Final Project: In Memoriam

Mickey Rooney was the subject
of many tributes after his death
(Photo via Associated Press)

Just as every news reporter should know how to write and obituary, every feature writer should know how to write an appreciation, or tribute, piece. What is it? It's the more colorful and often longer article about someone who has died and after the first-day news obit has come and gone.

For example, the day after the Los Angeles Times ran its first-day obit of actor Mickey Rooney, it published an appreciation by the newspaper's longtime film critic: Mickey Rooney, with grit and gumption, put on a show Notice all of the sidebars running on the left side of this tribute piece.

Remember the way we tried to get away from the news lede of an event story to add more feature finesse to the top of our sights and sounds story? Think of that difference when thinking about the differences between an obit and an appreciation. The top of the appreciation piece needs to brighter or more colorful or more anecdotal or more descriptive. Also, like with the top of the sights and sounds story, we want the top of the appreciation to have a narrow entry point — one particular event in the person's life or one particular achievement or one particular person's memory of the person or one particular impact this person had.

Type of lede? Anecdotal, descriptive, question often are used to get the tone away from the tone of a news obit. After the narrow focus in P1 through p3, the context graph at P4 can have some of the newsier aspects of the person's death. At P6, the step back in time can be, as with an obit, all the way to their date of birth or it could be a step away to some other significant aspect of this person's life or career.

What about first-person writing? It can be done but only if the writer has a real reason to introduce his or her own memories and feelings — and then, only sparingly. Remember, the piece needs to be about the subject you've chosen, not about you.

Here is an example of an appreciation done in a style called a personal remembrance: Regarding Susan Sontag Regarding the Pain of Others

What if I want to do a living person instead? I would prefer you do an appreciation piece for the sake of practicing this traditional story form, but if you have a very good subject for a profile, run it by me before proceeding.

Package Elements

Headline and byline

Display photo, cutline, credit line

Mainbar = 1,000 words

Sidebar (narrative or list style with links) = as needed

Four quotes minimum = two fresh from two people, two found (don't forget attribution!)

Deadlines

Seniors = 9 a.m. Saturday, April 26 (includes any late work)

Juniors = 8 a.m. Monday, April 28

Late Work = 9 a.m. Tuesday — NOTHING accepted afterward — PERIOD!