Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)
Bio
Stories (42/0)
The Story Behind One of the First Stories I Wrote on Vocal
While it is not technically the first story I ever wrote, one of the first several stories I published on Vocal was a story titled “WOOOOOOO!!!” It is the story of a fisherman who goes out one night to fish at his favorite spot on the lake. However, he doesn’t catch any fish, but instead encounters something terrifying and unknown that ultimately makes him scared of the lake.
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)8 months ago in Writers
A Critique of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The story is very interesting and compelling and is full of twists and turns. The world is well built and the mythology is described in detail. The book was influential and revolutionized the fantasy genre. The movies were likewise widely viewed as cinematic masterpieces, even if they are very long.
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)9 months ago in Critique
Why do people buy books they don’t read?
We have all likely been guilty of buying or keeping books we know we will probably never read, and maybe never intended to read. I know I have certainly been guilty of this! And you certainly are not alone, it seems much of society prefers buying and having books over actually reading them. Indeed, one survey found that an average of half of the over one hundred books in an average home go unread.
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)9 months ago in BookClub
The History of the Nigerian Prince Scam
In today's world, there are a ton of scams, especially online. It seems like everywhere you look there’s another one popping up, ranging from IRS scams, to fake product sales, to tech support scams, and many, many more. However, when we think of scams, surely the classic Nigerian prince scam - also called a 419 scam because of the section of the Nigerian criminal code that deals with fraud - comes to mind. After all, it's an old scam that is so widely known that it has become a common trope. But what are the origins of this classic scam? Well, in order to look at the origins of this scam, we must first understand what it is.
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)about a year ago in FYI
Three Interesting Facts From Our Strange World: Part 1
I consider myself to be a very curious person, one who loves to learn and discover new things. (And a person who frequently annoys my family and friends by whipping out my phone during a discussion to google a fact and then, not being content with just that one fact, will begin quoting the Wikipedia page to share all sorts of newly acquired trivia).
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)about a year ago in FYI
Released
“Sorry.” That is the last thing that the warden said to me as the prison m guards opened up the heavy iron doors that comprise the formidable gate to the state prison, setting me free at last from its impenetrable and soul crushing walls that have been my home for far too long. The system has finally acknowledged what I have known for almost two decades: I am innocent. I am not a murderer. Another man killed those people, not me.
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)about a year ago in Fiction
Good Things Come in Surprise Packages
"I wonder what’s in it?” My best friend Sarah asked me for the seventeenth time. “I still have no clue,” I responded, “and before you ask me your next question, no, I haven’t figured out who sent it since you last asked me five minutes ago.”
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)about a year ago in Fiction
The curious case of Anthony Chebatoris
Since it became a state, Michigan has not carried out a single execution. Indeed, Michigan is only one of three states to have not carried out any executions since becoming a state, the other two being Alaska and Hawaii. Even before it became a state, there were only a handful of executions carried out in Michigan. In fact, not only was Michigan the first state to abolish the death penalty, having done so in 1846 for all crimes but treason (with it being completely abolished pursuant to Michigan's 1963 Constitution, which went into effect in 1964), but it was actually the first English-speaking territory on earth to abolish it.
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)about a year ago in Criminal