What writer could resist the promise of writing more words per hour? Not me! I purchased this book a few months ago, and I’ve been experimenting with the ideas in it for a while. When I decided I needed to buy it, I was going through a thing with my writing.

You know, the thing. The thing where you’re dying to write something, but you sit, frozen in front of the screen? Or you debate whether your topic is worth writing, rather than writing? …

I perched myself eagerly on the aluminum seat in the school library. My blonde curls were in tight plaits, festooned with blue ribbons to match my school uniform. I didn’t always enjoy school photo day. This year was different. This year, my favorite teacher, Mr Mathews, would be in the photo. The photo would be a keepsake for the best school year of my life. His hair and beard made him look like Yusuf Islam, or as we knew him back then, Cat Stevens. I had a phobia of men with beards, except for these two guys.

I sat up…

You’re white. You’re on social media, and you’re dying to share your expertise on racism with the world. But you don’t know where to start. It can be confusing to navigate but never fear. If you follow these simple steps, as many people as possible will know you’re a racist in no time at all.

Step one: find a post of a victim suffering a racist attack

Here’s one I picked earlier today:

Step two: point out that you bet something happened before this video started

This is the most logical place to start. It’s never too early to begin assigning blame to the victim. Alluding to the idea first is an effective way to warm up your audience. Besides, it makes…

It was 1993, and I sat on the train platform at Town Hall, in Sydney. I had discovered a new, favorite snack: soy crisps. As I devoured the packet, an Aboriginal man sat on the ground nearby, with his dog. He was drunk and seemed to be in a happy, lively mood. He stood up and began dancing in front of his dog.

Then, he started talking loudly to me, slurring his words: ‘aye, mate! Can I have some of that?’ He pointed to my soy crisps. I was eager to bond over my love of the soy crisp. I…

I meet you on a healthy high, today. I just ‘came out’ to my three wonderful children as an alcoholic. I recently celebrated my 20th sobriety ‘birthday’, but it wasn’t much fun because it was a secret. All this time, I’ve hidden my secret out of shame. Twenty years on, I want you to celebrate my achievement with me. I want everyone to know recovery is possible for those who seek it.

My drinking timeline

At 16, I began drinking at home, alone. When my parents were out or asleep, I snuck their wine and port from the fridge and indulged myself. No…

What is it that gets people’s backs up about the popular subreddit, Female Dating Strategy (FDS)? I’ve talked before about why men hate it so much. For those who don’t know what it is, I’ll repeat my explanation for you:

FDS is a vetting system created by and for straight women. Women who call themselves ‘reformed Pickmeishas.’ A ‘Pickmeisha’ refers to women who bend over backwards to please a man, often to the detriment of her own identity. FDS encourages women to have more self-respect. To stop being men’s doormats. Most members have had troubling experiences in the past. …

A new trend has taken over Tik Tok and has moved over to Twitter: the silhouette challenge. Participants start out filming themselves clothed. Usually, they’re in front of a doorway. The clothing is homely; think bathrobes, sweatpants, that sort of thing.

Next, they film themselves in the doorway, naked. They dance provocatively, and during this part of the challenge, they apply a filter. The filter changes the background to red, and the person to a black silhouette. The results are then posted to Tik Tok, and in some cases, Twitter.

Most of the people who have jumped onto this trend…

At 16, I snuggled up to my boyfriend on his sofa, telling him I wanted to start going to the gym. I’d read an article about weight-lifting, and it sounded like something I’d enjoy. He reached over to my thigh, slapped it, and said, ‘yeah, you should lose some weight off this rump!’

It was 1989. Not long before I started dating him, I’d seen the Karen Carpenter Story on TV. I learned that a critic had described her as ‘chubby’. In time, she developed anorexia nervosa which caused her early death. Although I laughed off his comment, not giving…