Comfort: Self-Disclosures

On page 545, Comfort writes about "self-disclosures" and connects Jordan to Mike Tyson. This resonated with me because it's an issue I have with my writing. How much do I self-disclose? How much is too much? I'm not talking about disclosing embarrassing things; instead, I wonder how much a writer is allowed to be in the story before a readers asks, "Who is this person?" and "Why should I care?" I'd argue a good writer should self-disclose but connect that self-disclosure to something larger to which readers can idenitfy. The Jordan example works well because we see the connection between Jordan and Tyson. If the story was all about Jordan and barely about Tyson, readers might not care because Tyson is the bigger name. If the story was all about Tyson, the piece would read too much like journalism (which isn't bad but not what Jordan was attempting, I think). The blend of self-disclosure with the connection to the outside world is key so readers see themselves in the piece, even if that connection isn't obvious or apparent at first.