*****
Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs;
sometimes paragraphs QUICKEN and begin to breathe.
(Stephen King)
Friday, April 19, 2013
King's Speech: Q is for QUICKEN
Regular readers of The Shellshank Redemption know how much I enjoy a good quote (see Motivational Mondays) and that I’m a huge fan of Stephen King (see the King of All Days Part I and Part II.) So, for the 2013 A-Z Challenge, I decided to combine the two, using some of my favorite King quotes about reading, writing and life in general. Enjoy!
Did you ever read something that literally made
you gasp? I love when this happens, even though it makes my poor husband come
running to make sure I’m okay. When the power of a paragraph, the beauty of a
line, the intensity of a scene gather on the page and leap, alive and free into
the ether, you know you’re in the hands of a master, a true storyteller.
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Wish I could write like that.
ReplyDeleteI just finished an amazing book yesterday (THE MIDDLESTEINS) that left me speechless almost every page.
ReplyDeleteDid you read GONE GIRL? That's one of those books that left me speechless.
ReplyDeleteThe book I'm reading at the moment made me gasp yesterday because of a twist in the story. I wasn't expecting it and I cared about the character and how this would affect her.
ReplyDeleteAlex - I'm not sure we ever know that we do unless readers tell us. :)
ReplyDeleteKate - I've heard of THE MIDDLESTEINS and I loved GONE GIRL with all its twists and turns. If you haven't already, check out Flynn's earlier novels.
Mama J - I love when that happens! :)
Quicken is a great word. And I totally understand the gasp or the laugh out loud that has my family looking at me queerly. Great Post, Madeline
ReplyDeleteI like to read classic short stories. The last line of The Great Gatsby makes me gasp every time I read it.
ReplyDeleteYes, nothing better than this when reading. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so awesome when I read something that can take my breath away. Sometimes that happens when the writer presents an idea that I totally get, and s/he is able to articulate it in such a way that I would never have been able to pull off on my own.
ReplyDeleteCathrina - thank you! And welcome to The Shellshank Redemption! :)
ReplyDeleteDonna - now I'm going to have to dig out my copy and read the last line again. :)
Julie - you know it. :)
Cynthia - I feel something similar when I read a story or a book and wish I had been the one to write it. :)
Wow, what an awesome quote. And no wonder Stephen King is so good! My heart quickened :)
ReplyDeleteNew follower here from the A-Z
http://gwengardner.blogspot.com
I love it when a book does this to me. Usually it comes less in the form of a "gasp" and more in the form of either a triumphant "YEAH!" or sometimes sudden and unexpected tears (either because something truly sad happened, or because something is just so beautiful). It is usually less to do with the way a sentence is crafted and more to do with the story... though, obviously, the two are often linked.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome quote. Feels very Stephen Kingish.
ReplyDeleteMostly what I write is intended to make people gasp for reasons other than beautiful prose LOL but I certainly appreciate it in other people's work when I read it.
ReplyDelete~ Cori Vidae ~
I love these kind of moments. I get them when I read Alice Hoffman or, though I was completely surprised, Dean Koontz. Some lines are so amazingly beautiful, I just pause and sigh with gratitude.
ReplyDeleteJaime at Awakenings and Reflections
I hope someday that'll happen when someone reads my work.
ReplyDeleteGwen - welcome to The Shellshank Redemption! :)
ReplyDeleteJL - I know exactly what you mean about the tears. :)
Jai - I agree!
Cori - I love when people appreciate beautiful prose.
Jaime - I love the idea of pausing and sighing with gratitude! :)
Suzi - I hope it happens for readers of my work, too! Thanks for Following us here at TSR!
I'm what you might call an active reader. I gasp, I "grrrr", I moan, I tear up, I laugh out loud. Drives the Beneficent Mr. Hall nuts, to be in the same room when I'm reading. :-)
ReplyDeleteCathy C - why does that not surprise me? :)
ReplyDelete