writing human interest articles

Writing andSelling Your Articles

Writing and Selling Your Articles

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Copyright 8 Caroline Pollitt 2004

First published: 2004Fourth edition: 2009

http://www.writingcourses.eu

ISBN: 978-1-907138-03-4


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Chapter 5: Human Interest Features

Human interest features are extremely popular among editors of both newspapersand magazines and make up a large percentage of the contents of many titles. Asnoted in Chapter 1, human interest features are often quite difficult for staff writersto put together - they find it difficult and time-consuming both to find ideas and taketime out of the office to investigate potential stories. This is why so many women'smagazines offer substantial sums for reader's stories (often £200-300). It is alsowhy so many editors are keen to see human interest stories from freelance writers.

Writing From Experience

Everything tends to become material. When you are writing youwant to use up everything around you, everything that happensto you, writing from your past.

Paul Magrs.

The most immediate source of human interest stories is likely to be your ownexperiences. These do not have to be outstanding or unusual. While readers do liketo see stories of extraordinary feats and events, and of how people overcomeseemingly impossible life challenges, many personal experience articles are aboutquite ordinary, everyday experiences: the birth of a child, recovering from an illness,even a trip to the dentist or the supermarket. The power of this writing lies in theidentification the reader feels - having experienced similar events in his or her ownlife - and the writer’s ability to bring a fresh, original perspective to such a familiarexperience.


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Much of the best personal experience writing brings a fresh twist to the ordinary andeveryday - perhaps because something unusual happens, but more often simplybecause the author is looking at it from a perspective the reader has not consideredbefore.

Suddenly I realised I had butterflies in my stomach.

It was wrong. After all, Roy was on licence from prison and Iwas his employment training officer.


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Think about some of your own experiences. List thosethat you think might make a good story for an article. Tryto think of at least five. Remember they do not need tobe wildly dramatic or unusual - if the experience wasmeaningful, entertaining or amusing to you, it is likelythat it will also be meaningful or entertaining to your

potential readership too.

But I knew that Roy was more than a client. There was a realspark between us.

Reader's Reality, Take a Break.

"A few minutes later, I could see flashing blue lights outside.The waiters helped me into the ambulance where I was fittedwith an oxygen mask and injected with adrenaline. I heard Benshout he'd call me the next day. It must have really freaked himout, though, as I never heard from him again."

I'm Allergic to Dating, as told to Sarah Bladen, More!

When you beginning studying real life stories in the magazines you will notice thatthe words 'as told to...' often appear in the by-line. This means that the article hasactually been written by a staff writer or freelancer, but is told in the first person tomake it more immediate and arresting. If you write this sort of piece, you must havepermission from the subject first. It is also important to try to capture their 'voice' asauthentically as possible, so that they feel you have represented them fairly andhonestly.


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Pick out two or three different magazines at random. Gothrough each one and identify the ‘personal experience’stories. Is the author describing an unusual or significantevent? Are they describing an everyday event that tookan unexpected turn? Are they describing an everydayexperience from a fresh perspective?

Check who wrote the article - was it the person whose story is beingtold, or a staff or freelance writer?

Consequences

Before selling a personal experience story think about what the consequences mightbe. There are several issues to consider here:

Have you honestly considered how you will feel when people you know read thearticle - neighbours, friends, family and work colleagues? Do they already knowthe story? If not, might it change the way they see you? For better or worse?Might it damage some of these relationships? Might it damage your position orprospects at work? Many magazine editors prefer to see a real name on apersonal experience story and even a photograph, so the option of a pseudonymis not always available.

This is not only your story, it probably involves several other people too. How willthey feel about having their personal story appear in a magazine or newspaperwhere friends and neighbours might see it? Good practice dictates that you asktheir permission before running the story - even though this isn’t alwayspractical. It is essential to consult the other people involved if you wish tomaintain a good relationship with them. Think particularly carefully about storiesinvolving your children, who may not be old enough to make their own, informedchoice - what might the consequences be for them at school or college?

If the other people involved in a story see events in a different way to you(which they probably will) this can lead to problems - especially if they feel thatthey have been unfairly portrayed. The way around this is to focus entirely onyour experience of the event - if you are saying ‘this is how it was for me’ no onecan really argue with you, even if it was different for them. Remember thatsomeone can only bring an action of libel against you if what you are saying isuntrue - if it is true, they may still not like it, but there's not much they can do.

You also need to consider the interest your story might generate in other sections ofthe press and whether you and the other people involved are prepared for it.Opening yourself up to the press in this way can be hugely invasive andoverwhelming. We should emphasise that this doesn’t usually happen - editorsprefer original stories, so once yours has appeared in print it has limited interest forthem. Your story will probably appear in the magazine or newspaper of your choicewithout creating a ripple. However, occasionally a story captures the attention ofhacks everywhere, and you can then end up with them on the telephone and evenon the doorstep. It is difficult to predict exactly which story this is going to be - itwon’t necessarily be the most dramatic, unusual or even salacious.


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When I first started out I wrote a very short article for one ofthe women's magazines. It was about a ring I'd stolen many yearsago as a teenager. I'd been working at a hotel at the time and thering belonged to the owner. I'd felt guilty about it ever since, butI never had the courage to return it. The morning after the articleappeared I had four journalists on the telephone wanting tofollow the story up. One even said that if I didn't co-operateshe'd simply run the story without me. I was bowled over by allthe attention and frightened it would get out of control, whichthen made my husband hopping mad. I felt as if I was undersiege, although now I can see it wasn't that bad. Thank God theydidn't put my full name to the article - I don't know what theneighbours would have thought. I returned the ring anonymouslyby post not long after. It was a lesson well-learned.

Kerri, freelance writer.


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Go through your list of article ideas again, this timethinking carefully about the potential consequences ofeach idea. Are there any ideas you would decide not todevelop for this reason? Are there people you need tocontact before you run others?

Using Other People’s StoriesAs you travel through everyday life you will almost certainly come across manyordinary people whose stories you would like to tell. These can provide a goodstarting point for a human interest article.

When you begin interviewing your subject you might find some of the advice onsuccessful interviewing in Chapter 3 useful too.

Writing someone else's story in a way that they will be happy with requiressensitivity and tact. It is sometimes known as ghost writing and as we have seen isvery common in the women's magazines.

For the period of time that you are working on the story, you will need to becomeimmersed in the other person's personality and perspective. One useful technique isto get the person to tell their story on to tape. You can then transcribe and edit the


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Do you know someone whose personal story you wouldlike to tell in the form of an article? Think about how thestory might work as a feature. Which magazine do youthink it would suit best?

Have you spoken to this person about whether or notthey would like to tell their story in print? If so have you mentionedthe potential consequences, both positive and negative? Do theywant to tell their story anonymously or are they happy to have theirphotograph and real name in the magazine? (Editors are increasinglykeen to use photographs.)

story; if necessary adding linking material, background research and insight fromother people at the same time.

It is sometimes difficult to do this in an authentic and honest way, to create a truepicture of the subject, whilst still retaining his or her full support. There willinevitably be incidents that the subject sees in a different way to you. This is whereyou may need all your skills of tact and sensitivity. You need to take the time todevelop a good relationship with the subject, even though you may only be workingtogether for a very short time, and should have some empathy with him or her.

The Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy

Empathy differs from sympathy in several important respects, although it is oftenconfused with it. Empathy involves seeing the experience through the other person’seyes, and feeling what they feel.

This is quite different from sympathy, which usually means feeling sorry for theexperience the person has gone through, while holding ourselves at a distance.(Sympathy is unhelpful in non-fiction writing, as it can make for sentimental,over-subjective articles.)

Each person has their own unique perspective on the world. Empathy means beingable to share and appreciate a person’s perspective, even if you do not see it inquite the same way. It does not mean feeling sorry for the person, and it does notmean that you have to agree with the person, or even like him or her.

Personal Experience as a Starting Point

Personal experiences are used extensively as a starting point for articles, and toillustrate key aspects of information features.

For example, a feature may begin with the author’s personal experience but thenquickly broaden out to consider other peoples’ experiences and more general issues.

In the following example, the author begins with a specific experience and thenbroadens the piece out to give some important general information. She alsoincludes some direct quotes from experts in the travel industry. Hanging informationaround personal experiences is a very good way of making it more interesting andengaging for the reader:


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Last year 28-year-old housewife Alison Palmer and her husbandJames, 33, a farmer, too their children - Emily, six, and Max,four - to Majorca for two weeks. While the original cost of theholiday was just under £2000, they ended up shelling outvirtually twice that amount...

... later in the piece...

Check the small print so you know exactly what's included in theprice. for example, under-occupancy charges on a holidayapartment can cost a fortune. Other supplements have changedtoo - several tour operators no longer include transfers in theprice.

How much does your holiday really cost? Mel Fallowfield, Woman.


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Copyright: Caroline Pollitt

This is a short extract from our self-study course: Writing and Selling Your Articles.

For more information on our writing courses please visit ourwebsite at:

http://www.writingcourses.eu


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writing human interest articles

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