Tag: dangerous

Categories
Life Writing

Research… How Far Is Too Far??

research

Okay, so I’ve locked myself in a car boot, thrown a phone outside a moving car, and learnt to shoot a rifle, all in the name of research. So how far is too far?

I would never get the experience of my characters, by killing someone, or doing something particularly dangerous…. I always try to have safety in mind when I do hands-on research.

But it’s not always just about the hands on stuff that can be concerning.

There’s a huge amount of information out there these days, that we can access with a decent wifi connection and a few choice words. But is this a good thing, or a bad thing?

A little knowledge can be dangerous… That’s what they say, isn’t it? Well, I happen to agree.

If I knew all the intricacies of cyber security, and all the holes we don’t even think about as ordinary people (I did actually consider studying cyber security too, so this one hits close to home!), I think I’d go crazy.

I’d over protect myself, lose the digital footprint altogether, and potentially become a hermit in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, with only a landline that was secure to contact others on the outside…

Okay so that’s a bit of an overreaction, but I could see something similar happening.

We can research and find almost anything these days, so where does the line end?

Where do we decide that things are too exposed, too overshared, too accessible?

Does knowing crime rates in your area really help you feel safer, or more at danger?

Does knowing the ins and outs of a dangerous event make you feel more knowledgable, or does it just give you nightmares when you picture it?

Well, whatever way you swing, here’s hoping we all know our limits on what we should be filling our minds with, and where we should put the book/website down and move on with our lives.

If you want to read my book, head to the link >>>here for the KIDNAPPED Entanglement eBook, OR get the paperback direct from me for the cheapest price!

Have you ever researched anything interesting? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add to my pile of research (regardless of all the stuff i said above)!

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Fiction

A Winter Train Ride | Short Story

I gripped the frozen steel bar, my fingers ash white in the below zero temperature. 
This train wasn’t going to stop.

The wind whipped through my fur-lined coat; unable to protect my organs from the harsh winter that I wasn’t used to. I watched the countryside pass by – which would have otherwise been beautiful – in a blur.
The icicles that were pooling on the steel frame outside, would also have caught my attention. Swirling inside themselves with water that had frozen into a beautiful point, they hung on each edge. My creative eye would have stared at those icicles for hours, but their beauty was muffled as I watched the mountain getting closer.

This wasn’t a passenger train; it was designated to carry cargo across the country. That’s why when I finagled my way onto it – claiming I had permission from all the authorities – I was curious to see the differences in a passenger line. Before my exploring had begun, frantic yelling at the front had fuelled my curiosity further and I had confirmed it. This train was heading towards a mountain with no tunnel, no tracks, and no working breaks.

Without listening for the WHY, I pumped my legs and headed towards the best vantage point of the potential danger; the car closest to the mountain. After I’d realised that I couldn’t see without leaning out of the door, I obliged and the frozen wind forcefully met me there.

Quickly a hand pulled me back inside and I saw the train driver screaming at me. As the cold wind continued to rip through my ears, his words were deafened. His eyes were frantic as he pointed towards the back of the train cars.
I followed the driver and tears began to form in my eyes. Ignoring them, we ran through the first, then second, then the third car until we reached the final one. With only moments before the impact, the driver leaped out of the train and onto the snow-covered tracks. He thundered onto the ground and rolled.
Before I could see if he was okay; before I could decide if I wanted to risk being injured or killed from the fall, the sound of steel smashing behind me propelled me forward and I closed my eyes for the impact.

I hope you enjoyed this short story. 
What do you think happened to the person in this story? Did they survive? Let me know how YOU see that ending!

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

 

 

Categories
Inspiring

Label, Label, Pick a Label

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I’ve been labelled, I’ve labelled others and others, I know, have labelled themselves.

We live in a world full of labels.
I’m smart, i’m stupid, i’m pretty, i’m ugly.
I’m tired, i’m happy, i’m sad, i’m depressed.
I’m poor, i’m rich, i’m alone, i’m a loser.

So what label have you (or has someone else) attached to your self worth? What have people labelled you? Do you find that you stay in that label?

Labels can be dangerous. We can cling to them and stay there. We can ignore any positive labels that we’re given after that (like no, you’re not stupid – you’re so smart!) and just linger in the ones that feel strangely comfortable, or easy to believe.
Words matter. What you say, or someone says to you Matters. More than we like to believe, and more than we think.
I’ve had labels spoke over me (and to myself by me) like Anxious, tired, alone, sad, heavy, fat, not good enough but i’ve come to realise that these labels are NOT where I want to live. I don’t want to spend time believe those things about myself.

Labels can be broken (that’s the good news)!
You can break out of labels which have been spoken into your life.
We need to CHOOSE to focus on the labels that matter. The ones we should stick to – from people we love, trust and from God.
Labels like, we are forever loved, stronger than we could expect, saved, redeemed, happy, hopeful, always moving forward…

The list of labels which can improve our self worth, our hearts and our lives are almost endless – you just have to know where to find them, and to believe that they’re true. Even when they don’t feel true.
I remind myself all the time of some ‘positive’ labels, especially those days when I don’t believe them.
Your perspective of yourself, your life and your worth can change things!
You can change things!

Cling to the positive, cling to the TRUTH, and cling to each other.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace