What's in a "quote"
The fact of the matter, quotes make your story more credible, more lively, as if these different letters and words are dancing on the page or the computer screen.
I was tempted to say "I am all for quotes, and all for making them up". Don't take my word too literally, but its true I am all for quotes in an article, an essay or any other manuscript.
Although I understand today's writing is all about innovation and creativity, and writing to please the reader, and which I openly indulge in, I have to say, I miss quotes in journalistic speech and parlance.
Today's writing while by no means sloppy, writers do go for the easy way out. We are encouraged to be opinionated even while writing a factual story or a feature. We can't be bothered to go the extra mile and talk to the people concerned, but prefer to understand the jest of the issue and write about it ourselves as if we are the experts.
Gone are the days when objective, compassionate writing were the rule of thumb. The fact of the matter, quotes make your story more credible, more lively, as if these different letters and words are dancing on the page or the computer screen.
Instead of you, it is live persons in quotes who are telling the story, giving their different perspectives and points of view. You as the writer are putting these views into manageable and organized text so people understand.
Quite honestly, I miss quotes these days being bogged down by narrative that lack vigor and animation. I only realized that the other day when I happened to read an article in one of the international newspapers where refugees where talking about their plight in their new surroundings.
The writer just took a back seat, and let the flow of words pour out on the paper. It was straight from the horse's mouth so to speak. It was dramatic words that were graphic on the page, powerful descriptive narrative.
The writer didn't need to interpose to let the story move, it was done through the quotes and characters. He was practicing good old fashioned writing. The flair and the flamboyance, if these are the right words to use, didn't come from the writer's attempt at interjection and what might be called "sexing up" the paragraphs and the text, but by rich quotes of descriptions and views.
