I read the Wright Thompson story The trouble with Johnny. I can’t remember who first introduced me to this story, but it perfectly foreshadowed the implosion that was Johnny Manziel.
One of the biggest writing techniques I took out of the story was Tool No. 27 — reveal traits of character. Throughout the story, you got glimpses into what Johnny Manziel was like off the football field and how those gave insight into what Manziel was really like. When he plays golf with his father, Manziel’s father has to let him win otherwise he gets mad and starts throwing his clubs. The only time we saw Manziel at first was on a football field. Before all the substance abuse and partying information finally surfaced the public looked at Johnny as a great college quarterback, not the destructive young adult he truly was.
Another tool I noticed was tool No. 29 — foreshadowing dramatic events and powerful conclusions. Throughout Thompson’s observations and his talk with Manziel’s father, the conclusion that Johnny was a troubled young man was evident. He struggled controlling his emotions and became irrational at times. You could see throughout the writing that Manziel had the makings of a teenager trapped in a millionaire quarterbacks body. It wasn’t until three years after the article was posted that we actually saw how damaged Manziel was.
The final tool that really caught my eye was tool No. 26 — Use dialogue as a form of action. The most prevalent use of dialogue were among the observations that Thompson captured, whether it be on the golf course or at the dinner table. All the interactions gave a key look at Manziel’s personality and gave a more accurate depiction of his character traits.