In those, the editor in charge of a story explains what the story is about. Then we coordinate with the photo department about getting photo shoots set up and when photos can be selected, plus work with the design department to bring the text and photos together into a look that conveys the story. Not just the actual words on the page, but a certain feel. We'll even go with the designer to the photo department and help pick the photos that we think work best from a content perspective and that they think will have the most impact from a visual perspective. Our job is coordinate all of that from a content perspective.
Communication is the huge key.
We go in and pitch the feature stories we'd like to do in our area of coverage in the next several issues. We have two or three minutes to get across the importance and feel of the story we have in mind. It's essential to have a clear idea of what you want to cover and be able to get that across in a nutshell. I like working with writers. But my favorite part of the editing process is being a good, critical listener for the writer as he or she is writing and reporting a story.