Fantasy Lines that Rewired My Brain
By Jacklyn Walters
When you’ve read enough books—and reread enough books—you start to build a collection of one-liners that mean something to you.
I’m not just talking about the lines that stick in your head, or the ones that become verbal ticks. But the lines that make you fully stop. Set the book down. Take a deep breath. Look around the room to see if anyone else heard that.
Some are funny. Some are sad. Some are so eerily specific it feels like the author snuck into your dreams while you were sleeping. But each of them fundamentally changes how you view yourself or the world around you.
As an author, those are the real wins.
Not the Instagram engagement or even getting that gold foil #1 Best Seller label on your cover. It’s knowing that your words genuinely changed someone’s life.
So today we’re digging into some of the fantasy lines that rewired my brain, and how to incorporate them in your own writing.
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas
The Line:
“What’s the point in having a mind if you don’t use it to make judgments?”
The Lesson:
Know what your characters stand for.
Celaena doesn’t back down when she’s called out. Because she knows what she stands for.
More importantly, she knows what she stands against. That bit doesn’t show in this line per se, but it does show up repeatedly throughout Celaena’s story.
When Dorian calls her judgmental, Celaena isn’t shocked. She isn’t offended. She isn’t even surprised. She believes in what she said and points that out. Maybe a bit condescendingly, because why didn’t you consider that?
As a judgmental person myself, I was relieved to see this put into words. Dorian’s response is also gold, but you’ll have to read it for yourself to find out what it is.
Throne of Glass remains a repeat read for me because of Celaena. She is such a luminous character. And while we see her grow and change, we never see her falter in her values. She is steadfast in a way that makes the story more powerful with every reread.
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
The Line:
“I’ll become bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me. I’m going to hate those who have found their treasure because I never found mine. And I’m going to hold on to what little I have, because I’m too insignificant to conquer the world.”
The Lesson:
Know which buttons your readers need pressed.
The Alchemist is one of those books that lands in your lap right when you need it. Transformation is the purpose. And this line is probably going to meet you right where you are.
Santiago is on a quest to find his treasure. Very shortly after beginning his journey, he is robbed (and he didn’t have all that much to begin with). After panicking, as one does after being robbed in a foreign country, Santiago says this.
We’ve all been there—stuck in life or a relationship or a project and instead of putting in the work, you dig in your heels. Complacency is easier than honesty. But what we don’t always realize is that in refusing to make the changes we know we need, we are accepting the fate Santiago describes.
Coelho does a great job knowing what his readers need to hear because he writes from such a personal place. It is vulnerable, but it is worth it. You should try it.
A Court of Silver Flames
Sarah J. Maas
The Line:
“There’s nothing broken to be fixed,” he said fiercely. “You are helping yourself. Healing the parts of you that hurt too much—and perhaps hurt others, too.”
The Lesson:
Know how your characters need to be supported.
I saw a post that said you either love Nesta because you are her, or you hate Nesta because you know her. Either way, we can all accept that this girl needs some help.
I’m a first-born daughter so this book really spoke to me. But that, man. “Perhaps hurt others, too.” You’re so right Cass. When you spend your life in survival mode, you’re quick to bite the hand that feeds you.
Sarah J. knows this. That’s why she gave Nesta the supporting characters she did.
They weren’t soft or doting. They didn’t tread lightly. They called her out. They decided that if she could dish it out she’d better well take it. But when it boils down, they support her. They play to her ego and are ready to get real whenever she is.
Her support system doesn’t work the same way as Feyre’s or Rhys’ or Azriel’s. There’s no one-size-fits-all support in real life. Make sure there isn’t in your story, either.
Gods and Monsters
Shelby Mauhrin
The Line:
“‘You’ve lived in fear too long.’
‘Fear has helped me survive,’ I snapped.
‘Fear has kept you from living.’”
The Lesson:
Know how you want your characters to mature.
Gods and Monsters is the final book of the Serpent and Dove trilogy, so there’s a lot of backstory to this one.
This scene gives us a glimpse into two characters: one who has fully stepped into themselves and the other who is stoutly holding themselves back. Speaker 1 has been out of the story for some time now, only returning in this moment to ground our MC in a crisis. Speaker 2 is our MC. And she’s right, fear has helped her survive.
I’ve read this series multiple times, but returning to this scene to find this quote had me bawling. It’s just so powerful to see someone become themselves. And heartbreaking to watch someone holding so tightly to things that no longer serve them. But that’s the secret to a powerful character transformation.
Don’t go into your story blind. Know where your MC is starting, know who you want them to be by the end, and make them put in the work to get there.
The Midnight Library
Matt Haig
The Line:
“There was absolutely nothing wrong with this life, but she felt inside her a craving for other things, other lives, other possibilities.”
The Lesson:
Know the moral of your story, and the turning point that pushes us in that direction (even if it isn’t the story’s climax).
The Midnight Library is one of those books where you aren’t really sure where you are in space or time. Not because of poor writing; that’s simply the nature of the story.
Every chapter, even the half-page ones, feels monumental. Things you thought would be climactic end up otherwise. You can’t quite tell where you’re going to land or how long the ride will be.
But there is a moment you recognize as the turning point.
It is not the climax of the story. It is, instead, a subtle shift in our MC, Nora’s, perspective. A passing comment. A subtle change in direction, motivation. It is a moment you know is going to lead you down the rabbit hole.
What keeps us following along is Nora’s search for herself. When we see her apathy transform into intrigue, things start to get interesting.
If you plan on tackling a story in a similar style, I highly suggest you know what this moment will be before you get going.
The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss
The Line:
“All stories are true, but this one really happened.”
A Bonus Line:
“Call a jack a jack. Call a spade a spade. But always call a whore a lady. Their lives are hard enough, and it never hurts to be polite.”
The Lesson:
Be silly, but be real.
That’s a lesson Patrick Rothfuss nails every time. The Name of the Wind is a story within a story. (And a 15-year wait for Book 3 but let’s not get into that here.)
Kvothe is a legend. He is also now running an inn to run away from himself. Urged by a passing storyteller and Kvothe’s own fanboy of an assistant, Kvothe begins to tell the story of his life. A story we are urged to believe “really happened.”
The Name of the Wind has it all. Travelling troupes, magic, a woman who refuses to be tied down. It has really good writing. It has a ton of serious, and even devastating, bits. It also has a healthy dose of silliness.
Regardless of your genre, the lesson here is that there’s power in balance. Reality with whimsy. Fear with calm. Earnestness with humor. Heavy conversations with moments of levity.
When you give readers too much of one thing, your story becomes lopsided. Then come the dreaded Ds: dull, dense, and DNFed.
The real magic of fantasy is the way it changes how you see the real world.
A self-help book will point out all the ways you’re living your life wrong. But a novel meets you where you are. It sees you and reflects you and shows you that the road will be hard, but who you’ll be on the other side is worth the work.
So the next time you sit down to work on your WIP, look for those lines. Make sure your story is more than something readers want to sink their teeth into. Make it something that will sink its teeth back.