Using quotes powerfully but not the way most of us do

Take a look at two different stories that use quotes powerfully but not the way most of us do, sprinkling them wantonly through stories that lack sparkle:

Cindy Lange-Kubick of the Lincoln Journal-Star wrote a story about mothers dealing with the grief of sons and a daughter killed in war, mostly Iraq but one from Vietnam. That's going to be a strong story however she writes it. But it's especially powerful because of her storytelling technique. Rather than shifting between her voice and the characters with quotes, she tells each mom's story in first person. I wish I'd done it:

http://writingmatters.lee.net/wrote/wrote.txt

If you haven't visited Bob Baker's Newsthinking site recently, now would be a good time. He has posted a great piece by Stuart Pfeifer of the Los Angeles Times, along with Bob's commentary on the powerful setup and sparse use of quotes. This story makes excellent use of the "promise," a narrative device I have attributed before to Ken Fuson (but Ken tells me he learned from Jan Winburn). It's kind of the narrative equivalent of the nut graf. By the fourth paragraph, we know this guy who's living in paradise somehow got out of a life sentence without parole. That keeps us reading on to find out why:

http://www.newsthinking.com/story.cfm?SID=224

API will provide an excellent opportunity to develop your own storytelling skills Jan. 15-20 in Compelling Storytelling Innovations, a seminar I am planning. We have a strong program shaping up. You can read more about it here: http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/06/Storytelling/