Quotes have great power on 2 fronts:
1. Quotes as in sayings and annecdotes from famous people that ring true and are memorable
2. Quotes as in the quotation marks that draw people's eyes to whatever is housed within those quotation marks
For some reason the quote marks are "active" and make your writing come alive. It can be an inner monologue you are having, a "question to your reader?", or a famous quote with the person who said/wrote it attributed.
When you see a headline out there in the world for a marketing or advertising piece almost always it is contained within quotes.
"Why is that?"
Because the quotes draw the eyes and it's been proven to get higher response and be read more often.
To intersperse quotes from famous people is a great tactic too. It shows you have researched your topic and is a great break from mountains of same looking and formatted text.
So why dont more people use them?
"Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death." -James Byrnes
Dont be afraid of them, embrace them.
"Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." -Mark Twain
Here's a good one that is very appropriate to you today in the current environment:
"To read a newspaper is to refrain from reading something worthwhile.
The first discipline of education must therefore be to refuse
resolutely to feed the mind with canned chatter." -Aleister Crowley
The news is so canned, trite, and slantedly yellow journalistic you are hard pressed to trust one word they say. If you are and plan to remain a dedicated newshound always ask yourself, "Is what they just said likely to happen or be true or am I just trusting them because they are a famous talking head?"
So sprinkle quotes marks and famous quotes from people into your writing sparingly. Like a fine Indian spice they are potent and will delight the minds and imaginations of your readers.
1. Quotes as in sayings and annecdotes from famous people that ring true and are memorable
2. Quotes as in the quotation marks that draw people's eyes to whatever is housed within those quotation marks
For some reason the quote marks are "active" and make your writing come alive. It can be an inner monologue you are having, a "question to your reader?", or a famous quote with the person who said/wrote it attributed.
When you see a headline out there in the world for a marketing or advertising piece almost always it is contained within quotes.
"Why is that?"
Because the quotes draw the eyes and it's been proven to get higher response and be read more often.
To intersperse quotes from famous people is a great tactic too. It shows you have researched your topic and is a great break from mountains of same looking and formatted text.
So why dont more people use them?
"Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death." -James Byrnes
Dont be afraid of them, embrace them.
"Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." -Mark Twain
Here's a good one that is very appropriate to you today in the current environment:
"To read a newspaper is to refrain from reading something worthwhile.
The first discipline of education must therefore be to refuse
resolutely to feed the mind with canned chatter." -Aleister Crowley
The news is so canned, trite, and slantedly yellow journalistic you are hard pressed to trust one word they say. If you are and plan to remain a dedicated newshound always ask yourself, "Is what they just said likely to happen or be true or am I just trusting them because they are a famous talking head?"
So sprinkle quotes marks and famous quotes from people into your writing sparingly. Like a fine Indian spice they are potent and will delight the minds and imaginations of your readers.
Powered by ScribeFire.
No comments:
Post a Comment