Tackling my feature story

With a little help, I have finalized an idea for my feature story. I have chosen to focus on cheap and easy shopping, specifically clothing. The feature will be a how-to story on finding the best deals for your wardrobe. For my story, I plan to venture to 2-3 thrift stores in the area and gain some insight into the business. Stores such as Plato's Closet and Gabriel Brothers will be my prime focus. The feature will include interviews from the consumers as well as from the employees. I want to capture why these types of stores appeal to people. What makes them thrive? The article will incorporate both the opinions of those interviewed as well factual information about the business. I want to write this feature, in hopes that students will find these kinds of stores a better, more reasonable shopping option.

Perfecting the Wall Street Journal formula

The Wall Street Journal formula is probably one of the most used feature story structure. The greatest challenge for the writer is to maintain supporting material clearly organized by theme so it does not create an overwhelming mess of facts for the reader to seek through. The WSJ formula is made up of four main sections.

I came across a story in the Washington Post, that used the WSJ formula. This story is presented using a anecdotal lead: "On May 1, 2007, a very different economic era, Janet Faello put her former marital home on the market for $829,000. She and her husband were divorcing.It seemed like a good price for the house, a six-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath ranch in Dix Hills. But it didn’t sell at that price, or at $750,000, where it landed six months later, or at $699,000, where it stands now. " This used a specific example of a case. The nut graf of this story begins in the sixth paragraph. Here, is where the individual example ties in with the main idea of the story. It discusses the main points of the article. The main focus is on the harships sellers are facing due to the eroding home values in the housing market.

The body of the story goes more in depth by providing quotes and facts that support the main idea of the article. "On Long Island, the median sale price of homes in 2008 was $378,688 in Suffolk County, compared with $410,000 the year before, and $455,000 in Nassau County, down from $490,000 in 2007, according to the New York State Association of Realtors."

The article is closed by wrapping the story around with a final quote from Ms. Faello.

"I feel as if I get a little sharper each time,” she said. “The amazing thing is, they’ll see your home and come up with a number they justify by saying they’ve sold homes for that in the area. But list with them, and they’re ready to drop the price.”

An idea to bite into

For my beat, I'm going to have to dig deep to find new, thrifty ways to survive as a college student. I want to be able to offer students more options aside from the occasional bar scene and get them out of eating from on-campus dining halls. I want to give them more choices to shop rather then hiking to the Towsontown mall, only to walk away with empty wallets. As I began thinking about how I would like to narrow the focus for my feature story two thing popped into my mind: food and clothing. Let's be real, college students love to eat and they love to shop. What better way to make my way into reader's hearts then through their stomachs and wardrobe? Some ideas that I have stirred up are:

1. CiCi's Pizza- all you can eat for $5
2. Gabriel Brothers- thrift shop

Students can eat great and dress to impress without spending top dollar.

Just Dance

Are you looking to save money and still have a fun night? Well, you are in luck. Towson's annual 12-hour dance party, TigerTHON, offers just that. Killing two birds with one stone, Tigerthon allows participants to socialize with friends all night, while also raising money for a worthy cause.

This event serves to raise money for Johns Hopkins Children's Miracle Network. The night features a DJ, games, prizes, dancing, and free food all in the name of helping children. TigerTHON is especially perfect for on-campus residents who face the issue of transportation to weekend events. This is a required event for members of Greek Life, however it is open to all students. Jennifer Balsamo, an active member of the Alpha Phi sorority, is excited about this year's event.

"I think it's a great way to get everyone together, not just Greek life."

This years upcoming TigerTHON event will held on Friday, February 27th at 5 p.m. and will end Saturday, February 28th at 5:00 a.m. This is a great opprotunity to spend the night with your friends, meet new people, and raise money all at the same time. Registration for the event can be done online, along with a $5 fee.

Summary vs. Feature

Whether you want to be creative and narrative with a lead or simply state the hard news, there is a style to fit every story. Summary leads differ from a feature leads in many ways. Summary leads do not try to pack in the 5W's and an H, but rather focus on providing a quick preview of the news to come. They are specifc and concise. These leads are usually kept at 30 words or less and always in active voice to grab the reader's attention.

Feature leads serve a little different purpose. Feature leads pull the reader in by using an offbeat way of starting it: a powerful quote, a joke, or a diary entry. Some feature leads add description as a way to set a scene for the reader. Narratives do just that by presenting the story along with other elements such as quotes or dialogue to set up a scene. Question leads are simple in that they pose a question. There are many types of feature leads that catch the reader's attention in a powerful way.

As long as the lead serves its purposes of getting the reader's attention, it's appropriate.

Two examples of feaure leads:

Kenseth Wins a Wet and Wild Daytona 500 By: The Associated Press
A Four-Track Guy in a Digital World By: Melena Ryzik

Rich culture, cheap prices

The Boston Globe article, "College towns are catalogues of fun things to do," encourages college students to explore the "rich" culture that a college town can offer without having to spend the big bucks. The article uses a few selected colleges and universities and discusses what unique attractions can be found at each one.

Globe Correspondent, Hilary Nangle, does a fine job of finding appealing acitivites in the surrounding areas. Everything from museums, performing art centers, chic cafes and galleries are included as promising suggestions for a good time. The article includes both on and off campus options and gives prices (if any) for fun activities.

If I could adjust the article, I would simply add more colleges to the list. I would include more of the well-known or larger colleges that reader's could possibly relate to better. I like how Nangle included both on and off campus activities. Not all students have cars and tranportation does not come easy to all. Having these on-campus options included really adds appeal. Nangle's ideas are sure to please any college student and leave their pockets a little fuller.

Budgeting 101

With the economy draining everyone's pockets, there is no reason it should be taking what's in yours. As college students strive to have the ultimate social life while their away, it becomes more difficult to budget what they spend.

With this college guide to spending less I hope to offer students affordable ways to have fun. As a college student, I know how hard it can be to hold on to that last couple bucks in your wallet. I hope this beat will allow students to see the cheaper activities that are available just around the corner. I want to offer new ideas and options to students that they would not think of otherwise.