Yes, I use quotation marks — and it has everything to do with my story

Escritora Carols
May 6
2 min read

Imagem com fundo bege claro. À esquerda, o texto estilizado em laranja e preto diz: “Aspas, jornalismo & a bíblia”, seguido da frase em letras pequenas: “porque escrevo com aspas”. À direita, uma jovem mulher em traje de formatura sorri enquanto segura o diploma azul sobre os ombros. Ela tem cabelo cacheado com luzes e usa maquiagem leve em tons rosados.

A Quiet Dream and a Little Newspaper in the Hospital

For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of writing. But deep inside, there was a quiet discomfort in my chest... a feeling that maybe there wasn’t space for me in the vast world of words.

It was at the hospital where I receive care that the doors of communication first began to open — in the most unexpected way. A small newsletter — crafted with love, care, and hope — gave me my first experience as a reporter and presenter. There I was, sitting in front of the camera, talking, listening to stories, learning about different worlds without ever leaving my seat… and I fell hopelessly in love.

De apresentadora à jornalista de fato

Montagem com uma fotografia principal à esquerda e diversas fotos menores sobrepostas à direita. À esquerda, uma jovem mulher negra em traje de formatura (beca azul e preta com capelo) sorri enquanto segura seu diploma azul, encostada a uma parede colorida com cartazes. À direita, fotos estilo polaroid mostram momentos da sua trajetória acadêmica e prática no jornalismo: em estúdios com câmeras, segurando uma câmera fotográfica, em frente ao microfone em uma rádio, e com colegas em sessões fotográficas e gravações. A composição destaca sua jornada prática e afetiva na comunicação. — Memórias da faculdade

From that moment on, I knew I wanted something related to TV. I always loved Vídeo Show and that light, joyful way of telling real-life stories.

Between one dream and another, I also thought about being a teacher, a fashion designer… I even applied to Fashion School! (And the passion was so real that I later did a post-grad in Fashion Production, lol). But in the end, as if gently guided by the hand of Destiny, I found myself enrolled in Journalism.

What Journalism Taught Me About Storytelling

In Journalism, I learned something I carry with me to this day: every story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. A reason, a consequence, and an honest narrative. I also learned how to ask questions, to listen closely, and to see the hidden beauty between the lines of life.

And that’s where… quotation marks come in.

You may have noticed: in news reports, we always use quotation marks to mark someone’s speech — not the em dash, which is more common in Brazilian literature. When I returned to fiction writing years later, without even realizing it, quotation marks came with me — like an old friend who never left. I tried using the dash. I swear I did. But it looked strange, uncomfortable, as if it didn’t belong to me.

That’s why, today, my books use quotation marks in dialogue. Not because an AI wrote them for me (as some not-so-funny comments have suggested) — but because that’s my story.

Montagem com três imagens de uma jovem mulher negra em diferentes momentos de celebração de sua formatura em jornalismo. À esquerda, ela sorri com os olhos fechados, usando uma camiseta preta com a palavra "Jesus" escrita nas costas. Ao centro e à direita, ela aparece em traje de formatura azul e preto, com beca e capelo, segurando o diploma e usando uma máscara azul da instituição FASCA. No canto inferior direito, o texto manuscrito em laranja diz: “Obrigada, Jornalismo!” — meio jornalista + colação de grau

I am a writer. I am a journalist.

And quotation marks are a little piece of all that, blended together.

And you know something beautiful I realized while thinking about this? Another famous book — perhaps the most famous in history — also uses quotation marks to record speech: the Bible.

Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe it’s just one more way for God to remind me: Yes, there is space for my voice. And there’s space for yours too.

So what about you? Do you have a stylistic or creative choice that’s always been part of your work — even if it’s not the “standard”? Tell me in the comments!💬