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 …
Imagine if AI killed clickbait
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 …
How to beat the fear of submitting your work
I want to enter some writing competitions. Now would be a great time to doubt myself, right? There are two competitions I want to enter in April, and just thought …
The loudest voices aren’t always the, er, correctest
There’s a very good film called This Is Spinal Tap about a fictional rock band. One of the (many) iconic ideas to come out of this film is the idea …