Author Archives: nickearls

What Counts As Beautiful Now? – Wisdom Tree #5 NoHo

Posted on 31/08/2016 by nickearls

I’ve had my own (limited) experiences of Hollywood and, fortunately, haven’t been required to be other than my shabby self to do it. The writer gets a lot of visual latitude. Some days, everyone you meet there tells you they’ll … Continue reading →

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The Stories Families Tell (Or Don’t) – Wisdom Tree #4 Juneau

Posted on 01/08/2016 by nickearls

I grew up thinking we were the first people in our family to come to Australia, but I was wrong. At least two of my ancestors had made it here before us. While there are no other records of him … Continue reading →

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Giant Story, Medium-Sized – Wisdom Tree #3 Vancouver

Posted on 30/06/2016 by nickearls

A few years ago, I got into the habit of telling stories about giants to the four-year-old son of friends. I told him one and he liked it and asked for more. So I got online and found a few. … Continue reading →

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Thirsty? Not This Century. What’s With Our Unquenchable Thirst For Bottled Water?

Posted on 17/06/2016 by nickearls

The soft-drink manufacturers got wise early, though I thought they were crazy. Water? How is that your next big thing? Have you not noticed taps pretty much everywhere? Plain water? In bottles? It’ll never sell. Not in countries with safe … Continue reading →

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On Launching John Birmingham’s How to Be a Writer (Avid Reader, 9 June 2016)

Posted on 10/06/2016 by nickearls

Why, when things have changed so much in the publishing industries, listen to someone who started writing 30 years ago whose book is being launched by someone else who started writing 30 years ago? Because JB has lived, like any … Continue reading →

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In The Name of Art – Wisdom Tree #2 Venice

Posted on 01/06/2016 by nickearls

A few years ago, my friend Terry Whidborne (also my co-conspirator on the Word Hunters series) signed up for an art exhibition. Each artist was paired with another, and together they had to come up with something connected with the … Continue reading →

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The Rapper, the Journalist and the Glue I Found to Join Them – Wisdom Tree #1 Gotham

Posted on 01/05/2016 by nickearls

I’ve always found rappers an interesting phenomenon. It’s that classic rapper-story mixture of difficult childhood, brashness and bragging, sudden wealth and fame and a complete lack of preparedness to deal with it, plus a risk that the whole thing could … Continue reading →

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Locum Earls and the Four-Hour Job

Posted on 31/03/2016 by nickearls

In 1992, towards the end of my short career in general practice, I found myself doing sessions in a clinic built mostly on tax evasion and medifraud. I was one of the new brooms brought in by new owners who … Continue reading →

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When Email Becomes Eek-mail

Posted on 07/03/2016 by nickearls

Okay, enough time has passed that I can now confess. Every so often, an email blunder occurs that is of such grand proportions that it goes viral and does several million laps of the planet before settling down. For each … Continue reading →

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Beyond ConTact

Posted on 06/02/2016 by nickearls

I used to think contacting books – the application of a sticky sheet of protective plastic – was a punishment parents put themselves through, but now I realise it’s the school. It’s the system. And I’ve just faced it for … Continue reading →

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