Finding a Voice
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
carpentry of grammar
My dad is doing major renovations on the convent.
I'm doing major renovations on oral history narratives.
These talks were tape-recorded, and in editing Spiritual Quests I worked from the transcripts of the tapes. All oral material needs a certain amount of tidying for print; the ear makes leaps that the eye won't tolerate. The carpentry of grammar has to be hammered into place, and casually mentioned matters of historical record--names, places, titles, dates--have to be nailed down. The hard covers of a book [or thesis] confer permanence, as editors of informal talks have to keep reminding themselves.
But I haven't tried to turn the talks into prose. My aim was to preserve the voice, the rhythms and the vitality of the speakers. Listen, therefore, as you read.
I'm doing major renovations on oral history narratives.
These talks were tape-recorded, and in editing Spiritual Quests I worked from the transcripts of the tapes. All oral material needs a certain amount of tidying for print; the ear makes leaps that the eye won't tolerate. The carpentry of grammar has to be hammered into place, and casually mentioned matters of historical record--names, places, titles, dates--have to be nailed down. The hard covers of a book [or thesis] confer permanence, as editors of informal talks have to keep reminding themselves.
But I haven't tried to turn the talks into prose. My aim was to preserve the voice, the rhythms and the vitality of the speakers. Listen, therefore, as you read.
-- William Zinnser in the "Introduction" to
Spiritual Quests: The Art and Craft of Religious Writing.
Labels: writing
posted by Colleen McCubbin at 1:00 PM
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