Includes index.

Welcome to the features department --
Assignments that make great stories --
Getting the story down on paper --
Elevating mundane writing to the sublime --
Feature section specialties --
Selling freelance stories to feature sections --
Getting to the top --
Finding a staff job.

This book provides a thought-provoking look at how to find, write and sell feature stories. The contributors--outstanding writers, editors, and teachers--offer advice and helpful tips on writing and stalking the feature story. David Finkel writes on the importance of being a reporter, Bob Ehlert on using description effectively, Mimi Sheraton on what it takes to be a good food writer, Kay Mille on the art of interviewing, Richard Cheverton on newspaper hiring practices, and Jim Molnar on travel writing. The volume also covers the ins and outs of doing freelance book reviews, movie criticisms, theater reviews, and fashion writing, and includes examples and targeted exercises to hone one's feature writing skill