This is not a religion. There is nothing here that I need you to Believe in any more than you'd believe in a hammer, or a paintbrush or a well designed and beautifully presented excel spreadsheet. Zen Hedonism is something you use to get things done. It is a tool, a de...

Having a more creative role at work brings about a fresh challenge. Previous to taking on this day job I was working in splendid isolation writing and living in a small converted barn in the middle of nowhere. I had zero neighbors and very little intrusion into my crea...

My new role where I work seems to be the go-to person for "Hey, this thing, this system that we've been using forever, it doesn't work very well. Can you fix it?" I'm thinking of buying some blue overalls and a red and yellow checked shirt only they don't seem very bus...

We are writers, right? Articulate. Able to express in words deep feelings, moments, characters, stories, concepts. Yeah. Right up until someone asks us where we get our ideas from.

When my first novel was about to come out, the publisher’s publicist rang me to go over s...

It doesn’t take a lot to change the world. It’s simple math.

A few years ago I was running a screenwriting workshop in Auckland. The brilliant Kathryn Burnett was teaching and I was sorting the morning tea out in the kitchen. Also happening in the venue was a Catholic w...

Before I take on any advocacy or mediation case I always ask a series of questions. These include: What happened? When did this happen? What would you like me to do about it? And: Okay, what aren’t you telling me? There’s always something.

As storytellers, be it in scre...

So for a while there I was thinking about living under my bed and only leaving for brief bathroom necessities. I figured if I dragged a pile of books and comics and blankets under there, maybe put in a bar, couple of pinball machines… The kittens were totally on board...

The first tricky thing about having a day job is time management. You lose more than the eight hours a day you may spend at work, you also lose the time it takes to get ready and then travel there and then travel back again. Bathing is important. As is putting on trous...

I have a day job. It’s not what I want to be doing with the rest of my life but I do like to be able to pay bills and buy food. So this is the joy I try and find in the work. I get up and walk with all the other workers to a place where I make a contribution that is re...