Do we really need to know that "Veritas and Justitia" were carved on the outside of the building?
This feature article is one of a kind.....for sure. Writing about crimes in a feature story is unique, something I have never read before until now. This is an example of what happens when you DON'T "pick and choose" the important content to squeeze into 800 words. There certainly is no repetitive information however there is most definately irrelevant information. For a short essay or novella, Linnet Myers would have won the nobel peace prize.
Too much crime is definately a bad thing .......
You are harsh! I loved this article...but like I said in my blog, I really enjoy the writing style. We are all just used to the usual news article!
I thought this little story was good, but i thought i was reading a novel...am i the only one that got that?
This style of writing was more personal and effective, in a way, sort of a narrative. Myers placed you right in the courtroom. Instead of reading facts, the reader saw the story unfold before their eyes. Because this was a feature article, it was not necessary to condense, to pick and choose which events/facts should be included. I'm a long-winded writer. Features are my kind of thing.
Tiffany, you're already giving "Nat Gruff," my caricature of a crusty, demanding editor, a run for his money. It's certainly wordy for a spot news article -- no human being could write like that overnight. But its use of irony, contrast, direct speech (like the detail in which the judge isn't at all affected by the suspect's insistence that it was a set-up) are literary techniques that help tell a story.
Please help me find my old friend Linnet Myers....aloha from Hawaii!!