Feature writing is designed to sustain engagement from start to finish. Where newswriting and research papers follow a strict template, the goal here is to both inform and entertain.

Let’s say you want to do a feature about a little-known medical condition or a new cultural trend. This seed of an idea needs some research to grow from. Even if your topic has been covered before, there will always be something new to say. You just need to find it.

Yet without characters to animate that central idea, all you’ve got is an abstract concept. Stories are told through people: real lives that can humanize an idea. Finding the right people to interview requires a mix of more research, networking, and a bit of luck.

Try to conduct your interviews in person (or by video). You need to gather enough information and detail so that the reader can not only picture them but relate to them.

To keep your characters from seeming one-dimensional, you need to combine basic biographical info (age, job, where they’re from) with insights into the challenges they’ve faced or the vulnerabilities they’ve struggled with. The more stories they share, the better.

Here’s a checklist of the little details that will help each interviewee stand out as a distinct character: What do they look like? What are they wearing? What do they sound like? What’s it like to spend time with them? Why are we hearing from them? Why should we care?

Transcribe the interview yourself. This can be so laborious that it’s tempting to use a transcription app (or to just get someone else to do it) but it’s important to take note of any revealing nuances that won’t be apparent in pure text.

Once you’ve transcribed your interviews, it’s time to comb through the material. Use different colors to divide the highlights into three categories: must use, might use, and relevant information that you’ll incorporate in your own words (outside of quotes).

Think of the interviews as micro-stories that will fit together to tell one macro story. You’re using multiple perspectives to illuminate the overarching idea in different ways.

But most important is the narrative structure. This is what will unite everything as a cohesive whole. Next, let’s take a look at how to do exactly that...