“John Kiesewetter’s Feature Writing Tips”
The Mount’s Feature Writing class recently hosted writer John Kiesewetter, who talked about several stories from his WVXU Media Beat blog.
Among his stories students examined were “Simpsons’ Producer on Why They Did a ‘Road Trip’ to Cincinnati” and “Netflix Explains Why –and How—‘The Jerry Springer Show’ Turned to Trash.”
He distributed a one-page summary of advice he shared during class, “John Kiesewetter’s Feature Writing Tips.”
Here are a few:
- Can you do it in the person’s voice/cadence/speaking style? When I’ve written about “The Simpsons,” I’ve used Bart’s or Homer’s words & phrases.
- Quotes: Use only the best ones—which give insights into the person speaking or the situation. If they don’t dance or sing, don’t put them on stage.
- Vary sentence structure. Don’t be afraid to use short sentences. Very short ones. Really.
- Good writing is the product of reading. Read magazine-length stories, features, profiles, reviews, etc. I don’t care what. (My guilty pleasures are People, TV Guide and sports.) When a story really captures your interest, study the structure, syntax, details, voice, point of view, etc.