How to write a well written newspaper profile story?

Question

I am in a college journalism class and our first assignment is to write a profile story on a community leader. I picked my town's economic director. I have a BA in English and I am at a loss as for where to start - I know you have to draw the reader in - any help would be great from someone with experience. Thanks

Answer 1

What irritates me about newspapers today is you always have to turn the page to get the "who what why when where." I want that if not in the first sentence, at least on the first page!

Start w/ what the leader is doing today - his big new project - or what he stands for overall in your community. Perhaps you interviewed him & you have a good quote you could start with.

Answer 2

I've made about $5,000 in my life with free-lance articles. I see one possible problem already: The economic director does not have a story worth telling? I'm serious...that can sometimes be the cause of writer's block. It is always hard to find a story of interest. Some people just do not have a story in their lives, which is kinda sad.
But assuming her story IS interesting, you start with an anecdote she tells you about herself. "Mary Jones was ready to quite college twenty years ago, when she...etc...etc..." THEN, introduce the bio stuff. NOW, AT AGE 51, MARY loves her job because it allows her to spend large sums of the taxpayer's money -- and she knows there is wisdom in her choices... THEN, work a good quote in (assuming her words are quotable at all): "I was sick to death of hearing about taxpayer funds going toward buying diapers for seagulls (okay, so I'm not really suggesting she'd say this...but you get the idea.) ...
THEN: Tell the rest of the story alternating quotes with your opinion of why the quote fits. (It's called transition when the writer leads the reader into understanding why the next quote is going to be used.)
Overall, I STILL wonder if your big problem is that the economic director really doesn't have an interesting thing at all to say. Is that the case? I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a more quotable person somewhere in a more blue collar area of the city. Yes, I know they are hard to find.

Answer 3

No, better asked the editor if you can be a news or feature story contributor instead of always writing under the 'letters to the editor'