Why writing about the loss of icons like Toni Morrison is so difficult to get right

Laying out your thoughts succinctly and thoughtfully with very little time after something sad or tragic has happened isn’t just a skill, it’s a huge responsibility

There are some stories that hit us harder than others. Usually driven by our personal connection to a given issue or individual, digesting the news can be an incredibly personal act. Especially when there’s a death involved.

When certain celebrities die, for example, most of us are able to take the day to get used to the bad news; tweet out our shock and sadness in disbelief; let it settle at the pit of our stomachs while we revisit the best of our idols’ works and share stories with loved ones about memories that loosely connect us to the figures who shape our lives.

But when reporting or responding to the news is part of your day job, there’s barely any time for that. Toni Morrison’s death was one such example.