Elaine Ruth White
Bio
Hi. I'm a writer who believes that nothing is wasted! My words have become poems, plays, short stories and novels. My favourite themes are mental health, art and scuba diving. You can follow me on www.words-like-music, Goodreads and Amazon.
Stories (35)
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On Overtoun Bridge
Overtoun Bridge is a splendid gothic, granite span that would not look out of place on the set of Sleepy Hollow. And we'd been planning the visit for weeks. Though when I say we, what I really mean is me, because let's face it, dogs don't plan.
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Fiction
Win-win: Vocal is a home gym for writers!
When I joined VOCAL in June 2021, I brought with me more than a few expectations: I would win big with the very first Challenge I entered (nope). My writing would splash down into an ocean of content, never to surface or be read or acknowledged (again, nope); I would be plagiarised worldwide (oh, the vanity!); I would never have ideas to write about (wrong). Bubbling underneath these dominant expectations were a host of other concerns around writing platforms, investment of time and money, and online communities. So given all this, it was a delight to experience the reality of being acknowledged, read, rewarded in small ways, being part of a positive community, and learning from other, talented, writers who do win big. But what I was totally unprepared for was the biggest, and most unexpected, benefit that was to come my way.
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Motivation
Working Wordsmiths (Series/2)
What is Writing for Wellbeing? Writing for wellbeing is about exploring and expanding knowledge and understanding of our own health and wellness through the power of words. Too often we dismiss or undervalue our everyday thoughts, feelings and experiences. Yet research has shown that reading and writing activities actively promote health and wellbeing. Writing for wellbeing can even help us manage long-term conditions and can help with a range of issues including mild to moderate depression, isolation, dementia, recovery from stroke and other illnesses that impact on individual identity.
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Psyche
Quiet love flowers where the road is bad
Halfway through the second act of a new stage production of Cider with Rosie, my Nana stands abruptly and declares at the top of her voice the script is banal, the actors as wooden as the set, and the direction a farce. Then, despite her great age, she clambers over several members of the audience and an usher to get to the emergency exit.
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Fiction
Memoir of a Motivational Speaker (Aged 14 ½)
The day our school almost burned down will stay in a lot of people’s memories for a very long time to come. The cause of the fire stemmed from the best of intentions, was totally accidental, and the way I look back on it, provided a great opportunity for personal reflection. It was also the catalyst for this vlog you are now watching.
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Fiction
All is luminous, but still unknown
Effie sat on the colourless grass, eating colourless strawberries she’d bought from a colourless supermarket, the latter being nothing to do with her colour blindness. She watched as ant-like visitors returned on foot from the tiny island poking out of the sea a few hundred yards offshore. Most of the time, access could only be gained by boat, but at low spring tide a footpath is revealed, a path which the turn of the tide would totally submerge again. If she was lucky, the unwary would get caught out and she would leave her grassy dune, race down to the shoreline and jump into her dinghy to race out to rescue them—for a price!
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Fiction
From Cat’s Cradle to Sculpture: The Path to a Peaceful Being
I can date my love of creating through thread-making way back to the playground game of Cat’s Cradle. The game, played by two or more, involves nothing more than taking a piece of string about 40 inches long and winding it into an open formation – the Cat’s Cradle - around both hands. The formation is then taken, and changed in the process, by the next player. The game continues by passing while changing the intricate shapes, needing concentration and collaboration. The game provides both focus and fun.
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Psyche
The Absolute Possibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living
The June sun fizzed, then dissolved, as the sea rushed over her face. Suspended for a moment in that sliver of space between exhilaration and anxiety, an unfamiliar thought washed through her mind: ‘This time, will I come back?’
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Fiction
