I read an ESPN The Mag story called Broken Route: A former Texas A&M standout committed an unthinkable crime. How did so many people miss the warning signs? It details the unraveling of former A&M wide receiver Thomas Johnson and his murder of Dave Stevens.
One of the writing techniques that stuck out about this story was the use of dialogue. Clark’s Tool 26 is to use dialogue as a form of action. In this story, the characters come to life when you can essentially hear them communicate with each other. I feel like one of the best ways you can define who a person is, is by showing how they interact with those around them. In the middle of the story, there is a stretch of about 10 back-and-forth quotes. When I read that part, I realized how easy it is to read and how it speeds the story along. Also, dialogue was used at the end of the story and it was one of the most powerful ends I’ve ever read.
Secondly, Tool 29, foreshadow dramatic events and powerful conclusions, was in full effect in this story. From the beginning, we, as readers, get the sense that this is going to go horribly wrong. It is clear that Thomas’ life is moving in a downward spiral, and small hints throughout make that clear. The reader can feel the tension build as the chaos inside Thomas’ head is strengthening.
Finally, because it was too obvious not to address, this story epitomizes building work around a key question, Tool 31. And that question is explicated stated in the headline: How did so many people the warning signs? That’s narrative this story takes us through and the streamlined approach to sticking with this angle made it easy to invest yourself as a reader without getting confused.