Trying to write a book? Well I hope you’re not committing any of the writing sins on this list as long as my leg. And I trust you’ve remembered the …
Protect your drive to create at all costs
A simple game to show why you shouldn’t fear failure
The fearful parts of our brains are on overdrive. They constantly scan for danger, working harder than an insomniac CEO on a caffeine kick. There is, after all, plenty in …
Imagine if AI killed clickbait
There used to be (maybe still is) a Twitter account called Saved You A Click. It shares the links to clickbait articles and reveals the mundane answers to the extravagant …
Our need for simplicity makes it harder for society to grow
‘Simple’ is an interesting word. It’s often desirable – many products, particularly software, will often sell themselves on making the complex simple. Simplicity is your friend, complexity is the enemy. …
How the media created the rage machine, and why you should fight it
The internet is angrier than the Hulk after he’s been kicked in the balls. Social media gave us the incredible ability to connect with a much larger portion of humanity …
In defence of being ‘wordy’
Our screen-addled brains can’t cope with more than two syllables, right? ‘Use short, simple sentences’. ‘Never use an uncommon word when a common one will do.’ This advice is everywhere. …
Remember this before comparing yourself to others
Unless you somehow end up marooned on a desert island, you’ll be surrounded by people all your life. Spoiler alert: none of these life lessons will ever prepare you for …
Is this the real secret of self-improvement?
There is an entire industry that exists these days with one goal: to sell you the idea that you can be anything you want, and all you need is a …
What makes a good opening sentence?
‘It was the day my grandmother exploded.’ I haven’t gotten around to reading Iain Banks’ The Wasp Factory yet, but that opening line (read somewhere else) will stay with me …
Enjoying an uncharacteristic bout of confidence in my fiction
I submitted two pieces for competitions and I’m actually feeling…positive? Two competitions entered in April. Guess those strategies for overcoming self-doubt paid off. And weirdly, I seem to have swung, like …