You know what would bite? Not reading Wright Thompson’s Luis Suarez profile

Two quick notes in the wake of Luis Suarez biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s win over Italy Tuesday: First, the memes have been disappointing. Come on, internet.

Second, if you hadn’t already read Wright Thompson’s May 14 ESPN the Magazine piece Portrait of a Serial Winner, now would be a good time. The subhead: A Journey in Pursuit of Luis Suarez, Who—When He’s Not Biting Opponents—Is the Most Beautiful Player in the Game.

As you read, keep in mind the writing advice Thompson gave in this blog, which was to write scenes:

Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times told me when I was in college perhaps the best advice I’ve ever gotten about stories: “It’s all about the scenes.”

Scenes are what allow you to show instead of tell. They’re the engine of a narrative arc. They make the thing go.

And:

Always be asking yourself: If this were a movie, would any part of it make me want my $8 back? Put the things in the best order.

The idea of a feature isn’t to tell readers all the info about something. It is to create a world. People should understand the subject of the feature; just telling them lots of cool facts and formative moments isn’t enough. It’s only halfway there.

As Thompson travels around Uruguay looking for clues about Suarez’s character in his past, note how the story plays almost like a movie, the mystery slowly unfolding in scenes you can vividly picture, from the dark dockside restaurant to the office of the lawyer whose “socks and tie matched.”

I wouldn’t have asked for my $8 back. You?