The hardest stories to write about are ones like Brian Cole's, a tragedy that is so gut-wrenching that it's almost impossible to capture in words.
The writer also has to best to be respectful in the way he gathers information but realize that even the most difficult details to repeat cannot and should not be left out.
"This is a story that a lot of writers go their whole careers and they don't get anything like this," said Michael McKnight, the author of "The Best Player You Never Saw" in Sports Illustrated's baseball preview issue. "I just hope I did it justice. It's so powerful. Never came across anything like this."
After reading this eight-page masterpiece, I hope the sources who shared the most moving parts of Cole's story are glad they weren't left out because they help give Cole's story the justice it deserves.
I deleted my several attempts to write an abridged version of Cole's story because it just felt wrong to retell it in blog form. Stories like Cole's are why I hope long-form journalism will continue to exist despite the short attention span of my generation.
