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!

*****

Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs; 
sometimes paragraphs QUICKEN and begin to breathe. 
(Stephen King)

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.

19 comments:

  1. I just finished an amazing book yesterday (THE MIDDLESTEINS) that left me speechless almost every page.

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  2. Did you read GONE GIRL? That's one of those books that left me speechless.

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  3. The 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.

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  4. Alex - I'm not sure we ever know that we do unless readers tell us. :)

    Kate - 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! :)

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  5. 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

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  6. I like to read classic short stories. The last line of The Great Gatsby makes me gasp every time I read it.

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  7. Yes, nothing better than this when reading. :)

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  8. It'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.

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  9. Cathrina - thank you! And welcome to The Shellshank Redemption! :)

    Donna - 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. :)

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  10. Wow, what an awesome quote. And no wonder Stephen King is so good! My heart quickened :)

    New follower here from the A-Z
    http://gwengardner.blogspot.com

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  11. 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.

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  12. This is an awesome quote. Feels very Stephen Kingish.

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  13. Mostly 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.

    ~ Cori Vidae ~

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  14. 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.

    Jaime at Awakenings and Reflections

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  15. I hope someday that'll happen when someone reads my work.

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  16. Gwen - welcome to The Shellshank Redemption! :)

    JL - 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!

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  17. 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. :-)

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