Rani’s Right | Richard Leonard

This week I’m continuing with Jennifer M Eaton’s Sunday Snippets Critique Blog Hop in which writers post 250 words of their current Work in Progress and then hop around and critique everyone else’s snippets. To join, click here to sign up and add your name and web site address to the list.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time two weeks ago to offer a critique of my work (I missed last week).

This week’s snippet is from a different scene than my last few posts. Those featured the opening 1,000 words of my novel, Rani’s Right., in parts One, Two, Three and Four. In this scene she describes the moments before the plane crash.

You often hear the cliché “I saw my life flash before my eyes!” when someone’s faced with the very real possibility of death. The instant I realised I was within arm’s length of that dark, silent sickle bearer, that it was close enough to touch me without shifting it’s weight, that my entire life was in its total and complete control, time slowed to a crawl and my awareness became amazingly acute. I could see the flickering of the fluorescent lights, I could almost count the flashes and not fall behind. I saw the people around me moving painfully slow in their panic. I could hear every word people were screaming and feel the pain in their voices.

I smell the fear, the sweat, the air-conditioning, the ozone, the fuel, the smoke, the heat, the whining of the engines. I feel the aircraft shaking, the wings vibrate. I think of the people I knew, the people I love, the people who aren’t with me, couldn’t be with me, will never be with me again. I think of all the things I wanted to say to them but kept putting off. I think of the things I’ve done that I’ll never do again. The things I want to do but never got round to. I think of the loves, the hates, the triumphs, the losses, regrets, pains, achievements… For the last time… ever…

Please have a look at and, if possible, critique the work of these authors, while you’re here. look for this logo. It will take you to their latest critique post: Sunday Snippets