You can say and write anything you want … well, as long as it complies with the new world order — I’ve been walking on eggshells for some time now, rereading my posts and articles before pressing “send”, making sure that my words are 100% appropriate and (whether intentionally or unintentionally) will not offend “anyone”. I’ve also been very careful whose posts I like — I don’t want to step on…

By the one and only Anne Lamott — Anne Lamott is a true craftsman of words. She turns sentences into lyrics that form a melody in your mind as you absorb the myriad of irresistible laugh-out-loud stories interwoven with brilliant advice. Her book, “Bird by Bird,” is filled with easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions on how to be an effective…

My journey to becoming a full-time author without an author’s platform — The release of “Go to Sleep Late; and other great advice for night owls” is just around the corner — 30 July. This is my third book, but the first one that I have taken seriously as a writer. I wrote my first book “What Does She Want?” (a gift-giving…

Part 1: Defamation — slander — libel — The recent Depp v Herd case is a good example that demonstrates defamation law is often on the side of the plaintiff and the damages can get VERY expensive. Although defamation might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re writing a book, according to Griffith University…

Hundreds of thousands of people earning money online are legally required to file a US tax return or face hefty penalties. — US blogging website Medium.com sent thousands of letters to its international writers recently, saying they “must file a U.S. income tax return.” This may be news to unsuspecting non-US writers, but according to the American Internal Revenue Service (IRS), anyone who has earned money from a US source automatically becomes…

Sometimes your intuition guides you down the wrong path — According to the University of Copenhagen’s associate professor of economics Christina Gravert, common sense is not the best predictor of outcomes. She says that challenging and testing your baseline assumptions is the best way to get what you want; for your life and your business. In her TED talk this…

The reality of who benefits, who makes a profit, and who pays the price — How do you feel when you buy a T-shirt for $5 dollars at a 75% discount? Most people experience a range of feel-good emotions ranging from exhilaration to a sense of accomplishment. The author of ‘On the Commodity Trail’ Alison Hulme writes, ‘The immediacy and spontaneity of consumption is very…

And the movements that create them — There aren’t many people in the developed world who haven’t heard Rosa Parks’ story; the fearless African American heroine who defied segregation laws and forever changed history. Her courage inspired a generation of people to stand up for their rights — for what’s right. The very actions that would be…

January 2022 Edition — I started the series in June 2021. As a writer, I read A LOT, which puts me in front of some great writers. Often, I come across phrases and sentences that melt my writing soul. …