Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Get In Line

That line. You know, THAT line. It’s that moment in a movie that socks you in the gut or brings tears to your eyes or makes you grin like an idiot. It’s the line you anticipate, the one you recite along with the actors. It’s a few sentences, maybe just a few words, that encapsulate characters and their journey so profoundly that it sticks with you long after the screen has faded to black. As a romance writer, and even a pop culture columnist, I can’t tell you how I strive to craft “That Line” in everything I write. I especially love ending a chapter or a story with a really good kicker.

Here are some of my favorite classic movie examples of "crossing That Line":




“I am so un-bloody-hinged just being near you,” Ben (Matthew Goode) to Anna (Mandy Moore), Chasing Liberty.


Leia (Carrie Fisher): “I love you.”
Han (Harrison Ford): “I know.”
The Empire Strikes Back


“Lock the door,” Brick (Paul Newman) to Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof


Kyle and Sarah
“I came across time for you, Sarah.” Reese (Michael Biehn), Terminator.


“As you wish.” Westley (Cary Elwes) to Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn), The Princess Bride.





What are some lines from films, TV shows and books that make you shiver or swoon?

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