Feature story breaks ...

Don't get me wrong. I think breaks can be very useful. Just not ALWAYS necessary. There are some people who want to use them every time a story goes longer than XXX words.

 

They're often called "editors." Really. Just about every top sports editor I've worked with loves breaks.

 

I always enjoyed breaks, or just a drop-cap/bolded first few words to start a new section. Subheads are fine when done right, but a lot of the time they come out less like a teaser and more like a topic heading.

 

I remember the first time I saw a sports editor direct a copy editor to go back in and add subheads to an enterprise story that had already been layed out on a page, thinking it an odd time to do that on deadline. I've always encouraged writers to write their own subheads, since it can create a de facto outline of their story. And if there's an abundance of good quotes, why not use them as subheads if they add structure to the story? To an early comment that the break in a story is an opportunity to create a mini-lede, I couldn't agree more. In fact these sections can and often should be stories within the greater story.

 

Sirs, Madames,

Seconded. Lots of options though. If section is based in a different place or time, you slug it with a date, placeline or choose your poison.

YHS, etc