Patricia Elliott's Blog, page 3

‘The Brute and I’, by Suzanne Smith: A Review

Virginia's Blog

‘… I knew at their core, both men had shared a deep hostility and distrust towards the world and nearly everyone in it. That brooding malevolency was one aspect of Marco’s personality that I hoped I had been instrumental in changing.’ – line from Suzanne Smith’s ‘The Brute and I’

Didja ever read a book that just kinda blew your mind?

Call me a Narcissist, but I am ever mindful of one very simple reality: The writer is an eternally ego-driven creature. Period. It’s wh...

Nanowrimo Winner

For the last 20 days, I’ve been hard at work tackling Nanowrimo. This has been a goal of mine for the last four years, but I’ve never attempted it until now. What is Nanowrimo? It’s basically a challenge for writers; where you have to write 50k words in the month of November to win. The idea is to write a novel quickly, but anyone who writes knows how easily life can get in the way. There’s work, chores, family, shopping, spouses, internet and whatever else you can think of that detracts from yo...

Mindset

When we have a negative mindset, our determination and stubbornness can become a problem. We become too stubborn about the wrong things. I’m ugly. I’m stupid. I’m worthless. I’m fat. I’m too skinny. I’m too flat chested. I have too much acne. Who’s going to love me? I can’t read, so what can I do? I can’t see. I can’t walk. Or any number of things that are sometimes drilled into our psyche by others and by our own mind.

What we accomplish or don’t accomplish in life is based on the mindset we...

Following Your Passion

This article is a continuation of the Achieving Your Dream blog posts…

My dream started when I was a kid; but, of course, at the time, I didn’t really think it could go anywhere. Kids couldn’t do anything, right? You just go to school, come home, do chores, homework, play sports, and hang out with friends—the typical childhood life.

But, I experienced something that I hope you, my dear reader, never had to experience. I was bullied. When I was growing up, we lived in Port Alberni. One year...

Achieving Your Dream – Part Two

We’ve all seen them—the productivity memes. You know, the ones that say something like:

“You pick up a cup and attempt to go to the kitchen to do the dishes, but get distracted by a dirty table. You put the cup down to clean the table, then you find a bill that needs to be paid. On your way to the computer to pay the bill, you get distracted by dirty laundry on the floor. On your way to do the laundry, you get distracted by something else…and by the end of the day, you haven’t really accompl...

Achieving Your Dream – Part One

Have you ever looked at Mt. Everest and wonder, “How the heck does anyone climb it?” It looks so daunting that you couldn’t even imagine trying. What if I was to tell you that double amputees and blind people have scaled the mountain and reached the Summit?

Would your view of what appears impossible change? Here we are, with all our limbs and with all our senses, staring at the mountain like it’s an impossible feat. We couldn’t even imagine taking on such a daunting task.

And when we see d...

My Top Ten Pet Peeves

We all have them, don’t we? Things that annoy us, like fingernails scraping down a chalkboard. And everyone has their own list. Below you can find mine, which are shared in no particular order.

1. Noisy chewers

When people chew with their mouth open or when they chew so quickly that they’re anything but quiet, even with their mouth closed. I want to plug my ears because it drives me crazy.

2. Sirens on the radio.

I’m not sure who thought of the idea of putting sirens in a song or Advertisement...

Believe in Yourself

By this time last year, I only had three stories published:

“Her Lover’s Face” (Novel)

“Wanted: Courage” (Flashpoint: The Inner Circle Writers’ Group Flash Fiction Anthology 2018)

“Never Far Away” (Rapture: The Inner Circle Writers’ Group Flash Fiction Anthology 2018)

It’s amazing what can happen in a year. I’ve had a number of ups and downs since June of last year, non-writing experiences that could have made me give up again, overwhelmed by my challenges; but, if there is one legacy I want to ...

Crazy World

As we wrestle our way through Covid-19, its easy to forget about other circumstances that preceded it, and I want to make sure that Australia hasnt been forgotten about. Just before things went down with this new virus, these pictures were all over the internet and social media sites:

Our hearts broke for Australia. Many lives were lost and properties were destroyed. Men and women worked tirelessly to save what they could. I couldnt imagine being on the front lines of something like that....

A Writer’s Journey

As I sit at work, I can’t help but think about my life and where I am today. When I was younger, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I wasn’t compelled to join any particular career, although I did eventually wind up in security. I had two passions; ice hockey, which I played for 5 years, and writing.

One of the first stories I can remember writing was about The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I had them meet a group called The Teenage Mutant Ninja Cats. Not very original, but I...