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Post by paul on May 8, 2017 10:27:33 GMT -5
Looking forward to all of these!
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Post by Nico Gray on May 8, 2017 10:51:40 GMT -5
I pursed my lips and my heart trembled, desiring just one more declaration before it would surrender. “People in love break up, though. Sometimes.” He pressed his lips to mine and, I thought, he meant that to be his answer. Yet, he pulled his head back and said, “This isn't that kind of love.” I think about that. This isn't that kind of love. It feels profound to me. Solid. The line is a very effective expression of an idea: that their love is about much more than ephemeral attributes like physical attraction, shared interests, or self interest. The character is expressing a soul connection; or for those less romantically inclined, a connection based on a core human value like character. That line was powerful enough for its echo to remain with me. I still can't recall the story where it was spoken, or even the character who said it, but I recognized it immediately when I saw it again in print. I'm always affected when an author finds a way to express a concept that is exponentially more powerful than the mere sum of his or her words. I recently read a story by Grasshopper called "Darkfall" in which the central character was a young boy trapped in a home with an unpredictable and abusive father, and an angry and abusive older brother. And from time to time, confronted with a circumstance that appears inalterable, the character remarks, "Okay. Okay then." It's just such a great expression of the fatalistic outlook of the character, as well as a reminder that he has been conditioned by his environment to perceive his life through that lens. And it brings the reminder of that core aspect of the character back to life for readers every time Wesley (the main character) reacts that way to a situation, both good and bad. A few words let us know beyond any doubt that this is a core aspect of the character's personality. I'm hoping that someday I finally get my act together enough to write something worth publishing. And if I do, I'll extend my ambition a little further and hope that I manage to create a few "This isn't that kind of love" moments of my own.
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