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Bloody Hands Part 3
Trigger warning: This story contains abuse (physical and emotional), murder, and suicide attempts. Part 1 Part 2 The cheerful conversation at dinner makes the succulent duck turn to dust in my mouth. Sarah talks about the village as if it’s the best place in the colonies. She says that everyone there was so kind after her mother died of the same fever that took Midwife Sasha. Edmund and Martha only encourage it, asking for news of her father and asking if there are any boys she has her eye on. I stop listening and keep chewing the pasty duck. I probably have been working on this one bite for five…
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Bloody Hands: Part 2
Part 1 here Trigger warning: This story contains abuse (physical and emotional), murder, and suicide attempts. When I wake on the riverbank, I curse the God who just won’t let me die. I curse the sun creeping over the horizon like a skulking cat. I curse the crusted blood beneath my fingernails. “Why can’t I just die!” I scream up at the sky. I lay on my back, watching the purplish clouds scuttle across the lightening sky. God doesn’t answer. I’m used to it. No matter how many bedtime prayers Midwife Sasha made me repeat, I never believed God could actually hear me. And if He could, He surely had…
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Bloody Hands: Part 1
Hey guys! I’m so excited to share this short story with you all! Trigger warning: This story contains abuse (physical and emotional), murder, and suicide attempts. I was born with blood on my hands. It still stains my skin now, no matter how hard I try to rid myself of it. I shove my hands into my ragged pockets and hunch my shoulders against the rain. The graveyard is full of clusters of people, but I am not one of them. I stand off to the side, just in view of the open grave, yet far enough away no one will be bothered by my presence. There are fewer people…
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I’m Back! + Empty Pages
Hey everyone! I’ve missed blogging, but boy, do I have some exciting things coming in the next few months! Just a quick run over of all the changes before we dive into the first short story of my “new” blog. 😉 Instead of posting every week, I’ll be posting every other Saturday. That will take some pressure off of me and allow me to give you better content! Speaking of content, you’ll be seeing a lot more of my short stories and Christian living articles than before. I might occasionally post writing tips, but my focus is going to be on short stories. They will be serialized so you don’t…
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Exciting Announcement!
Good morning, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas remembering Jesus’ birth! We’re coming to the end of 2019 and what better time than now to relaunch my blog? You heard me right, I am going to relaunch Allison Grace Writes. I’ll be taking a break all of January from posting so I can get everything ready. I will be “redecorating,” but more importantly, I will be refocusing my posts. When I return in February, I’ll be posting less frequently (every other week instead of every week), but what I do share will be of a higher quality and hopefully more interesting! I’m trying to change the focus…
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5 Christmas-Themed Character-Building Activities!
Merry early Christmas, friends! Are you ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth? I have finished almost all my Christmas presents and most of them are wrapped. I’ve also really been enjoying my daily advent devotional my church provided. Now that it’s Christmas break (hooray!), I’m hoping to write more for fun. I’m guessing some of you are too. Sometimes, it’s hard to regain momentum if you’ve been taking a break for a while (too busy with school, etc.). The best thing to get you writing again are some fun prompts you can do with any of your characters! Here are 5 Christmas-themed character-building activities! #1. What would your characters get you…
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Behold Our God Theology Review + Interview with Eliana From Eliana the Writer!
I know this technically is not a Christmas song, but sometimes we forget Who the baby in the manger really is. I recently read an article on Grace To You that addressed this topic. This song is one of my favorites (as well as one of my friend’s favorites, but more on that later). The first two verses speak of God as King and Ruler of all the earth. They tell of His great power and His omniscience (a big word that just means “all-knowing”). I am reminded of Isaiah 40:12-14, which reads, Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by…
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Why I Love Audiobooks + Resistance Audiobook Tour!
Hey guys, and welcome to this week’s blog post! Today I want to talk to you about audiobooks. Here you might start to cringe. Are audiobooks even books? Are they cheating? Yes, recorded books are still books. While it’s certainly a different experience listening to a story than reading it on paper, audiobook fans aren’t cheating. I love to listen to audiobooks and I want to share my top three reasons why. Then I’m going to share an author interview I did to celebrate the release of a new audiobook! (Hehe, I’m not going to tell you who it is quite yet. =P) #1 I like audiobooks because I can…
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The Importance of Taking Breaks: Recovering From Burnout
As writers, we like to write as fast as we can and as much as we can. We often don’t know when it’s time for us to stop. We keep pushing ourselves and pushing ourselves until we can’t go anymore. We give ourselves burnout. Burnout is caused by continuously trying to write when you are out of mental energy or motivation. It’s the equivalent of driving on fumes. You can’t expect to finish a road trip if you floor it the whole time. You’ll need to stop and refuel a few times. Let me tell you something from my own experience—it’s very hard to come to that realization and understand…
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Pumpkins, Puppies, Pirates, and Professors!
Fall has finally come! And with it come college classes! You heard me right, I’m starting college. If you had told me a few months ago I would be going to college, I wouldn’t have believed you. In fact, I might have laughed. But after much prayer and discussion, my parents and I decided this would be the best route for me. I’m getting a degree in English and Creative Writing through Liberty University Online. That means I get to stay at home and do all my class work on my laptop! No dorms! No cafeteria food! I’m pretty excited about getting started! My first day is Monday, the 21st.…
