J-Topics

Chris Jones: Not all Smurfs and sunshine

Feb 08, 2011 - Posted by Dana Lacey

The brooding moral universe of Esquire writer Chris Jones. This week, we feature Matthew Scianitti's profile from the winter issue of The Ryerson Review of Journalism.

Ian Brown on why you should write

Oct 05, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey

There’s never been a better time to be a storyteller. Writer Ian Brown on escaping the 24-hour news cycle and the hidden opportunity for long-process, long-form journalism.

The Globe and Mail's $1.7-billion gamble

Sep 23, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey

A feature by Jason McBride in the October issue of Toronto Life explores the Globe and Mail's ambitious redesign.

Online tools for long-form journalism

Aug 25, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey

Poynter Online's Mallary Jean Tenore looks at how technology is giving long-form journalism another chance at survival...

The ethics of feature writing

Aug 23, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey

In his book, The Bigger Picture, Ivor Shapiro includes a chapter about the ethics of feature writing...

Tyee fellowship final countdown

Jun 09, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey

With just 3 days left to donate, The Tyee's Investigative and Reporting fellowships are just $1,000 shy of the fiesty publication's $10,000 goal. The money raised will fund two stories - one investigative and one solutions-based - on critical issues in British Columbia...

CAJ workshop: Storytelling for Broadcast

May 19, 2010 - Posted by Dana Lacey

Storytelling is at the heart of all good journalism. "Storytelling for Broadcast", a workshop led by broadcast journalism professor Marsha Barber at the upcoming CAJ conference, offers journalists specific tools to create compelling news features and documentaries.

Research and reporting features

May 25, 2008 - Posted by Sue Ferguson

Feature writers tend to spend much more time researching and reporting their story than writing it. That's because to write with authority, intelligence and a fresh perspective, you need a comprehensive picture of your story's topic. Here are a few excellent guides and resources that feature writers should check out

Favourite features

May 25, 2008 - Posted by Sue Ferguson

Here are links to some feature stories that we love, Canadian and otherwise. To view many more exemplary works, search by genre, subject or award (as well as author, keyword, title and publication) at the J-Source database of award-winning journalism.

Style and structure

May 25, 2008 - Posted by Sue Ferguson

As seasoned writers know, the creative side of their work demands they think about, practice and play with writing styles and structures. Much of this can be learned by heeding the advice of experts. Here are some links to theoretical reflections about, and practical tips on, the writing process.

At the same time, one of the surest routes to becoming a better writer is to become a better reader - so you may want to check out some of our favourite stories.

Feature Writing

This page draws together resources and information supplied by the authors of The Bigger Picture, a textbook guide to writing feature stories edited by J-Source editor-in-chief Ivor Shapiro.You’ll find a variety of web-based resources to help both the new and not-so-new journalist perfect and reflect on their pitching, reporting, researching and writing. You’ll also find links to some classic and amazing feature stories. Many of these resources are referenced in The Bigger Picture and some short excerpts of the text are reproduced below (as noted), but content on this site is updated regularly so please let us know what else we might include.