When a feature story turns very serious

Maybe I'm callous, but I wouldn't dream of turning away from the story. I would, instead, go for it full bore. Any emotional attachment I had to the death would be manifested in the storytelling effort.

This is what we do, in good times and also in bad. No need to apologize for it.

 

Ty, the advice on this thread is excellent. And I agree that you shouldn't bring your notebook to the funeral. I realize it's a different era and situation, but I remember reading that the famous WWII correspondent Ernie Pyle only used his notebook and pencil to write the soldier's name and hometown. The rest of the time, he just listened to each soldier's story.

 

Mr Webb,

One piece of advice. Everybody is telling you to write it and you should. Keep reporting it, though. It seems like the story is well-contained, like you have everything you need, but make other calls. Source it like you would anything else. No, don't pull out your notebook at any service or whatever, but figure out who's there among friends & family and chase them down. Clergyman, ditto. Co-workers, present, past tense. It's detail from the outside that brings stuff like this off the page.

YD&OHS, etc

 

I haven't been called a hack in a long time. Didn't expect it on this thread. Let's agree to disagree.

 

I didn't call you a hack. I said that your advice - "lots of quotes" - can lead to hacky writing, and it can. One of the first things that serious feature writers learn is that you limit the quotes and, therefore, increase their power. Same with "descriptions of his emotion."

A lot of the advice here about "staying out of the story's way" is well-intentioned, but not as helpful as it could be. It also shortchanges what we do.

Good writing isn't about "staying out of the way." It's not about writing gorgeous sentences with long words, either. It's about organizing the piece for maximum clarity and impact. The writer is very much in control of those things.

 

I guess I glossed over this a bit.
Lots of quotes doesn't mean stringing together quote after quote (I never wrote Q&As). Using quotes to enhance the story is something I'm quite good at, and a lot of our writers aren't so much.
I would rather have the grieving family describe the situation. That's my preference.
Not to further a disagreement, but writing coaches are like APSE judges, when you look at the results, you wind up scratching your head.

 

bookmark.

 

As a dad who had two children spend a fair amount of time in the NICU (one 6 1/2 weeks, the other 3), I couldn't agree with Jones more, especially that final part.
Ty, my thoughts and prayers to you and the coach and his family.

 

You have a sacred trust here. They want you to be the one to help them remember their little boy. Let your emotions in. It will make it a better story.

 

OK, where is the story? It's been three days.

 

are you an editor?

 

Write-brained isn't the only one who has been wondering how this story's been going.

I actually looked in the Writers Workshop for it -- yesterday -- because Ty had said he would put it in there when he finished.

I'm sure he's working hard on it, though, and that it'll be something he can be proud of. I look forward to reading it.