Would the world be a better place or chaos without book reviewers and critics?
Writing sometimes feels like stripping yourself naked for all the world to see (and judge). This is particularly true for authors, who have to deal with the scrutiny of their work — before and after it gets published.
I recently watched an interview between Malcolm Gladwell and Ryan Holiday (my heroes). Malcolm explored the idea of what the world of book publishing would be without critics. He stipulated that maybe, the alternate world wouldn’t hinder creativity. It would empower more people to be brave, write, and share their unique voices.
They talked about the idea of borrowing a model from…
To jumpstart writer’s creative juices
Last month I posted a list of delightful words and phrases from my June collection. Some of you liked it and commented on the article — thank you.
I enjoyed the process so much, I decided to do it again this month — who knows, maybe some of you will join me in this silly exercise and come up with a list of your own. If you do, leave me a link by responding to this story. I’d love to read it.
To me, this comradery among writers is one of the main aspects of why I love being a…
This is not what the host of the workshop expected me to say
With every minute, my friend’s expression grew increasingly perplexed, even though he was the one who asked me to give a talk about ‘The Dip’ (by Seth Godin) in his business workshop.
He came to me afterwards (having read the book himself) saying he didn’t realise two people can read the same book and get an entirely different message from it. I guess that’s just how we are, each with our unique voice, style, and way of looking at the world.
We spent the next few hours drinking coffee, chatting, and sharing our interpretations and unique perspectives of what Seth…
I did something illegal and finally started getting paid what I deserve as a writer.
This seemed like just another ordinary day — me, at my laptop, scrolling through a freelancing platform’s feed, looking for yet another job I could do. At that point, I’ve been writing for almost 2 years and have consistently worked to improve my writing skills. Not purely from a stylistic perspective, but on every level — my grammar, tone, voice, audience research, modes of persuasion, writing formats — the list is endless.
As a result, I’ve produced some pretty good work as an article writer, copywriter, ghostwriter, etc., which has earned me many 5-star reviews from happy clients on a…
The art of changing jobs and careers
I started working at the tender age of 15, while still at school in Sydney, Australia. It was a $2 shop where I spent a couple of nights a week, weekends, and my school holidays.
Since then I’ve held over 27 different positions at various companies (some as self-employed) in different cities around Australia and Europe.
Here are just some of them — not in any particular order:
RETAIL: grocery store assistant — fruit and veg store (Sydney, Australia), store assistant — Katies, Women’s Fashion (Sydney, Australia), merchandising assistant — Myer, Department Store…
It’s no longer enough to be an expert
It was about halfway through the interview. I’m sitting there answering questions when suddenly I felt the need to double-check the description of the job I was applying for. I was pretty sure I have applied for the position of Designer, being savvy with Photoshop and Illustrator. Why are they asking me all these questions about CSS and HTML? what the crap? I’m good with colours. Am I suddenly a Coder? Have I made a mistake and accidentally applied for a Developer’s position?
Wait, now they’re asking about SEO and keywords research. Again, I’m confused. Is this a marketing position…
A poem for those feeling stuck in their 9 to 5
The shift is over, factory doors screeched behind him
The sound of crushed metal echoed in his head
Numb — he went to bed
As the blanket of sleep took hold
He dreamt of the very thing he tried to escape
His daily 7 to 4 — the torment of his state
But if not this, then what?
It’s time to get up again
Put on his boots of forgetfulness
The monotony of traffic — a familiar chant
Then, as the warm dust of the sun hits his face
a hope, an idea births into shape
In that moment, he starts to…
Create a lifetime bond with your readers
As a writer, you always strive to make a connection with your audience. Whether it’s to inform, inspire, befriend or simply entertain; the bond you create with a reader can last a lifetime. Each piece of communication is an invitation to dance, the trick is to entice the reader to play along.
Recently, I have set out to discover the best way to create that bond. Because every time someone reads an article I posted is a potential lifetime connection, I don’t want to squander that opportunity. In my search, I came across Aristotle and his teachings on rhetoric.
Aristotle…
No, I don’t want to give you mine, and I don’t want to know yours.
It seems everywhere I turn; I’m being asked about my pronouns. My answer? Just refer to me in any way that makes you feel comfortable, but don’t make me go through the torture of giving you my ‘she, her, hers’ during every interaction. I’m a girl; I look like a girl — I’m a biological female. What else do you want from me?
But wait, you’re asking me what gender I FEEL I am… Well, that’s an entirely different question and a little too personal, might I add. I mean, we don’t even know each other.
But since I’m writing…
My startup fail-success story and where it has taken me
This was not a typical Friday night. I was standing in a room full of people in the ex-den of York Butter Factory — Melbourne’s famous innovation hub. A cool, edgy space where aspiring entrepreneurs go to dream. But like I said, this was not a typical night, it was the dawn (audition night) for the Melbourne Startup Weekend in 2014.
37 ideas went up on the walls; it wasn’t anything fancy, just large format pieces of paper, each with a handwritten mind-blowing startup concept aimed to revolutionise the world in some way or another.
I also had an idea…
