One of the biggest mistakes writers make is trying to do everything perfectly, immediately. Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, writes, “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness, playfulness and life force.” Most people discover that when they learn to turn off […]

Writing fiction is not an intellectual exercise. One of the keys to creating powerful fiction is to evoke emotion in your writing. You want your writing to create an emotional response in the reader. It is the emotion that will connect the writer and the reader to your characters and your story. So when you […]

Author Gabrielle Lord shares her top four writing tips: Read books about writing, especially screenplay writing, or better still, do some courses in this area. To develop good knowledge of structure, pace and narrative, there’s nothing better than understanding how a story works and that’s what happens with screenplay writing. Storyline your story – that […]

One way to help assess the nutrition merits of a diet or eating plan, is to check out the number of super foods it contains. Super foods are better than others for your health. They can extend your “health span”, prevent disease and may even reverse the effects of aging. So, if you’re dieting make […]

When we think of food and its effect on health, we generally consider its nutritional value. However, the first point of call should be food safety. Australia produces some of the safest food in the world, yet it’s estimated 1.5 million Australians suffer a bout of food poisoning each year. What is food poisoning? Food […]

Doing these simple Pilates exercises each morning will tone your core abdominal muscles and stimulate blood flow to the stomach area, which in turn improves digestion and boosts metabolism. The hundred Lie down, arms stretched out at hip level, palms down. Raise shoulders, head, and arms about six inches off the ground. Keeping legs straight, […]

No matter if you're at home, work or travelling, it's pretty easy to find a desk and a chair and a few minutes to squeeze in these body firming exercises.

Keep your pelvis, lower back and hips healthy with daily hamstring stretches, especially if you spend much of your working day sitting. Try this intermediate hamstring stretch in the kneeling position.

Question I’m a 30-year-old woman and my scalp is very oily. I colour my hair every 15 days to cover up the grey. My hair falls out a lot and has started to thin. What can I do to prevent this? Kiran Benjamin, via e-mail. Answer “Stop what you’re doing right now!” says hairstylist Andrew […]

Question I have terrible ingrown hairs on my bikini line from waxing. They are very painful, not to mention unsightly. Are there any treatments to stop them? Samantha Michelle, via e-mail. Answer If you’re prone to ingrown hairs, there’s nothing more frustrating than watching your beautiful, just-waxed bikini line erupting into a mass of red […]