The woman who broke scientific world records — Finally, the results are in. After years of trying to answer questions about the mysterious ‘blobs’ at the end of our chromosomes, Elizabeth Blackburn, a trailblazing Australian-American scientist, is holding in her hands the answers to “why we get old?”. It’s 1984, not long after Elizabeth receives tenure, which she…

Great wisdom, especially if you’re planning to self-publish — Australia has some of the world’s top writers and creative industry experts, yet it’s hard to find one who has dedicated themselves to helping others achieve their literary dreams. But that’s exactly what Anna is doing with her new venture, Bold Authors, which she has co-founded with Nadine Davidoff, a…

How crying affects us and others — Crying is the first form of communication we master as humans. It’s how babies let us know they need something or that they’re in distress or pain. It also facilitates the strengthening of the parent-child bond. …

Your literary habit offers more than a fleeting experience — There is a reason why writing is called creative art. Lined up side by side with musical notes and paint brushes. The words, like composer's notes, morph into a feeling, a story, a world that pulls in its audience. I recently read a comment by a young woman on LinkedIn…

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…

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…