Ugly duckling vs swan?

Roy Peter Clark of Poynter.org writes about writing. He offers tips, makes comments, gives suggestions and writes wonderful columns about things he notices about writing. He's been a remarkable coach and source for my writing. Today he wrote an article about ugly ducks and swans and how writers leave out the negative details of a story to focus on the transition from "ugly to swan." It made me think about this blog. I responded to him with this comment:

"Thanks Roy. I just started my first blog - one about my preparing to witness the execution of a man on death row next week. I have been struggling with how to write the "obnoxious, horrible" details of how I feel about this event. How graphic, how real, how "warts and all" should I be?

How does what I'm writing best serve the story, the readers, myself? It's hard. Every day I learn more the harder it gets. Do I not worry about the reaction of readers? What's the fine line? How honest are we or should we be as journalists? http://www.apublicdeath.blogspot.com/

I've interviewed and am interviewing several chaplains who have witnessed and written about executions. I'm talking to attorneys and others. I'm willing to write whatever they're willing to go on record with. The struggle is how to avoid making it sound "hollywood" and to not let the ugly duckling into swan creep into my writing. I want it to be real. If real is ugly or nauseating or violent - is it responsible journalism? What's that fine line?"

None of us are saints. None of us are Satan. Some of us come closer to the absolute of either, but all in all, we all have our moments. I don't know Christopher Scott Emmett. I haven't spoken with him. In the remaining week - seven days - I won't get to know him. He's a man sitting on death row for what I was told was a horrible, bloody murder. I'll post court transcripts here later. I try to remember that there was a time before he did drugs. There was a time when he was a child and had a future - as we all did. He made bad decisions along the way. He decided to use drugs. He decided to kill his roommate. He decided a lot of things. How best do I portray this man, my writing of his crime, his execution and the process journalists (at least me) go through to bring the most responsible, accurate and informative story to my readers? Comments please?