Features, some about bugs
Favorite Thing Ever is about things that are most excellent, so I won’t go into detail about Vancouver’s local newspapers and their general lack of decently-written anything. (I took a poke at them in “The Cage” and that’s plenty.) I will say, though, that one thing that’s not in abundant supply, locally, is high-end, in-depth feature writing.
A well-written, carefully researched article about almost anything can be as much a decadent luxury, in my opinion, as a good piece of chocolate or a day at the spa. It’s mind candy–seductive yet nutritious, and well worth savoring. Check out this cunningly constructed paragraph from “If you Knew Sushi,” by Nick Tosches, which appeared in the June 2007 Vanity Fair
The difference between a bad sushi joint and a good sushi joint is: at a good sushi joint the sweetness of the sushi doesn’t challenge the taste of the fish. The difference between a good sushi joint and a very good sushi joint is: at a very good sushi joint the sweetness of the sushi doesn’t challenge the taste of the fish, and the fish is very good. The difference between a very good sushi joint and a great sushi joint is: at a great sushi joint the sweetness of the sushi doesn’t challenge the taste of the fish, the fish is excellent, and, piece after piece — sushi should never be served more than one piece at a time; each piece should come freshly made directly from the chef’s hands to you — the meal unfolds in a concert of many varied tastes, some delicate and some strong, all in a sequence of subtle harmony and balance that leaves you exquisitely satisfied…
I could probably go on about this particular passage, and the way it builds both in emotional intensity and line-by-line complexity, for an entire entry. Instead, let me tell you about some of my favorite sources of feature writing:
Texas Monthly
Not surprisingly, when you’re begging your best bud in Austin to ship you a pulp brick or three every year, it seems only fair to read the whole magazine. And the excellent crime writing is just part of a package, because Texas Monthly
Best American Manythings: Who has time to wade through all the articles everywhere? Not me! Not you, either! So every year, as soon as it comes out, I buy The Best American Science and Nature Writing
And if science isn’t so much your bag,there’s The Best American Crime Reporting 2009
The Interwebs: If you’re willing to put your e-reader in a zippable baggie before getting in the tub, or possibly even read these articles in a slightly less luxurious, non-bubble-bath context, there’s Salon, The Atlantic, and Scientific American… just to get you started.
At its best, good feature writing entertains and enlightens; it enriches its audience every bit as much as a trip to the Louvre. Good writing about real stuff: it’s crazy, but you just might like it.
You have a limited amount of time, so why spend it reading about things that suck or are only kind of okay? Favorite thing EVER is not a review site. We're unrepentant fans, and this is the stuff we love. Hope you like gushing, because we're about to embarrass ourselves.
It always amazes me how engrossed I get in a good feature story, particularly when it’s about something I had no idea was so interesting. It’s like the world just opens up and and reminds you that there are a billion little stories you never even imagined happening all over it, every day.
Fiction writers of all stripes could learn a thing or two from good feature writing, I’ll tell you what.
I agree–the excitement about the topic just shines through sometimes, and you find yourself so interested in something you never would have suspected had any allure at all.
I remember reading about twin studies in a New Yorker article – MIND BLOWING and I was totally enraptured, man.
Good writing is the best crack ever.