Writing Lessons on BART

She had always wanted words, she loved them, grew up on them. Words gave her clarity, brought reason, shape. Whereas I thought words bent emotions like sticks in water.
She returned to her husband.
From this point on, she whispered, we will either find or lose our souls.

--The English Patient

Quotation marks: The Absence or presence of quotation marks. Quotation marks give emphasis. There is an immediacy and a very strong sense of hearing it immediately. Right there and then. The lack of it gives a feeling of distance, mutedness, like volume turned down.

The difference between the two sentences below is that of a sense of distance and volume.

I wish you had called me back, she said, I would have gone with you.

"I wish you had called me back", she said, "I would have gone with you."

It is amazing what a difference something as small as a quotation mark would make to a passage. The lovely passage I quoted, once again from The English Patient, The last sentence Ondaatje chose not to use quotation marks:

From this point on, she whispered, we will either find or lose our souls.

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