•     A feature story can take many forms, though I'm asking you to focus on one of the following: informational, profile, or travel.  In any case, this will not be a first-person essay.   A strong feature story should have at least one of the following qualities: currency (write about what's happening now–unless, of course, you've opted to take an historical approach, in which case you might relate a past event to what's happening now), character (see guidelines for our profile assignment), impact (how a situation or event directly affects your readers), oddity (the unusual or unexpected). You may return to an earlier assignment (#2 or #3) and consider ways of thoroughly reworking a topic and approach to suit the magazine that you're targeting.

•     Where might you find topic ideas?  In the magazines you carefully review.  For instance, in the April 1999 issue of Discover magazine (please excuse this old example), you might find yourself initially attracted to an article titled "Who's Out There?"–"A personal computer and free software debuting this month are all you need to be the first to make contact." That interest might lead you to review the magazine's web site (http://www.discover.com), which contains a complete archive dating back to 1992. There you find that articles are categorized by topic, one of which (say, Astronomy) contains several feature stories related to your own interests.  Nothing, however, has yet been published in the magazine about the two planets recently discovered outside our solar system--or about the larger issue of the possibility of life forms on planets that orbit distant stars.  It's a subject that has long held your interest--one that perhaps you have already researched informally and would like to explore in greater depth.  A quick Google search reveals that a good deal of current information is online--and you know that your astronomy professor from last spring would be happy to sit down for an interview on the subject.  
  
  So far, so good. The next step is to spend more time reading some of the astronomy-related articles in Discover so that you get a feel for the range, tone, and shape of the pieces that have been accepted for publication.  From the April 1999 issue, you track down the name of a senior editor (Sarah Richardson) to whom you will address your query letter. You also see (somewhat to your dismay) that "We [Discover] cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or materials of any kind."  But that certainly doesn't mean a query letter would be a waste of time. Thus you begin researching–and scratching out ideas for an original approach to your topic.   Soon, after reviewing our guidelines for writing a query letter (and jotting down the editorial-- not the subscribers'--address for Discover: 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10011-5690), you begin to draft your topic proposal.

•     Where else might you go for information about magazines and publishing guidelines?  Try the most recent edition of Writer's Market (you should be able to find a copy in the library), which provides hundreds of listings for magazines on nearly every topic imaginable.   For instance, under the category of Career, College, and Alumni, you'll find information about Circle K Magazine: the address, the name of the editor, a readership profile (" . . . above-average college students interested in voluntary community service and leadership development"), publication cycle, information on receiving a free sample copy, capsule description of the types of nonfiction published ("We are interested in general interest articles on topics concerning college students and their lifestyles, as well as articles dealing with careers, community concerns and leadership development.  No first person confessions, family histories, or travel pieces.  Query. Length: 800-1,900 words.  Pays $150-400"), and tips ("Query should indicate author's familiarity with the field and sources. Subject treatment must be objective and in-depth, and articles should include illustrative examples and quotations from persons involved in the subject or qualified to speak on it.   We are open to working with new writers who present a good article idea and demonstrate that they've done their homework concerning the article subject itself, as well as concerning our magazine's style. We're interested in college-oriented trends . . . ").

•     What other resources are available? Lots of helpful information is now available online–information about particular magazines (almost every print magazine now has its own web site) and about the publishing process in general.  Put your search engine to work.

•     What format should I follow when developing the query letter and what information should I include?  Follow the format advocated in either one of the two articles listed above: "How to Write a Query Letter" and  (another) "How to Write a Query Letter."   Remember to address your letter to an appropriate editor (not to me).   If you have trouble finding an editor's name or the address of a magazine, send me an e-mail before November 27 and I'll help you out.  Single-space the query letter. 

Online Resources
As you prepare to work on your draft of the feature, take time out to study the following online articles: