Feature Structure

How to write transitions: cliffhangers

External transitions move readers from section to section

Talk about a transition. Here’s how author Erik Larson ends one chapter of Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America:

“‘Would the thin rods (of the first Ferris wheel) be sufficient to sustain not only the enormous weight of the structure and that of the 2,000 passengers who might chance to be in the cars, but the pressure of the wind as well?’

… Read the full article

How to write a transition sentence

Avoid transitional clichés

Transitions can be hard to write. Maybe that’s why we keep turning back to these hackneyed transitions, listed in a Poynter Institute forum:

Let’s pause and ponder that for a minute too.… Read the full article

Background tops the types of feature story leads to avoid

Don’t start with the blah blah blah

The background might be an important component of your story. After all, the readers might need some of the following elements to fully understand your story:

A definition
A short description of a key concept
A one-paragraph history of the subject
Additional facts or details that give context to the story or “prove” your point

Background comes third

But readers don’t need this material first.… Read the full article

What’s the best news release structure?

Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston nails the feature

It was a good story: More than 1,000 New Englanders would soon have safe, decent, affordable places to live, thanks to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Affordable Housing Program.… Read the full article

What’s the best intranet-article writing structure?

‘From Tina Turner to Taylor Swift’

When Ian Jones needed to craft a — yawn! — diversity story for employees at Columbia Gas of Virginia, his first instinct was to go with a fact pack.… Read the full article

How to organize content [Example!]

Strathcona County masters feature-style story structure

Here’s the good news: You already know how to organize your copy.

Just think back to what your third-grade English teacher taught you.… Read the full article

What’s the best blog post structure?

Local Government Federal Credit Union explains emotional intelligence in a feature

“Always grab the reader by the throat in the first paragraph,” said Time magazine reporter Paul O’Neil.… Read the full article

How to structure a blog post [Example!]

WCB-Alberta talks opioid addiction with the feature structure

I love it when my clients send me their rewrites after I present a writing workshop.

For one thing, it’s gratifying to see that people’s writing actually improves after I visit!… Read the full article

How to structure an email invitation [Example!]

Sensus goes to the science museum

When I teach the feature-style story structure, communicators nod. It seems reasonable that readers would prefer concrete, creative stories to a hierarchical blurtation of facts.… Read the full article

Why is structure important in writing?

Groove HQ: Features increase reading by 520%, readers by 300%

The feature-style story structure attracts 300% more readers and increases reading by 520%, according to an A/B test by Groove HQ.… Read the full article