Foreword: From a lecturer

It was 1989 and I was three years into my career as a journalism educator when I read Writing Feature Articles. It was one of the first books about the mechanics of British journalism and came as a blessed relief. I knew how to pitch an idea and write a feature, but I had gained my skills over the years by osmosis; Hennessy gave me the theory behind those skills which finessed my craft, broke it down into manageable chunks and made it easy to deliver those skills to people hungry to clamber on to the first rung of the journalism ladder. It has stood the test of time. Other books may focus on different aspects of feature writing, but this one covers everything – networking, angling stories, gathering data, interviewing sources, structuring and writing.

It remains an invaluable resource for journalism and media studies lecturers, their students and for journalists who want to brush up on their craft and develop new freelance markets.

Barbara Rowlands

Deputy Head/Programme Director,

Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism

Department of Journalism and Publishing

City University, London