Do y’all ever have imagery or lines that send a chill down your spine? Or those stand-up-and-cheer moments from stories that make your heart soar? I have some. And I feel like all my writing is just me, trying to replicate those feelings. Here are some of mine.

Battlestar Galactica, intro/scene – when Laura Roslin is getting sworn in as President. The desperation and despair as she takes a post she was never meant to take, in the middle of an extinction event.

West Wing, intro – I love the black and white documentary-style photos interspersed with videos of the characters. Does that make sense? It’s like that whole famous figures are still just people thing. There are people who are part of our historical record, but to them, it’s just their life.

Barrayar –

“You will not,” she murmured fiercely, for his ear alone, “Murder anyone in front of me.”

“Will I not?” he whispered back. “Will-I-not?”

Aral is so fiercely angry and protective here (and Cordelia is a will of steel herself).

The Way of Kings – “Honor is dead. But I’ll see what I can do.” I mean, come on. The setup to get to that line. Holy shit.

All of Stormlight Archive – Bridge Four

Just… Think about how they started out as a disparate group of people just waiting to die, and then turned into a tight-knit army.

Caliban’s War: “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard all day, and I’m sitting in a ship with Jim fucking Holden.”

There’s something thrilling about spending most of two books inside Holden’s head, therefore thinking the way he thinks, only to get a cold reality check of how he appears to others. Such an awesome subversion of tropes.

The Princess Bride– “I want my father back, you son of a bitch.”

-When Inigo kills the six-fingered man. I’m hoping to one day write The Princess Bride …in spaaaaace. And this would be it. The notion of dedicating your life to vengeance, but you can’t ever get back what your heart desires