Senior Editor, Memo’d. I’ve spent years interviewing artists and CEOs, scientists and psycholog...View more
How to be more creative without feeling self-conscious
What would you do, even if you knew you might fail? That is the secret to creative fulfillment, according to bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert.
Success 🏆
2 min read
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If optimism could keep this man alive, it can keep you going too...
When Bryna Kranzler sifted through her grandfather’s diaries, she was struck by how his humor and optimism kept him alive during times of unimaginable hardship...
History 🕰
2 min read
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The reason even the most successful people are unsatisfied...
Here’s something I’ve learned from years of interviewing some of the most talented and influential figures on the planet: more often than not, they’re driven by insecurity.
Success 🏆
3 min read
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Is life really short? And does it even matter?
You could spend your whole life contemplating the nature of time – until something big hits you. Like, say, becoming a parent. Having children forces you to rethink time in terms of small units that are in limited supply.
Success 🏆
2 min read
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A Technique for Producing Ideas: James Webb Young's 5-step plan
In 1939, a man called James Webb Young published a simple brainstorming technique that is still widely used today. Although Webb was an advertising executive by trade, this process works for anyone – and in any line of work.
Success 🏆
2 min read
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Why risks and mistakes are essential to creativity...
Confusion, failure, and unnecessary risks may seem like things to avoid in everyday life. But they are surprisingly essential to the creative process.
Success 🏆
2 min read
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Nostalgia: How it works and why it's so damn powerful
Nostalgia is a momentary yearning for the past. But even this simple definition took experts centuries to come up with... mostly because nobody was sure how or why we experience it.
Psychology 🧠
2 min read
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The reason people act like they’re never going to die
Our brains are wired to view death as something that only happens to other people. According to research at Bar Ilan University in Israel, this is to protect us from existential threats and keep us living in the present.
Psychology 🧠
2 min read
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Henry Miller’s advice on measuring fulfilment in life
Eight years before his death in 1980, the celebrated writer Henry Miller published a limited-edition “chapbook” entitled On Turning Eighty. One of its three essays concerns growing old and measuring your own fulfillment. Here’s a selection of its most insightful life lessons.
Happiness 😀
2 min read
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Hit 'reset' on your life: Learn to live as a minimalist
Most of us are so busy being busy that we don’t notice how much of our life is focused on accumulation: of possessions, of status, of debt.
Mindset 🧑🔧
2 min read
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The simple reason our beliefs are often wrong
Errors are an unavoidable part of being human. But the reasons why our beliefs have such a powerful grip on us – and what happens when our conviction in them is shaken – are surprisingly complex.
Mindset 🧑🔧
2 min read
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How to write a first-class feature article
Feature writing is designed to sustain engagement from start to finish. Where newswriting and research papers follow a strict template, the goal here is to both inform and entertain.
Writing ✍️
4 min read
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The storytelling secrets of nonfiction master Robert Caro
Robert Caro is arguably the world’s most celebrated political biographer. Why? His dedication to the craft is unparalleled.
Writing ✍️
2 min read
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The real reason our creative spark goes out
Let’s say you dream of making a film or writing the next great novel, but you just never get very far with it. This experience is called resistance.
Success 🏆
3 min read
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I've interviewed hundreds of people. These are my secrets.
There are two types of interviewee that a writer needs to prepare for: the professional and the layperson. Each one requires a different approach.
Writing ✍️
6 min read
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Hemingway's 'iceberg' theory – and how to use it in your writing
What made Ernest Hemingway one of the most celebrated writers in history? His use of language was clear, concise, and yet profoundly evocative. Much of that ability stems from a technique known as the 'iceberg theory’ of writing.
Writing ✍️
2 min read
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Want to attract more readers? These tweaks work magic...
The language of experts and educators couldn’t be more different from the kind of writing that connects with the wider world.
Writing ✍️
3 min read
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What are the biggest myths about creativity?
The tricky thing about creativity is that nobody can agree on its definition. But whether you think of it in terms of specifics or generalities, there are all sorts of misconceptions about it...
Creativity 🧑🎨
2 min read
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Writing advice from Anne Lamott: The key themes of 'Bird by Bird'
Make lots of mistakes. Sign up to activities you know you’re going to suck at. Embrace these messes until you’re unafraid to be embarrassed. This is a proven antidote to the number one killer of creativity: fear. It’s also a key takeaway from a gem of a b
Writing ✍️
2 min read
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How to kick the 'all-or-nothing' habit
I’m guilty of being an all-or-nothing person. Whether it’s exercising, dieting, or learning a new language, I can’t do things half-heartedly. There’s either 100% effort or zero, with no in-between.
Mindset 🧑🔧
2 min read
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The subversive kids’ book loved by Gandhi and hated by Hitler
As a little kid, the one thing guaranteed to soothe my fears before bedtime was The Story of Ferdinand. It’s an illustrated children’s book, barely 35 pages long, yet it has both outraged and inspired people around the world for nearly a century...
Wellbeing 😄
2 min read
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Unblock your creativity with The Artist’s Way
Julia Cameron used to depend on alcohol and drugs to drive her art. When her first film God’s Will didn’t get the critical reception she hoped for, her creativity dried up. She knew something had to change. This is how The Artist’s Way was born…
Writing ✍️
4 min read
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What’s so special about Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist?
Have you ever let an ambition slip away? Paulo Coelho’s dream was to be a writer and The Alchemist is the book that made that dream a reality. It’s celebrated as a fable about the wonder of exploration – not just of the outside world, but of our inner one
Success 🏆
4 min read
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The George Saunders guide to writing good stories
If I had to choose one living author to take writing advice from, it would be George Saunders: Booker Prize-winner, New York Times bestseller, English professor at Syracuse University. Thankfully, he put out a book in 2021 that distils all that experience
Writing ✍️
9 min read
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The one skill that turns good writers into great ones
It may seem like the hardest part of writing a book is completing a first draft. A publisher will take care of the polishing, right? No. Your manuscript needs to stand out from thousands of others to stand any chance of being published. That requires meticulous editing.
Writing ✍️
2 min read
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