How I write a feature...

Some advice on writing long-read features (I'm Cosmopolitan's Commissioning Director)

A quick note before I begin…

Hello! I know I, primarily, write about grief, trying to peel back the layers of what we’re told about it, and showing the truth of what lies beneath. I did have a piece written, ready to publish on Sunday, but it felt too raw and exposing that I wanted some time to sit on it, before sending it out. I was flying out for 24 hours, to interview some people for a feature I’m working on, and I didn’t want to be anxious about that piece as then I wouldn’t be truly listening to those who had kindly agreed to share their story and lives with me.

And then, I landed home, opened up the news and saw the horrors of Rafah. What I had wanted to publish didn’t seem right anymore. It seemed frivolous and petty. Truthfully, nothing feels right to publish right now. But, I’m also very conscious that I’ve only been publishing every fortnight of late (a deliberate decision, I want my content to have more value, and not be rushed) and I don’t want you, my lovely subscribers, to feel let down by me. Particularly, my paying subscribers who I so appreciate. So, I thought I’d give something a little different – I’ve been working on two long-read features for Cosmopolitan (I’m commissioning director there, and look after the READ section – so the three investigations/ features you see in the magazine each month, are either written, or commissioned and edited by me.) I had been sharing my ‘process’ over on Instagram and I thought I could go into more detail here, as some people have found it helpful.

Please do reach out with any questions you may have, and, paying subscribers, if you’d like me to do a masterclass in this, or any other form of writing, then please do let me know. There’s not quite enough of you (yet) for me to figure out what would be the most useful, and I’ve had feedback from a few, but if there’s anything you’d really like, let me know, I’m happy to tailor content.

Anyway, on with the newsletter

(a book I’m currently reading for a feature)

STEP ONE: Research.

The features that I write tend to be delving deep into one topic, often hooked on a new story on that thing, or a new statistic that shows something is on the rise.

For example:

Why did we ignore porn’s #MeToo?

Can an abusive partner ever reform?

Why are more women suicidal than ever before?

Has our obsession with therapy gotten out of hand?

“I was sued by my rapist” (co-reported this one, with my brilliant colleague, and friend, Jennifer Savin)

What does the rise in sobriety mean for clubbing?

When it comes to men, and sex, have we been told a lie?

Before I begin, I should say, every feature is different and every journalist works in a way that suits them – this is just how I tend to set about working on my stories. But the first thing I do, is (quite obviously, I guess) research that topic. But, by research, I mean I will Google news stories surrounding it, as well as the main Google search page, and I tend to go at least ten pages back on news, opening up tabs of stories that feel relevant.

I also like to read books, watch documentaries, YouTube explainers and listen to podcasts on the topic, all the while writing down random notes as well as names of experts, or people with lived experience of whatever it is, down in my notebook. I also tend to speak to people, either in real life, or social media (without giving too much away, as publications don’t tend to like to have exactly what you’re working on out there) for their opinions on the topic. It helps break me out of my bubble, or my own opinion on something, and see it in its whole, as well as potentially helping me find case studies or people to interview later on.

It’s all very messy and overwhelming at this stage and I always feel like I’ve taken on too much but it’s also really fun, I love that my job allows me to deep dive into a subject in such a way.

When I feel overwhelmed at this stage, I also like to remind myself what the purpose of my feature is. For example, I recently wrote about assisted dying for Women’s Health, and I immersed myself in the views of people who were both incredibly for, and against, the laws changing here in the UK. I also read up and listened to what was happening in other countries, and it was A LOT. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t my job to make the call on the law change, but instead, to present the information to the reader, breaking down jargon and making it relatable by speaking to those directly impacted.

(interviewing a sex shop owner, in Tokyo, for my feature on men and sex)

STEP TWO: Setting up interviews.

I often get asked how I find people to interview, particularly those with lived experience of a topic. Truthfully, at this stage, you can feel like you aren’t going to find anyone to speak to… but you just have to keep trying. I used to work for a weekly magazine, where the deadlines were so, so tight and there would always be a terrifying point when I’d think ‘I’m not going to manage to pull this off’ but I’d keep trying, keep reaching out, keep thinking of new ways in and, more often than not, I’d manage. If I didn’t then that was also something to consider, why would that be? Was it a sign that the story I thought (or my editor thought) needed to be told didn’t really exist?

Expert wise, I think it’s important to go through charities, or reach out to people actually working in the field of the topic you’re in. It would be easy (and sometimes you have to, for this reason) to just want to speak to someone more general (e.g: a general practicing psychologist or doctor) but you’re going to get much better answers, and insight, from those who have been working in the field and are true experts in that topic. I tend to find these in my research stage, other people who have spoken out in the media, or on podcasts, but I will also Google, e.g: “psychologist specialising in domestic abuse” and find email addresses through university or work websites.

For case studies (those with ‘lived experience’) of what you’re working on, finding them can be trickier. Charities can often help, and for very serious topics I prefer to go through charities rather than cold-calling people or approaching them on social media, as then I know they’ll be supported afterwards. I think it’s vital to appreciate why someone might not want to share their story with you, and try and create an environment where they feel able to – whether that’s offering them anonymity, sending questions in advance or providing read backs (so letting them know nothing will be published without permission). I always say to those I interview that they don’t have to answer any questions they don’t want, can take breaks whenever they need and that, if they reconsider what they said later, I will take out something they’re not comfortable with. This is, perhaps, unique to the publication and topics that I’m covering (so working for women’s magazines, often on trauma-heavy topics) as I’m not a news journalist trying to get a scoop. I understand other journalists might think this is a little too soft of me, but I know how hard it is to relive the toughest moments of your life, and what impact that could have. For me, the person comes first, story second. I had to learn that the hard way.

STEP THREE: The interviews.

This all completely varies depending on who you’re speaking to, and why. If you’re speaking to an expert, or someone used to speaking to the media, you can just set aside a 30-minute call, and just fire off your questions. If you’re speaking to someone about their life, you need to give more space and time, and be a lot more sensitive.

It's hard to give advice as everyone is different, and a lot of the skill involved in being a good interviewer is being able to adapt and read people about what they might need. But the basics are: be respectful that someone is giving you their time and knowledge for free, and they don’t need to do that. Listen to what they’re saying (no pulling up Instagram on your laptop during video calls…) and have a notebook nearby to take notes, that way if you think of a question to ask, you can quickly write down a word as a reminder to ask it later.

Oh, and I say this all the time, don’t be afraid to look stupid! Your job is to break down information for your reader, if you don’t understand something, then it’s likely your reader won’t either, so ask for clarification if something (particularly during an expert interview) gets too complicated.

(on a train to Liverpool last week, for an upcoming feature)

STEP FOUR: Getting out there.

I should caveat that this isn’t possible for every story. Sometimes, you’re just on a deadline, and need to get it done… But, when you do have a bit more time (which I am very lucky to be offered at Cosmo) I like to immerse myself into my story as much as possible. Whether that’s going to shadow someone in their workplace, or even just interviewing someone in person, you get a clearer idea of your story, as well as getting valuable ‘colour’ for your piece, which can help place the reader right into the heart of your topic.

I find this also helps you to understand and care for your topic so much more. It’s really easy to get desensitised to something through a screen, and to not understand the impact of news stories on every day people. The feature I was working on last week involved reporting on those who are seriously unwell – I had spent the week before researching and interviewing various experts about the illness, and had even spoken to a few patients over the phone so I thought I knew the severity of it, but I didn’t. Not until I sat in a room, with a young woman, directly impacted by the factors of my story. It was spectacularly hard, and I burst into tears as soon as I left the room, but it also helped galvanise me: to want to do the topic – and her story – justice.

STEP FIVE: Pulling it all together.

Get ready to feel overwhelmed again. Normally, I’ve been working on a piece for, at least, a fortnight (sometimes even months) so I need to go back over all my transcriptions, research and notes. It’s excruciating as a) I realise that my notes are an absolute mess, and I’ve written statistics down but not said where they’ve come from and have to search for ages to find them again and b) I have to listen to my voice on transcriptions and torture myself with how annoying I am. I now use Otter, as it keeps everything in one place (I was very stubborn about this for a long time but… I was wrong) and it transcribes for you, but I will still listen back to certain bits to put myself back in the room again, and remind myself how I felt at the time.

I’ll copy and paste all the quotes I might want to use into a document, and then I’ll put together a rough structure – usually drawing out on paper how I want the story to flow. (Structure tips are very difficult to explain, but if you did want advice that is a potential masterclass for paid subscribers.)

This stage feels quite easy to skip, as normally by this point, you’ll have a vague view as to what you want to write, and just want to get on with it. But I’ve found I always forget things and this stage reminds me of them.

(filing in a very luxurious location this week!)

STEP SIX: Writing the damn thing.

Everyone has a different tone and style, and different publications need a different approach, but, for me, I believe in beginning each story with a really intriguing, almost fiction-style beginning (but all true, of course) that pulls the reader in. I also believe in keeping momentum, particularly when you’re writing a 3,000 word feature, you can’t rely on holding the readers attention that whole time, so try and do some twists and turns, beginning in different places or writing new paragraph intros as if you have to capture their attention all over again.

Also, it’s the oldest piece of writing advice in the book but… SHOW DON’T TELL. I once wrote a feature telling the story of Bethany Haines, whose dad, David, was beheaded by IS in 2013. I travelled to her house in Scotland, and interviewed her for around two hours, and heard how people would come up to her at parties and tell her they’d watched the video of her dad being beheaded. She was so young at the time – but instead of saying things like “shockingly” or “heartbreaking”, I tried to show that with the details of her life, for example, when it came to watching the video I explained how she watched it in her bedroom, how everything in the room was purple, from the carpet, to the walls, to her bed spread – to really hammer home the fact that she was a teenager, watching her dad be beheaded. It also felt a way to show how horrendous that was without having to explain the actual contents of the video, which would feel slightly trauma-porny and wrong.

Anyway, the piece isn’t online so you’ll have to believe me when I say it was more powerful that way. But a true masterclass in show don’t tell was this piece by Lauren Bensted. She could have just said ‘the NHS is a mess due to budget cuts’ but instead she showed it, throughout, with details… This bit, in particular: A side-room frees up on the gastro ward, but due to staff shortage it has not been cleaned, so I cannot be transferred. My dad – straight off the scaffold, hair full of plaster dust – runs to find the ward sister. “I will clean that room”, he says, in a low voice that I know means he’s scared. My poor, lovely dad. “Please let me clean it.”

God, reading that again made me cry. Such powerful writing.

Also, my final piece of advice, for this stage (and again, if you want more, do let me know, I feel self conscious sharing all of this, in that imposter-syndrome way many of us are prone to) is just: get some words down on paper. You can edit later, don’t panic too much, and nothing you read in magazines, or papers, is published raw, i.e: exactly how it was filed. It takes time, and often an editor’s eye, to truly craft a strong feature, and, at this stage, JUST WRITE, getting it all down.

Oh, and when you file, do so on word count or only a bit over (and read the brief you’ve been sent, double checking you hit all the points.)

If you made it this far, phew! Thank you! Sorry if you’re normally subscribed to me for my writing on grief, I do have to mix it up a little every now and then, but hopefully you’ll stick with me, and please do let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to read/learn about my career, or writing tips…