Quote Well

"One must be a wise reader to quote wisely and well." —Amos Bronson Alcott

Reading feeds writing. That means writers need to be reading good material. It is good to read. But not everything is worth reading. Not everything will help your writing. Read good, well-written books. And never read a book without being prepared to take notes. I always read with three things at hand—a marker, a pen, and a pad.

Often I have come across just the right quote to stimulate a column, or to complete an article. Some great quotes wait patiently for me for years after I write them down. Then, suddenly, there is the ideal piece in which to use them.

As a writer who uses pull quotes in our weekly magazine, I've had enough experience to naturally see these great quotes tucked into the narrative. Train yourself to look for repeatable nuggets as you turn pages. And write them down!