Athena Critique Services

“A Little Respect”

I just finished watching the movie Giant – the 40th Anniversary video tape. I’ve seen this version more than a few times, but for some reason, I finally decided to watch the full intro instead of fast-forwarding. And I’m very glad I let it run because there was a statement made that hit me like a ” V-8″ smack in the head. (more…)

Writing is 99% perseverence and 1% inspiration.

But that 1% is crucial. You can find inspiration while walking down a city street. People watching at the local coffee shop or strolling through the woods. But sometimes it is a good idea to go outside of your normal routine.

I spent this weekend at Yellowstone National Park.

This is inspiration on the grandest scale! (more…)

“Hey, Toadie! Howzabout a little less conversation and a little more action!” (more…)

Action scenes can be difficult to write. Readers want emotions–they want to feel what the characters are going through. But writers can become so involved with the choreography of the scene that they lose that human touch.

Whether you’re writing a shoot-out, car chase, fist fight or love scene, it is important to get the action–the physical movement–right. But you must not allow the scene to become mechanical. Here is my secret for writing a great action scene that puts the reader in the moment both emotionally and physically. (more…)

Show -Don’t Tell Workshop – A sample!
Example A:
Jennifer felt as if her heart would burst with love for Joe. But she was angry, too, since Joe had just told her he was leaving for Morocco. Her fury threatened to overwhelm those feelings of love and she thought, “How can these two emotions exist side by side?”

Bored yet? I am – and I wrote that paragraph. Why are we bored? Because I just spent three sentences telling you how Jennifer felt and yet you’re left not knowing much and not really caring. Let me repeat – I spent those sentences TELLING you. Nothing active happened to show you why you should care. (more…)