SCQA Feature Intake SOP — Plan the Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer before you start writing for any website
You want to write strong feature-style stories for blogs, magazines, and websites like wired.com, and you also want those stories to earn money for you, so this SOP gives you a simple way to collect the raw material you need for a clear SCQA structure before you write a single paragraph. You will define the Situation, sharpen the Complication, shape one precise Question, and then collect the evidence that supports a powerful Answer. When you do this calmly in advance, your features feel like stories instead of random information, editors see the logic quickly, and readers stay on the page long enough to reach the ending where you and the website both win.
Why SCQA makes your features feel like real stories instead of loose notes
The SCQA framework says every strong piece of communication walks the reader through four things in a simple order, which are Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer. In feature articles this feels natural because readers first need to understand where they are, then they want to feel a little tension, then they want to know what big question is on the table, and finally they want to see what your reporting discovered. Instead of making you guess this structure every time, this SOP lets you collect data in neat boxes so you always know what belongs where.
You capture the stable world your reader recognises, the current habits, the technology as it is today, or the routine that feels normal, so your reader nods along and feels safe and informed at the start.
You describe what has changed, what is breaking, or what new force has arrived, so a clear tension appears and your reader feels a reason to keep reading.
You frame one explicit question that a curious editor or reader would ask at this moment, which turns random interest into a clear promise that you will explore in the feature.
You collect enough scenes, quotes, numbers, and counterpoints so your feature can walk calmly toward a realistic answer or a set of clear possibilities instead of vague opinions.
The 12-minute SCQA desk intake before you outline a feature
In this short routine you will open a small set of tabs, skim with intent, and fill four simple buckets with facts, quotes, and questions. You are not outlining yet, and you are not writing nice sentences yet. You are only collecting the building blocks that will later become your feature’s Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer.
12-minute SCQA intake — minute by minute
- Open three things: the main news or feature you are reacting to, one neutral background source, and one critical or alternative view.
- Open a blank note or document labelled SCQA Intake — [Working Title].
- Write one simple sentence to yourself: “In the next 12 minutes I will decide one clear SCQA for this feature so drafting feels easy.”
- Skim headlines, decks, and first paragraphs of your background sources.
- Write 3–5 bullet sentences that start with facts like “Today, …”, “Most people still …”, “For years, …”.
- Underline or bold the phrases that most readers will already know or recognise in their everyday life.
- Scan for verbs like “but”, “however”, “suddenly”, “after”, “meanwhile”, because they often signal a turn in the story.
- Write 3–5 simple lines that begin with “But now …”, “However …”, “At the same time …”.
- Circle the line that feels like the biggest punch in the stomach for a reader, because that line might become the heart of your lead.
- Ask “So what?” after each complication line until you hit a question a curious editor might ask in a meeting.
- Re-write that question in one sentence that does not include jargon and does not include your opinion.
- Check that the question is big enough to carry a feature but small enough that you can answer it with the reporting you can realistically do.
- Write 2–3 possible answers in rough form, starting with “One likely answer is …”, “Another possibility is …”.
- Under each answer idea, list scenes, interviews, datasets, and examples that could support it.
- Cross out any answer that you cannot realistically support within the word count and time you have.
- In one paragraph, write: “In a world where [Situation], now [Complication], which raises the question [Question]. This feature explores [Answer] using [proof types].”
- Underline key nouns and verbs; these will later become section breaks, subheads, and scenes.
- Stop. You now have a spine. You are allowed to outline only after this step is complete.
Template_01: SCQA Feature Canvas — [Editable] fill it before you draft
You can paste this template into your notes app or project management tool. Treat it like a pre-outline intake; once it is complete you will already know what your feature is truly about.
Your SCQA Feature Canvas — pre-filled in a WIRED-style tech feature flavour
This is a fictional yet realistic example, written in the spirit of longform tech features you might see on big outlets. Use it as a guide when you fill your own canvas for any other topic, including science, business, culture, or climate stories.
How SCQA maps onto your feature outline and section breaks
Once your SCQA intake is complete, you can easily turn it into an outline by mapping each part to a few clear sections. This table helps you see how your Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer can become headings and subheadings that editors and readers can follow.
Signal heatmap (5 = strongest) for where SCQA lives in a feature
| SCQA element | Your one-line note | Where it appears in draft |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | [Everyday world before the change] | Opening scene + first 2–3 paragraphs |
| Complication | [What disrupted the routine] | Paragraph where “but” or “however” turns the story |
| Question | [What you promise to explore] | Nut graf / subheading near the top |
| Answer | [Your nuanced conclusion] | Last sections + closing paragraph |
Where to look for Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer clues
Professional features are built from many small pieces of information that you can usually find in predictable places, so you will train yourself to search each part of SCQA with a clear target in mind instead of wandering.
| SCQA part | What you copy into notes | Page or place you often find it |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | One factual paragraph that would still be true next month | Background coverage, official reports, FAQ sections |
| Complication | Specific change with numbers, dates, or names attached | News stories, legal filings, change logs, press releases |
| Question | Line that starts “So the real question is …” | Opinion columns, expert interviews, your own notebook |
| Answer | Evidence that points in one direction but admits trade-offs | Studies, trials, pilots, before/after metrics, lived experience |
How a strong SCQA spine helps you earn and build a portfolio
You are not learning SCQA as a school exercise; you are learning it so you can turn your time into reliable money and into clips that keep paying you later. This section shows how a neat SCQA canvas connects directly to both pay and future opportunities.
When your feature pitch or outline quietly follows SCQA, editors can visualise the whole story in a few lines and are more likely to say yes to the idea and the fee together.
Because you already know what must sit in the beginning, middle, and end, you can draft in a calm way and avoid the exhausting loop of rewriting the first third again and again.
Your SCQA notes live beyond one assignment; later you can reuse the Situation and Complication parts for talks, newsletters, and guest posts, which means one research sprint powers many pieces.
A portfolio built on clear SCQA features makes it easy for future editors to see you as a writer who can handle complex topics and present them clearly for everyday readers.
- Angle bank: Keep a simple list of SCQA spines you did not use yet; they often turn into fresh features or spin-off pieces later.
- Data diary: Each time you collect a strong Situation paragraph or unique Complication example, save it in a separate file with tags so you can find it again.
- Time log: Track how many hours it takes to move from SCQA intake to final draft; use this to negotiate fair fees and realistic deadlines.
- Clip notes: After publication, note which SCQA elements readers remember or quote back to you; this teaches you what kind of tension and questions work best in your niche.
Master SCQA intake checklist — one page you can print
You can run this checklist before any serious feature. When every box is ticked, you know you have enough clarity to start writing for real outlets without wasting your time.
| Area | Action | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | Write one calm paragraph that describes the “before” world with agreed facts only. | □ |
| Complication | List at least three specific changes or tensions with dates, names, or numbers. | □ |
| Question | Turn the complication into one clear question an editor could repeat in a meeting. | □ |
| Answer | Write a realistic working answer, including limits and trade-offs. | □ |
| Proof | List scenes, voices, and datasets that will support or challenge your answer. | □ |
| Format | Choose outlet, section, and a word-count range that matches your reporting load. | □ |
| Time | Estimate days for reporting and writing and check they fit your calendar. | □ |
| Ethics | Note any conflicts of interest, consent issues, or safety concerns. | □ |
| Clarity | Read your SCQA spine aloud and remove jargon or vague adjectives. | □ |
Practice sprint — write one SCQA spine every week
You will become fast and natural with SCQA only by repeating it on many topics, not by reading about it once. This practice sprint gives you a light weekly workout you can fit around other work.
Pick one story from your reading list that you wish you had written and decide which part of it interests you most as a feature angle.
Write one Situation paragraph and one Complication paragraph in your own words, without copying sentences from the original piece.
Ask yourself what bigger question hides under those two paragraphs and write it in one line a friend outside your niche would understand.
Note one possible answer and list at least three things you would need to report or research to test whether that answer is really true.
Glossary — SCQA terms and feature vocabulary you will meet often
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Situation | The agreed-on world before anything changes; the calm “this is how things are” part of your story. |
| Complication | The change, conflict, or surprise that breaks the routine and makes the story necessary. |
| Question | The big “So what is really going on here?” that your feature promises to explore. |
| Answer | The realistic solution, explanation, or pattern your reporting uncovers, including its limits. |
| Nut graf | The paragraph near the top that tells the reader what the story is about and why it matters now. |
| Scene | A small slice of real-world action with people, place, and detail that lets the reader feel the story. |
| Through-line | The invisible thread that connects your opening situation to your closing answer without getting lost. |
Your SCQA system for features is ready to use
You now have a complete, beginner-friendly framework to collect the raw material for powerful SCQA-shaped features before you even think about sentences or style. Whenever you want to write for a blog, a niche website, a magazine, or a high-prestige outlet, you can open this canvas, fill the Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer boxes, and prove to yourself that there is a real story and a realistic answer before you commit your time.
Use this SOP every time you feel stuck at the blank page or lost in a messy draft. Bring your SCQA notes to life with scenes, voices, and clean structure, and step by step you will build a portfolio of sharp, paid features that show editors you can think clearly and write with purpose.