Courses
FEATURE AND CORPORATE WRITING (Ten-Week course) COURSE OUTLINE
The course is taught by the leading journalist Marianne Gray (please see full profile in the Biography section of the web site)
Writing effective features and professional articles for in-house corporate literature and general publications
Designed to be practical as well as offering considerable advice and information about the current marketplace, this course should appeal to newcomers to feature writing as well as to those who wish to improve their corporate writing skills and discover more about the industry. The course is suitable for people who wish to develop and improve writing skills, for those who wish to write in-house newsletters, corporate journals as well as for freelance writers.
Course delegates will learn how to improve writing style, how to come up with ideas, how to hone these ideas into professional features, how to research and interview successfully, how to sell their features, how to negotiate copyright issues as well as to write more effective in-house corporate material. Course delegates produce a 1,500 word feature each during the ten weeks, following guidelines given during classes. Topics can be related to either professional occupations or personal interest.
Homework and class exercises will be set on a regular basis and notes will be given.
Course delegates will receive an ITOL-Approved Certificate at the end of their training. Course delegates are eligible to apply during the course for the National Union of Journalists student membership and press pass.
Homework and class exercises are set on a regular basis.
Week 1: Getting the ideas
- Discussion of what subjects the group has in mind, what they want to achieve, and any special interests
- Analysis of different types of feature, from highly technical to lighter profiles, health- related pieces, human-interest case studies, celebrity profiles, travel, reviews, diary pieces and news or current interest-based features
- Building confidence, assessing your skills, writing under pressure
- How to get ideas
Week 2: Understanding the market and the reader
- A study of a cross section of publications to see what will work for whom
- How to adapt the tone and style of a feature and suit another outlet
- Reader profiles of various titles
- Importance of planning
Week 3: Getting down to research
- Where to get more information/source facts?
- Do we rely too much on the Internet?
- Finding the central idea and building on it
- Writing a compelling synopsis
Week 4: Interviewing
- The need for careful preparation and planning
- Making sure you are clear what you want from an interviewee
- Angling your questions and understanding the answers
- How to encourage better quotes and dealing with difficult people
Week 5: Practical Tools of the Trade
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How to how to transcribe interviews simply
- How to organise notes and start to plan your writing
- Using previous interviews
- Building an archive
- Reworking existing materials/listening/watching interviews on radio/TV
Week 6: Why structure Matters
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Learning the “building blocks”
- The importance of structure
- Writing style and tone for a stimulating read
- Making a strong start – titles and introductions
Week 7: Polishing and improving - delivery of first draft of feature
- How to tighten up the first draft – general appraisal/input by class
- Adding elements to widen the scope of your feature
- Finding the right words, creating the best order
- Rules of grammar, punctuation, writing tecniques
Week 8: Final checking
- Tiding up loose ends
- Legal issues, copyright and rights
- Looking for a hidden lead or new angles.
- Editing and proofreading
Week 9: Getting the feature sold and business matters/ Guest speaker
- How to get editors interested in your ideas in your features
- Developing contacts
- Building up relationships with the right people to ensure future work
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Confidence to build up your negotiating skills
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Finding your target audience
Week 10: Submission of features for professional analysis
- Short talk by each course delegate on their features and writing
- Reporting on any successes/changes of direction experienced
- General feedback and reference exchange
- How to move forwards – a career turning point and improving your existing role
Course Fee: £480 + VAT
Course Date: Tuesday 12th October 2010
