Tips on Handling Quotes
Veteran writing coach Roy Peter Clark offers these
tips on handling quotes.
By
Roy Peter Clark
Veteran writing coach Roy Peter Clark offers these
tips on handling quotes:
1.
Be truthful. Quotes should be faithful to
the words and meaning of the speaker.
2
. Adding language to quotes is more dangerous
than taking stuff out, although both can distort meaning.
3.
Because of language prejudice on race and
class, be careful with slang and dialect.
4.
That said, the American language is a great
treasure. If everyone you quote sounds like you, your readers are in trouble.
5
. Be polite. Tidy up the quote rather than
make someone sound stupid.
6.
It's not a good idea to blend quotes from
different interviews without a signal to readers.
7.
When you quote, imagine that someone has
taped the interview, even if you have not.
8.
No one takes notes at the speed of light.
It's OK to reconstruct a quote using both notes and memory. When you do
this, it's always best to read the quote back to the source. ###
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