Letting go of a half written book
What if you had to let go of the book you’ve halfway written…. To find the book you are meant to write? A few months ago, I spoke to a new client who had been approached by publishers and asked to write a book. Writing a book is something she’s always wanted to do. She’s […]
Does your squirrel need a cage?
When we lived in San Francisco, the huge tree in our backyard was a favourite with the squirrels. They would fly from branch to branch, dive from the fence to the tree trunk, to the picnic table, to the ‘trash can’, and back again. Their frenetic antics offered endless entertainment to my then baby boy […]
Why it is important to get help!
I had a call with a new client a few weeks ago. She’s writing a book next year, so she’d been doing some research on the writing process. Before our call, she asked three published authors for their best advice on writing a book. And the overwhelming theme was: Get help Get help GET HELP […]
Why art matters in difficult times
We are living in strange and difficult times. In my city here in New Zealand, we’re 10 weeks into lockdown and everywhere you look, there is tension. A public health crisis, a growing economic, geographical and political divide, businesses going to the wall. Some days I don a cloak of melancholy that’s hard to shift. […]
Are you overlooking your own easy?
He looked up from the piece of paper clutched in his hand, a look of bewilderment on his face. ‘But I sound amazing’ he said, incredulously. Grinning, I nodded. ‘That’s because you are.’ It was 2010, and I’d been hired to write biographies for key staff members. The gentleman in question was in his early 50s, but he […]
You don’t need an Oscar-worthy story
We were sitting around the campfire when the story turned to ‘how we met our partners’. I didn’t know any of the women super well and most were a few wines down, so took to telling their stories in the gregarious fashion of the slightly tipsy. And oh what tales they had. A tale of […]
Finding purpose in the small things
He began by giving thanks. He thanked Lego, he thanked Marvel, he thanked the cast and crew of Frozen, the inventor of trampolines and Paw Patrol and Teen Titans. He thanked the Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin and children’s authors Julia Donaldson, David Walliams and Dav Pilkey. He spoke of the joy and connection and […]
How to integrate your latest idea into your business
Are you struggling to juggle your business and your latest passion project? Are you wondering how to bring together two different aspects of your work and interests? Perhaps you’re trying to link a new service offering to an existing physical product. For example, you may want to create a complementary Facebook group for those who love […]
Tell me a story
A lesson in marketing from the chateaux of France Last month, I travelled through France’s Loire Valley, where more than 100 chateaux have opened their doors to the public. With so many sumptuous palaces to choose from, how exactly is a tourist to choose? Few who hail from the Antipodes would forget their first visit […]
What funeral directors can teach you about storytelling
Death. You might consider it a challenging topic for a reality documentary series. Yet sometimes, the most unexpected topics have the power to make the greatest impact Recently I discovered The Casketeers, a reality TV show following the daily goings-on at Tipene Funerals, in West and South Auckland. This quirky series has been a run away success […]
