Quotes are the lifeblood of your story and are essential. They inject a human voice into your reporting and allow your sources to share their perspectives, experiences, and expertise directly with your readers. However, simply including quotes isn’t enough; it involves careful selection, accurate attribution, and smooth integration with effective transitioning.
Why Quotes Matter?
- By incorporating quotes from credible sources, you bolster the legitimacy and trustworthiness of your reporting. They allow readers to understand the issue from diverse viewpoints and form their own conclusions.
- Quotes add a layer of authenticity and dynamism to your writing. High-quality, vivid and insightful quotes can make your story very captivating so that’s why you need to be a good interviewer.
- Quotes allow readers to understand the emotional impact of an event, the motivations behind a decision, or the lived experiences of those affected by an issue.
Choosing Effective Quotes
- Select quotes that are clear, concise, and offer valuable insights or unique perspectives that move the story forward.
- Ensure the quotes directly relate to the point you’re trying to make in that specific section of your story.
- Strive for a range of voices and perspectives, and don’t rely solely on quotes from authority figures. Seek out the voices of those directly impacted by the story to add depth and emotional resonance.
Converting Raw Quotes to Polished Prose
- Always attribute your quotes to the speaker. This can be done through phrases like “said,” “stated,” “explained,” or “added.”
- Provide context around the quote and briefly introduce the speaker and their role in the story, especially if they’re not widely known.
- Integrate quotes smoothly into your sentence structure. Use quotation marks correctly, and pay attention to comma placement within quotes.
- Sometimes, raw quotes might contain stumbles, hesitations, or informal language. You can edit out minor grammatical errors or repetitions for readability, but ensure the core meaning remains intact. Here are some options, depending on the situation:
- Bracketed Ellipsis: Use “[…]” to indicate omitted words within a quote.
- Bracketed Explanation: Use bracketed explanations like “[laughs]” or “[sighs]” to clarify non-verbal cues within a quote, if relevant.
Examples
- “This new law is an attack on our basic freedoms,” said Sarah Jones, a local activist.
- Local activist Sarah Jones slammed the new law, calling it “an attack on our basic freedoms.”