Revelation

(A lady’s confession)
A mother passing by her daughter's bedroom
was astonished to see the bed was nicely made
and everything was picked up. Then she saw an
envelope propped up prominently on the center
of the bed. It was addressed, "Mom." With the
worst premonition, she opened the envelope
and read the letter with trembling hands:
 
 
Dear Mom,
It is with great regret and sorrow that
I'm writing you. I had to elope with my
new boyfriend because I wanted to avoid
a scene with Dad and you. I've been
finding real passion with Ahmed and he is
so nice-even with all his piercings, tattoos,
beard, and his motorcycle clothes. But it's
not only the passion Mom, I'm pregnant
and Ahmed said that we will be very
happy.
He already owns a trailer in the
woods and has a stack of firewood
for the whole winter. He wants to
have many more children with me
and that's now one of my dreams
too. Ahmed taught me that
marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone
and we'll be growing it for us
and trading it with his friends
for all the cocaine and
ecstasy we want.
In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS
so Ahmed can get better; he sure deserves it! Don't worry Mom,
I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself.
Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know
your grand children.
Your daughter,
Judith
PS:
Mom, none of the above is true.
I'm over at the neighbor's house.
I just wanted to remind you that
there are worse things in life
than my report card that's in my
desk center drawer. I love you!
Call when it is safe for me to
come home.
ACTIVATE
SENSES
Feature
Writing

Unveiling the Secrets of Feature Writing

 An essay based on
Feature Defined facts
Editorial
It is hung on artificial
or real newspeg

Feature It cuts across the news

story and the editorial

News It is never fiction.

 An extended
Style news story

A short story

The essay

A letter
Characterist of Feature Article
It may be of any length; and

ics
may or may not be timely.

It may be written in any form and

any style. Your style is the best.

It usually begins with a novelty

lead.

It reveals something new.

TYPES OF FEATURES
PERSONALITY
SKETCH
 HUMAN
INTEREST

HUMAN INTEREST
 PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE
HOW TO DO
AND WHAT TO DO
FEATURE
 Parts of a Feature Story
Body
• It contains the
• It catches the • It illustrates point of the
reader’s events in a whole article
attention suspended
interest style
Introduction Ending
 INTRO

BODY

ENDING
HOW TO
INTRODUCE
A FEATURE?
RHETORICAL QUESTION

Where do women grow their

curliest hair?
 ADAGE, OLD MAXIM

“Never take what it is not yours, no matter how small it is.”

This was the lesson imparted to the nation by Cristia
Bugayong, a 12-year-old girl who on Wednesday night found
P420,000 worth of cash and checks in Quezon City and chose to
return the package to its owner.
 
SUDDEN SURPRISE
By five in the morning, she had already dressed her
two daughters, Cynthia 4, and Miriam 2, for a
Sunday [Link] seven, the three of them were seen
attending mass in the chapel. At nine, when they
returned to their shanty at Dagat-Dagatan, Maria
Dorado, 46, despondent after having been
abandoned by her husband, strangled her two
daughters. She herself committed suicide.
NARRATIVE
While I and my siblings were shopping in the Mall of Asia

last April, I heard two “morena” kolehiyalas speaking

Tagalog with a strange accent familiar to me. When one of

the ladies grabbed a red dress in a boutique shop, the

other was awed and uttered, “Amazing!” (ah-mah-zing)

with a stress on the third syllable. Puzzled, I approached

CONTRAST
To a tourist, Palanan is a

perfect destination. But to a

Dumagat, it is his paradise;

his last living Eden.

•The scene remains fresh
in her memory: The
street was littered with
bodies whose faces
were frozen in pain.

DESCRIPTIVE
 Have a central theme or main
How to write the body of idea carried throughout the
article
a feature article?
Eliminate extraneous
material.

Closely relate all the material in

the article to the central theme.

Use clear and logical

transition.

Avoid abrupt changes of

thought
How to write the body of Use clear, crisp and strong
action verbs
a feature article?

Use quotes

Use gentle humor

Use logical comparisons

HOW TO END A FEATURE?
 SUMMARY

With Mutya joining the roster of illustrious Ibanag, we

can truly say that an Ibanag indeed can charm the

world
 QUOTATION

And as what Maria Prado-dela Cruz – more fondly known

as Nanang Maring – a fiery Dumagat leader, said, “The

Dumagats will never have second thoughts to raise their

spears when one attempts to destroy their last living

 FORECAST

In three to five years, when I become a full-pledged

journalist and ask my father that same question, I hope

he answers it differently. Because that’s how I know I did

my job as a politician’s daughter—and as a writer.

 REPETITION OF INTRO

Every time I look at a poorly-sharpened pencil, I am

reminded of Tibong, my Dumagat classmate in the

second grade who came in our midst as a stranger and a

stranger when he left.

 REPETITION OF INTRO

Everytime I look at a three-inch poorly sharpened

pen I am always reminded of the plight of the Dumagat

children. Were it not for the discrimination they received

in school, we could have sharpened their pens— the

Ordeal
 I love Mia.
It is so ironic, so irritating, and
ultimately so depressing when the
butterfly you chased all day and caught by
twilight loses all the beauty and life it had
while it was free.
Between my palms, the tired creature
wilted. I had pursued butterflies for years
and this one fit my palm just right, and yet
I had to let it go. It was not mine.
 Mia loved life. She claimed to be the
embodiment of all things bright and beautiful. I
believed her. Being young, people would say, she
had her whole life ahead of her.
Sometimes I wondered if there would really
be anything more life for Mia . When I met her
she had already gone through almost everything.
Then I feared that if she kept up her pace, the
rest of her life would bore her since it would
simply be a repetition of her past experiences.
 By being with Mia, I discovered myself. She
laid no boundaries on a good time and the
useless ethics of a hypocritical society she
discarded. With her, I saw no line between the
city lights and the stars and I thought this could
go on forever.
 She never told me she loved me, although I
told her over and over again. Notwithstanding
her inability to reciprocate, she was the only one
I cooked for, the only one I danced with, the
only one I believed in, the only one I loved.
But like any songs that soothe tiredness after
a busy day’s work, it ends…
…like the sun that illumines the dark
corners of the world, it sets.
 But like any songs that soothe tiredness after
a busy day’s work, it ends…
…like the sun that illumines the dark
corners of the world, it sets.
 I was a ball of mixed emotion when the
doctor told me that she was inflicted by an
incurable disease. I bounced from fear to pain,
to sorrow, to guilt, to denial, and then to fear
again.
Imagining Mia going under the knife is
unthinkable. I couldn’t withstand her agony
when the blade of the knife slashed her flesh. I
couldn’t imagine how her fragile body would be
in complete chaos with the needles. The picture
of blood oozing from her veins lost my sanity
 If only I could bear her sufferings, then I
wouldn’t let Mia passed through this ordeal.
Every night, I spent countless minutes chasing
down the last mosquito in the room just to make
it sure it doesn’t bite her.
In spite of this, I was sustained by hope.
Somehow, I know that the Lord will lead us
gently through it all.
 After the initial “Why her? I began
to persuade myself that there must be a
reason why the Lord allowed this to
happen. Beneath the fear and anxiety, I
feel humbled, knowing that she has
been singled out by God to serve a
greater cause.
 At her very young age, she has
already touched hundreds of lives, and
she continues to do so by the minute.
Even the doctor treating her, who I
assumed is trained not to show emotion,
never fails to be touched by her smile
and by her innocent stare.
 And the reality bites.
She left and died on my cradle.
I couldn’t help myself but cry to
the lost of my best pal. And even
though she left me so early, I still
find solace by the thought that
she’s gone with a purpose.
 Surely, I’ll be missing her cuddles
and raspy breath while watching
Dalmatians 100.
Surely, I’ll be missing the moment
that after a busy work in school, she
meets me with a wiggling tail.
Surely, things will never
be the same again.
Despite the ordeal I’m
going through, I will
always treasure our
moments together. And I
will never lose the
memorabilia she gave me
– the dog tag with her
name in it - Mia: My
Dog.
For now, I need to accept
reality that Mia’s flesh
becomes my dad’s best
delicacy.