MURDER YOUR DARLINGS: TIME TO EDIT YOUR BELOVED FEATURE

You worked a lot on researching,
Tips to trim, edit and polish your beloved feature.

TAKE OUT ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT THE STORY
Fill the gaps. It is always easy to clutter the story with unimportant characters and events. Look at the story structure, leads and closes. Does the structure match the story? Does the tone match the content of the piece? Is the lead diamond sharp? Does the pace vary? Is it quick when it needs to be and slow when it isn't? Does the piece read well? How  will the reader react when he will reach the close? Look simultaneously for better material. Remember the story has to fit into assigned space.

KEEP TRACKING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION

What is this story about? Writing a good feature requires clear thinking skills of high order because u need to provide enough information to answer relevant questions readers might have about the topic, but not as much as to overwhelm them.

FIND A GOOD READER 

Someone who will read the feature carefully and offer honest, constructive criticism. It has to be honest, otherwise they are wasting time or worse; it has to be constructive, to help you improve the piece.

LOOK THROUGH THE EYES OF AN EDITOR

Look through the eyes of an editor. Murder your darlings. Darlings are little pieces of literary self-indulgence that are not about the story, but you showing off.

ALWAYS VERIFY FACTS IN FINAL CHECK

Misspelled names, numbers, quotes can drag you into a lawsuit. If doubt talks to the editor or consults more material. Easier said than done Ha!

PROOFREAD CAREFULLY
Mistakes are unavoidable. After all features are handmade. Reading for errors is different from reading for sense. Error prone journalists do not survive long. Read slowly focusing on each word for punctuation and spellings. Naming conventions, ages, and dates  ought to be consistent throughout the piece.