The city editor at my first newspaper job, Foster’s Daily Democrat in Dover, N.H., had this advice for using direct quotes in a story:

“Quotes are like fences on a piece of land. They mark the end of one section and the beginning of the next. The hard information in your story is between the fences, not on them.” (Thank you, Tom Heslin.)

I've always loved that analogy; I imagine miles of land stretching out in the countryside, bisected by a fence every so often.

Each set of facts in your story is like a plot of land; each quote is a little commentary that closes off the section and leads into the next. Quotes also add visual interest by breaking up long, grey stretches of words.

They aren't intended to convey simply factual information but should add snap and color that keeps the reader interested.

Do Fence Them In

Here's some skillful fence-setting in a recent Miami Herald story on state prosecutors dropping computer hacking charges in a sensational murder case:

[Defense attorney Jude Faccidomo] said the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office must recuse itself from the murder case against Courtney because prosecutors obtained text messages and emails without her attorneys discussing defense strategy.

“Simply put, they can't unring that bell,” Faccidomo said. “They can't unknow what they know.”

Herald reporter David Goodhue could have directly quoted the attorney's undoubtedly dry, procedural explanation of his argument. But besides being boring, it probably would have wasted the newspaper's space and readers' time.

He spared us by concisely paraphrasing the argument, then fenced it off with a dramatic quote.

Newspapers often call the space occupied by a story "real estate," and like actual real estate, it's priceless. Well-used quotes can add immeasurable value.