended in specific manner. Features have to end in such a
way that the reader feels satisfied for having kept on reading. The feature ending is more like a
reward to the reader.

Rather than these planning we should keep in mind the following points that can help to make a good
feature

Direct access –
For some Feature topic it is compulsory to visit the places to get the right facts and figures it is known
as direct access of the sources for features.

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Direct dialogue -
This point says about the direct dialogue with those people who area realted to the topic of the feature.
Interview discussion is helpful for getting information.

Books
Books are helpful to get the proper facts and figure and even it increases the vocabulary .it helps to
feature writer to give proper references.

References
References can be in the form of notes, reports and documents, cuttings of the news papers can be used
for the feature writing.

TITLES, LEADS AND SLANTS IN FEATURES

A feature resembles a news story in some respects but differ from some others. just like news story a
feature has three main components. After a perfect title it consist three main elements that is lead or
intro, body and conclusion. The title of the feature should be very attractive and should be capable to
attract the readers. According to the feature title can be symbolic, significant and can be straight
forward. Fresh, imaginary titles always get attention and to compel the readers read the feature.

Lead-
A feature writer has latitude in selecting his lead. The choice is indeed limitless. The lead may be in any
of the following types or a combination of two or more of them
1 news summary lead – this is similar to the lead in a news story and should contain 5 W’s; who, what,
where, when, which, and how.
Short sentence lead- this consist of a single striking sentence like “art is born of humiliation”.
Quotation leads- the saying of renowned person, poet or a leader may be taken as lead like east is east
and west is west.
Question lead: sometimes a question may provide a feature with and attractive lead like “does life
emitted art”
Contrast lead: conflicts and contrast many a times provide a feature with lead may bring forth the
controversial nature of the feature.
Picture lead: this gives a vivid description of the feature or evokes the mood or feelings.
Humorous lead: the humorous lead sets the tone of a feature perfectly for the leader.

How lead work?

 It should create an image, send a verbal message and capture the reader's imagination.
 The tone should fit the mood of the story and supply the theme or angle.
 It should lead the reader into the story.

What makes a good lead?

 An anecdote that represents the universal truth.
 The description of a scene that helps to establish a tone or mood.
 A description of a subject: face, demeanor, posture.
 A powerful quote.
 A startling statement.
 The strength of any sentence is judged by its degree of improbability. "fall is here and that means
the start of football season" tells the reader nothing.
The following lead is much better: "fall is here, a fact that head coach Bill Smith may view with
some trepidation. Not only does he have to replace 14 seniors from 2-8 seasons, he must deal
with the recent season-ending injury to returning quarterback Dave Jones."

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Body
Feature writing is not very different from any other expository or narrative writing. the body of a
feature is developed logically and smoothly in the same way as a news story. In the body the content
should be developed the material should be presented with brevity and elegance avoiding superfluous
words as well as clichés and maintain a high standard of writing.
Important points for writing body:
 It should be unified with all material relating to the theme. All unnecessary data should be omitted.
Care should be taken to make certain that each sentence and paragraph adds to the impact of the
narrative.
 The story is organized in a logical order. This does not necessarily mean chronological order.
However, the reader should be able to follow the narrative of the story as action jumps back and
forth from the past, the present and even the future.

Conclusion
The ending should give a sense of finality and resolution to the reader. It wraps up all loose ends
and leaves the reader with a single, significant thought. It stands alone as the reader's final
impression. The conclusion may be summing up of the contents of a feature ,or a climax as in short
story or a cutback or a flash back to the lead.

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Unit IV

BASIC PRINCIPAL AND DO’s OF REVIEWING BOOKS, FILMS, STAGE PLAYS & TV PROGRAMS
Writing the Book Review: Book reviews generally include the following kinds of information; keep in
mind, though, that you may need to include other information to explain your assessment of a book.
Most reviews start off with a heading that includes all the bibliographic information about the book. If
your assignment sheet does not indicate which form you should use, you can use the following:
Title. publisher,
Author. Date of publication.
Place of publication Number of pages.

Like most pieces of writing, the review itself usually begins with an introduction that lets your readers
know what the review will say. The first paragraph usually includes the author and title again, so your
readers don’t have to look up to find this information. You should also include a very brief overview of the
contents of the book, the purpose or audience for the book, and your reaction and evaluation.

Characteristics of a good review:

The review should introduce the reader to the book's content and focus on the subject of the book being
reviewed.
• Include an exposition of how the book fits into the current thinking on the subject (e.g., a novel
approach, an introduction, a magisterial review, the finest book on the subject ever written, etc.).
• Avoid repeating its table of contents; rather, give the reader some idea of the author's thesis and
how he or she develops it.
• If the book is an edited collection of essays, or chapters by different individuals, give some idea of
the overall theme and content, but be free to focus on specific chapters you consider particularly
significant or worthwhile.
• Inform the reader about what is happening in the area of academic activity the book addresses;
what the state of knowledge is in the subject; and how this new book adds, changes, or breaks
new ground in our knowledge of this subject.
• The review should be fair to the author.
• Tell readers why the author took many months to write the book, who the intended audience is,
and how the author handles his or her material.
• Convey the content of the book, not chapter by chapter so much as the entire book.
• Add flavor to the review by including pungent or revealing quotations from the book or notable
facts or findings.
• Be specific. Give details. Try not to be too abstract or vague (e.g., avoid writing "interesting
observations," "lots of arresting data “or” a strange view of campus design" unless you
complement this with specific examples).
• You should submerge your own opinions or reaction.
• Write the review about the book and its contribution to the subject, not about the reviewer's
feelings on having read the book.
• Do not tell the author what book you feel he or she should have written.
• The reviewer's appraisal is valuable, but this should be quite secondary.

Film review, stage plays and TV programme: A review should include:

An introduction
Facts and background information concerning the film, such as the title the name of the artists or acto
rs and actresses the name of the director the type of place where the story in the film happens ( i.e
. the setting )
A main body
Usually make up of 2 paragraphs:
1. describing the main features of the plot ( or summary of the story in the film )

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3. the acting
4. the music
5. the photography
6. the colour / animation ( if it is a cartoon )
7. the setting
8. the costumes
9. special effects ( e.g. sci‐fi movies)

A conclusion: Include a recommendation and reasons why you recommend the film Reviews are normally
found in newspapers, magazines or as part of a letter. The style used depends on the intended re ade
Therefore, it can be semi‐formal or formal. Present tenses are normally used. A variety of adjectives are u sed
to make the review more interesting to readers. Formal film reviews should see a frequent use of pass ive
voic. In a formal review, there should be no short forms of words.

• ‐ The film is set in …

Useful Language: vocabulary / phrases / expressions/Background

• ‐ This fascinating film is…

• ‐ This film originates from a novel named …
• ‐ The film is directed by…
• ‐ The film is based on a novel / a real life story of a…
• ‐ This is a comedy / horror film / love story / cartoon / science fiction movie / war film / Kung
Fu film /an action film/ a thriller / a spy movie /

• ‐ It is rather confusing / long / slow / boring

General comments and opinions:

• ‐ The cast is excellent / weak / awful / unconvincing

• ‐ The script/ story is dull / clever / exciting
• ‐ It has a tragic / surprising / dramatic ending
• ‐ It does not come across as true / convincing
• ‐ The music / sound effect is dull / rich
• ‐ It is a catchy tune as backing music
• ‐ The theme song is powerful / weak / satisfying
• ‐ The colour in the photography is natural / spectacular / dull / dark and frightening
• ‐ The acting is true to life / powerful / natural

• ‐ Don’t miss it!

Useful recommendations:

• ‐ It is well worth seeing!

• ‐ It will change the way you see (e.g. young people) after watching this film.
• ‐ It is bound to be a box‐office hit.
• ‐ I highly / thoroughly / strongly recommend it.
• ‐ It is highly entertaining.
• ‐ It is certainly at the top of my list of good movies.
• ‐ Fans of … will no doubt be thrilled with this.
• ‐ It’s a must!
• ‐ I would not recommend this because…
• ‐ Wait until it comes out on video.
• ‐ It‘s a boring movie. Don’t bother with this one.
• ‐ Only watch this film if you have plenty of time to spare. Sample sentences

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‐
• ‘Star Wars’ has got spectacular special effects.

‐
• It is worth watching for the dramatic scenery / acting of … alone.

‐
• Thanks to the special effects, the action is totally believable.

‐
• The film has such a tragic ending that you will leave the cinema in tears.

‐
• Most of the film is rather boring, but it did have an interesting twist in the end.

‐
• ‘Elizabeth’ is a film based on the life of Queen Elizabeth I.

‐
• The film ‘Gladiator’ has a large cast and spectacular costumes.
• The film is worth seeing. It will touch the hearts of many.

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 UNIT-V
Meaning of Freelancing

Freelancer
In the news papers and magazines some writers in write various type article, review feature on all kind
of topics .though they are not on the regular payrolls of these news papers and magazines .they are
known as freelancer writers they practices free lance journalism. In general freelancer journalists are
the journalists who are not attached with any news papers and magazine.

Most magazine are dependent on these freelancer for making these publication interesting and for
meeting the reading needs of all kind of readers.

News papers have to employ reporters and sub editors because they have to bring out their issue every
day. As periodicals and magazines come out according to their issue every day. As periodicals and
magazine come out according to their respective periodicity –daily, weekly fortnight or monthly many of
them do not need many full time journalists. Therefore they depend upon freelancer to a very large
measure.

They are frequently keep in touch with these magazine and do assignment as per their need.ith a view of
meeting their need ,freelancer have to complete these assignment as per the schedule of the publication.

Origin of freelancing
It is believed to go back to 16th century when freelancers were associated it military life. A lancer or the
person who wielded swords was free and his allegiance was limited to a particular assignment for which
he was hired. From the 16th to 18th century several such freelancers came to India from Europe to train
the armies of Tipu Sultan and Marathas and the Nawabs of Bengal. They even fought for their armies but
never found them lacking. That is what a freelancer writer has to be.

WHO CAN BE A FREELANCER WRITER?

Virtually anybody can be a freelance writer. Most freelance writer has other job. For becoming a
freelancer you must have the grit, determination and willingness to work hard besides processing a good,
but not necessarily high profile language. Many times the leading novelists, and the short story and
article writer who contribute to magazine and editorial page are teachers, housewives, doctors, lawyers
etc. can be the freelancer.

Scope and approach for freelancing for news papers and magazine:
Freelancing, in plain and simple terms, means –“work whenever you want and however you want!”
Imagine the luxury of not having a boss whose sole ambition is to make your life as difficult as possible,
not having to wake up to go to office at inhumanly early hours, not having to beg for a leave to go on that
long awaited vacation with your family and at the same time being able to handle family, domestic
responsibilities and the likes without loosing out on financial independence! Sounds like a dream come
true, does’t it? Well, thousands of people around the world live this dream and also make a living out of it
and a large fraction of them are freelance writers.

Freelance writers from India are highly in demand all over the international circuit because of their
reasonably good English writing skills and a willingness to work for peanuts (we'll get to that one later).

Although freelance writing has not yet gained popularity at par with mainstream journalism, it has
definitely grown from writing a couple of hand written articles every now and then to a booming Internet
business which is providing opportunities to many people in India who would otherwise have little else
to do. Those who know their way around words may pick up a part-time writing gig for some extra

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money or even give up a "regular" job to make a full-time career out of freelance writing. The
opportunities are plentiful and there is enough work for all (thanks to the outsourcing fad).

This profession is extremely beneficial to women in particular who are educated, ambitious but
smothered with domestic responsibilities and kids. Any individual with an aptitude for the language and
original thinking can make a decent living from freelance writing jobs and this applies to a lot of
physically challenged people who are denied job opportunities in a conventional work environment.

A freelance writer can adopt any genre of choice- he/she can explore areas in academic writing, creative
writing, feature writing, copywriting, SEO, web content writing, editing/proofreading or even blogging!
Most freelance writers associate themselves with Internet based companies and organizations that
provide them with orders on subjects and topics they are well versed with. The writer then works on the
article and submits it before a pre-specified deadline. A writer may choose to market himself/herself
independently through a blog or a website and directly get in touch with clients. Although the rate of
professional growth can be sky- rocketing at times, it can work the other way around too. Any work that
lacks originality and structure can send the career graph plummeting to ground level. Therefore,
consistency and sincerity are very crucial components in determining success as a writer.

Financial returns in this field are totally dependent on individual capabilities, quality of work and the time
and dedication put into the same.

Though an academic background in English or Mass Communication/Journalism is beneficial, it is not

absolutely necessary. There is an unbelievable variety of "writing courses" available online through
distance learning but their credibility is highly questionable. I shall delve into greater detail regarding
these sometime later.

Concept of Photo feature

A photo feature is also called a photo essay. As the name suggests it is a story or an Essay on a subject
told using photographs. It can be done on anything that is Photographed, a place or person etc. You may
have come across photo features in magazines on certain interesting issue. A photo feature is generally
conceived at the desk of the editor of the magazine or Newspaper who will brief the photo editor about it.
Photo feature is an important part of print media. In this types of feature only photos are capable to speak
about the story they can be more than one. earlier 2 or 3 photos were used but now a days a good single
photo is enough. There is very less words are used in photo feature because photo is enough to speak a
lot. only caption is required. Dharmyug, weekly Hindustan were the news paper which started the trend
of photo feature. in fact ‘Amar chitra katha’ was the full photo feature series.

Why photo feature

 In the present scenario the print media has to compete with electronic media so the importance of
photo feature has raised.
 The Magazines and newspapers look beautiful with the presentation of photos.
 Some readers who don’t have time always ask about the photo feature because so it is less time
consuming.
 The photo feature has much credibility and authenticity with the related topic.
 Photo feature is also helpful for the illiterate people they can get the information by the picture
only.
 It attracts the readers because now a days the quality and the technology of photography has
developed a lot to make photos unique.
 Photos directly connect with the imagination of the readers if story is there so reader can get
confused but there will be no chances of confusion with photo feature,

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Topics for the photo feature
 Current news –international or national level
 Cover story for the magazine
 Nature or some special season like basant, rainy season
 Any accident
 Sports
 Celebrities picture
 Facial expression

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