Hey waiter, I’ll have what she is writing. – Quoting Others in Your Writing
Like it or not, we care about what others think about us. And we care about their opinions on other things as well, including the books they read. As someone who is looking to get your work published, it is often very helpful to obtain the endorsements of others. Endorsements have long been a staple of book promotion in the publishing industry.
When getting testimonials for your book, think about the most high profile names you can get who have some relation to the book you have written. For example, former President George W. Bush is pretty high profile, but he’s probably not considered much of an authority on macram, and if your book is about macram, his endorsement, while interesting, will not carry as much weight as you might like.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when using quotations in order to maximize their benefit and avoid their pitfalls. First, the source of the quote matters. The source of the quote will convey the associations tied to that source. You might have run across an insightful quote that fits your story, but if it was uttered by Adolf Hitler, the quote will carry with it associations, actions, and history. And this might not (or might) be your intent.
Second, make sure that you understand what the connection is between the quotation and what within your work the quotation is supposed to connect with, so that the reader can make that connection. The connection does not have to be overt and literal (it is often more interesting if it is not literal), but the connection needs to be understandable.
Many people think faster than they can accurately type, so a recording device can allow a writer to get more ideas out of his head and safely documented somewhere before they fly away never to be seen or heard from again.
On the other hand, writing and talking are very different activities, and ultimately the words must get to the page in the best way possible. From this standpoint, dictation begins to lose its luster because someone then has to take the time to sort through the recording and type up what was said. If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford a typist, this is less of an issue, but most writers do not have staff.
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