What Makes This Piece Good, Vol. 12: Pure Heart by William Nack

"Pure Heart" was definitely one of cases in which a lot of first-person perspective not only worked, but actually mattered, and made the story matter more.

That's because it does, in fact, provide personal perspective, instead of just saying the source "said to me..." or the source "looked at me..." etc., seemingly just for the sake of including yourself -- the reporter -- in a story. In such cases -- which is to say, most of them -- the first-person involvement doesn't really matter.

Nack let us in on his feelings and experience of Secretariat, allowing us to share in them, much as, say, a eulogy speaker would in those types of remembrances that work best.

 

Bump.

To one of the greats.

 

I have very few opportunities to drop a LAMP, but this is one of those rare occasions.

I attended a young writers thing at the Kentucky Derby many years ago. I'm estimating 1997. I ended up eating lunch with Nack, Ashley McGeachy and John Saunders. How? I have no idea.

Saunders asked Nack about the Secretariat piece, which is the primary reason I'm a sports writer in the first place, and he discussed it. I felt "in the loop" because I'd read the piece so many times. Nack spoke in more general terms — about the horse, about the trainer, about the handler. Nack is an eccentric dude who over-dramatizes things. I saw that as a minus at the time (ie "this guy is 100% crazy") but now I realize that you have to be at least half crazy to see things in the novel, unusual ways that lead to novel, unusual copy. I come back to this notion somewhat often in my own life because it was a really poor analysis on my part.

I was so caught up in Nack's tics and his stream-of-consciousness delivery that I didn't pay proper attention to what he was saying. Rookie mistake.

He is proud of that piece. He should be proud of that piece. It took a lot out of him to write it — and it sure seemed to 21-year-old me that Nack felt like he'd never again match it.

 

I read about SI's latest folly today with sadness. So many great memories (circa 1985) of getting my latest issue in the mail and retreating to the back porch to read it front to back.

Pure Heart was the best story of them all, IMO. I came back after many years away just to read this thread.

✌️

 

Id we started a thread about everyone's biggest rookie mistakes in this business I'd bet money it would be one of the cringiest threads -- if not THE cringiest thread -- ever on this site. Shit happens.