There are certain phrases, sentences and paragraphs that stay with me once I have read them. The way the writer crafted the thought, the combination of both words and rhythm, the unique metaphor, simile or allusion that perfectly captures the concept.
I don’t know how they do it—and I hope that something I write will have the same impact on my readers.
Here are a few that have taken up permanent residence in my writer’s memory:
“She watched the fire come along her fingers and arms and body…plucking at the white embroidery of her flesh, the pink thread of her cheeks, and at last it found her heart…and it burned the fresh, embroidered petals away, one by delicate one…” (from “Embroidery” in The Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury)
“A man next to me is deeply absorbed in sniffing his wrist. ‘What are you doing?’ I ask. ‘My wife,’ he says. ‘I can still smell her perfume on my wrist, and I taste the taste of her mouth. It’s sweet.’” (from “North Light” in Ellis Island & Other Stories by Mark Helprin)
Do you have some to share? Post them here.