Lines That Cut Fast and Deep: Model Sentences from Stephen King

Sentences to study and imitate from the author of The Stand, Under the Dome, and The Green Mile, quotes about monsters and movie adaptations of books, and King’s Keynote Speech in 1996.

The master of horror is also a master of style and insights into the human experience. Reading and studying King are two different exercises in brilliance. His command of story structure, characterization, and pacing is equally matched by his command of phrasing, word choice, and syntax. The best question to ask yourself when reading King is: How’d he do that?

Three Questions to Ask When Studying Sentences

Use these three guiding questions to help you study the model sentences below and to write your own:

1. How is the sentence structured, and why does that structure work?

2. What literary or rhetorical devices are being used, and how do they enhance the sentence?

3. How does the sentence create emotion, and what techniques contribute to that effect?

---

Three Sentences by Stephen King to Study and Imitate

Sentence #1

“That wasn’t any act of God. That was an act of pure human fuckery.”

— from The Stand

Practice: Try this sentence frame using a topic from your writing.

That wasn’t _____. That was _____.

Here’s an example I came up with.

That wasn’t the worst decision. That was an unbelievably stupid, asinine, idiotic decision.

Sentence #2

“She can’t help it, he said. She’s got the soul of a poet and the emotional makeup of a junkyard dog.”

— from Under the Dome

Practice: Try this sentence frame using a topic from your writing.

(Pronoun) can’t help it, (Pronoun) said. (Pronoun) got _____ and _____.

Here’s an example I came up with.

He can’t help it, she said. He’s got the heart of an elephant and the courage of a mouse.

Sentence #3

“Sometimes the embers are better than the campfire.”

— from The Green Mile

Practice: Try this sentence frame using a topic from your writing.

Sometimes the _____ are better than the _____.

Here’s an example I came up with.

Sometimes the branches are stronger than the tree.

Your Turn: Use the model sentences and frames to craft your own sentences and post them in the comment section below.

---

Two Quotes by Stephen King on monsters and movie adaptations of books

Quote #1

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”

Journal Prompt: Do you believe in monsters and ghosts, either literally or figuratively? What do you think monsters and ghosts represent? As an idea, are monsters and ghosts essential to understanding human psychology?

Quote #2

“I love the movies, and when I go to see a movie that’s been made from one of my books, I know that it isn’t going to be exactly like my novel because a lot of other people have interpreted it. But I also know it has an idea that I’ll like because that idea occurred to me, and I spent a year, or a year and a half of my life working on it.”

Journal Prompt: What do you think makes a good book-to-movie adaptation? What is the best book-to-movie adaptation you’ve seen? What made it so?

---

One Cool Thing - Stephen King’s Keynote Speech

Look, any time Stephen King talks about writing I’m all ears. And he does a reading of The Dark Tower IV: Wizard And Glass. King reads King. Enjoy!

Stephen King's keynote speech at a University of Maine conference in 1996. He delivered an address which includes a reading from the then-in-progress The Dark Tower IV: Wizard And Glass and takes Q&A from the audience. With mentions of The Stand, Desperation and more this is a really great watch.

---

Help Spread the Word

If you found this writing lesson helpful, here are three ways you can help:

• Leave a comment below about what you like and any tips for making it more helpful.

• Share this writing lesson with a friend who wants to improve their writing.

• Click on the Subscribe button.