Nothing gets you motivated like the completion of a goal. Back in August of last year I began a series of creative writing courses. The capstone course began in January of this year. I submitted the final assignment on Sunday. This morning I received an email that I passed the course!! This is the first…
Author: Audra Russell
Short Story: Gertrude the Great
The girls circled Trudy hurling insults at her. They made fun of her dirty skin, her name (it was short for Gertrude, it was her grandmother’s name), her gym clothes (plain sweatpants and a plain t-shirt from a five-and dime store), and her “nigger hair.” Every insult flew through the air and stuck to Trudy’s…
Short Story Sunday: Company of Thieves
“I’m nervous,” said Athena. Dylon got up from his chair and went over to the hospital bed and took Athena’s hand. “It’s a routine procedure. You’ll be back up on your feet in no time.” “Something doesn’t feel right.” Dylon bent down and kissed her forehead. “You worry too much.” Athena watched the nurses and…
In the Blink of An Eye – Short Story Sunday
One of my goals for 2018 is to publish a short story every week. Well, I’ve been busy reworking my novel and taking a writing class. But I have still been writing stories. So instead of trying to find a publisher for them, I am going to publish them myself. I’ll be publishing them on…
The Magic of Books
I love books. Always have. Always will. My mom read to me since before I had memory. The first memory that formed in my head about books is when I was sitting on her lap while she read Tim and Tom Play Ball to me for about the one hundredth time. I can still see…
Novel Progress
So, I did it! I emailed my novel, The House on Horace Street, to five beta readers. I carefully selected these readers because I know they will be completely honest with me about any areas where my novel may need work. And if you’re wondering if I held my breath each time I pressed send…well…
The Six Hundred
Howdy, friends! I set a goal for this year to publish short stories every month to my blog. Here is one I wrote about Bloody Sunday written from the POV of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Enjoy! *** Bridges are a connecting route over an obstacle. I am the gateway to Selma from Montgomery. The day…
The Year in Review
I can’t believe 2017 is over. Another year has slipped by. On this last day of the year, I completed my fourth online writing course, The Craft of Style. I enjoyed not only the instruction, but the feedback on my stories from other students taking the courses. If you’re a writer, you know how vulnerable…
She Cast Her Cares Upon the Sea
That is me at a beach in Rhode Island. I was watching the sun set and visualizing the life I am creating for myself as a writer. It was such an empowering moment for me. Whenever I get discouraged or tired, I look at this picture and remember what the woman in it was thinking….
I survived NaNoWriMo!
I did it!!! I made it! National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has come to a close and I finished strong! In case you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it’s a challenge every November to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Sound easy? Try it. By the way, please enjoy the randomly placed selfies of me…