SUGGESTIONS

  1. Find the “human interest” in current events.
  2. Notice the comedy and tragedy in life.
  3. Look for good subjects for character sketches.
  4. Look to future events as well as to current news for subjects for feature articles.
  5. Jot down suggestions for feature articles.
  6. File news clippings, statistics, and other material bearing on good subjects.
  7. Write your feature article while it is new and timely.
  8. Give your article timeliness by connecting it with topics of current interest.
  9. Don’t forget that the story that touches the reader’s heart is the story he remembers.
  10. Make your pathetic story simple and restrained.
  11. Don’t confuse sentiment with sentimentality.
  12. Avoid cheap humor and vulgar slang.
  13. Don’t ridicule another’s religion, race, or nationality.
  14. Make your explanation clear to a reader who knows nothing about the subject.
  15. Use incidents, anecdotes, and concrete examples for clearness and interest.
  16. Avoid technical and scientific terms.
  17. Let your first sentence arouse interest and curiosity.

PRACTICE WORK

1. Write a humorous animal story based on the material in the following news story:

Just because they thought an ostrich was a timid, harmless sort of creature, two men, one white and one black, were badly hurt at Mineola, Long Island, yesterday. Each of the men tried to catch and hold an ostrich at the Mineola Fair Grounds. The negro was kicked in the face, and landed about 20 feet from the bird; the white man was kicked in the chest and knocked down and had his clothes torn off him.

The ostrich that did all the damage is named Fleetwing. He and another ostrich, named Fleetfoot, arrived from Florida in two crates yesterday morning. They were brought to Mineola to race on the fair grounds this week at the fair of the Queens-Nassau County Agricultural Society. The birds have been trained to run races and pull light sulkies to which they are harnessed.

They are bad tempered, however, and are kept blindfolded frequently when they are not racing. A blindfolded ostrich is gentle as a lamb.

The blinding hood slipped off the eyes of Fleetwing at the fair grounds yesterday morning and in an instant the big bird was out of its crate, which was not covered. It started off on a run, and about two hundred persons ran after it. There was a merry chase around and around the racing track, and finally the ostrich was cornered.

A big negro looked at the ostrich and said:

“I reckon there ain’t no chicken ever were raised that I couldn’t hold, boss. I’ll hold his laig, an’ then you grab his haid.”