advice

Having Trouble Getting Things Done? Try Out This Neat Little Trick.

/ Stuart Danker / 67 Comments
A woman in glasses lying down on her couch in a blanket

Photo: Adrian Swancar

The best parts of being a writer is having an excuse to craft the most outlandish metaphors. I could liken rock climbing to drawing, for instance, because it’s all about learning the little techniques that’ll make up the larger picture (heh) that is your art.

Or I could link running and writing, because you’ll never see your improvement in your day-to-day, but do it long enough and you’ll be able to see how far (heh heh) you’ve progressed.

Having said that, boy do I have the metaphor for today’s topic.

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Sometimes You Just Gotta Listen To That Voice Inside You

/ Stuart Danker / 75 Comments
Many walking across a line of fiery coals

Photo: Joshua Newton

I’M GOING TO START THIS STORY OFF WITH A BANG. ALL CAPS BABY. WHOOOO!

How did that sound in your head? Did it feel like I was shouting at you?

How about now? More reasonable? Good. You’re probably wondering what this is all about. I promise I’ll get to that in a bit.

But first, let me pose you this question. Have you ever had a calling? Or has your conscience ever spoken to you? Maybe gave you a couple pointers that seemed outlandish at first, but started making sense after a week?

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That Time I Tried To Be A Pickup Artist

/ Stuart Danker / 54 Comments
Banana with lipstick stains all over it

Photo: Deon Black

“Hey, any idea what’s cool to do around here?”

The woman I’d just spoken to held her book closer to her chest, sidestepping away like a crab. No reply, no smile. In fact, she scrunched her face as if I smelled like goat droppings.

I still cringe at the memory of me talking up to random girls in the shopping mall, just because I’d gotten a copy of The Game during my young adulthood, and I thought it that it would be the key to my relationship problems.

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

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Working From Home Ain’t As Cool As It Seemed, Huh?

/ Stuart Danker / 55 Comments
Woman with notebook and laptop on her bed

Photo: Jodie Cook

You know I used to idolise the freelance life. I wanted the remote lifestyle, my own hours, and the freedom from fluorescent-bathed cubicles.

And I would get a taste of the digital nomad lifestyle, but me being me, I would also get bored of it real quick.

Back then, I used to whine to anyone who’d listen, and seeing as to how my friends were way more responsible than me, my complaints often fell on deaf ears.

“What’s the problem?” a friend once said. “At least you get to stay home.”

“Yeah,” I’d tell them, “but I work just as hard at ho—”

“And you don’t need to spend time and money on your commute. You lucky guy, you.”

“That’s a solid point for sure, but—”

“It must be great to schedule your own time. If I were you, I’d spend my days working at cafes.”

“But work is work—”

“You’re so lucky.”

“Right.”

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Discover Your Story (Painlessly) With This Writing Technique

/ Stuart Danker / 58 Comments
A woman writing on post-its with a marker

Photo: Magnet Me

You know the ‘write a shitty first draft’ advice? It’s actually connected to a host of other practices—do your morning pages, keep a journal, use the Pomodoro technique—and today we’re going to explore another related technique.

I’m sure this technique already exists with a different name, but for the sake of this post, I’ll christen it the Hunter Gatherer Method™, because that’s what you’ll essentially be doing, and that’s going out into the literary savannahs and bringing back the food that is your writing ideas.

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