Culturally Incorrect

Challenging conventional wisdom, the Gen Y way.

Mridu Khullar Relph

Don’t Be the Writer Who Complains

I can’t ensure that my work will be successful, but I can ensure that I do everything in my power to make it the very best that it can be. And that starts with the writing.

A (Partial) List of My Recent Failures

Success simply means that your hits are greater (in size or number) than your misses. But that doesn't mean that you won't have misses.

Falling in Love With Purposeful Pain

When we go to the gym, we all understand that growth will involve pain. When we sit down to write, we forget that all growth—mental and emotional included—involves pain, too.

Change the Scene, Change the Story

A story is written one scene at a time. And the story of your life will be written in that exact same way.

Your Writing Success Depends on This One Skill

Look at any successful author and you’ll find that they’re either brilliant at selling or have someone on their team who is.

Talent Gets You Started. Commitment Keeps You There.

Talent is important, but it's not what keeps you going when things get difficult.

Why You Don't Finish That Novel

You want to write that novel because there is a truth inside of you that needs to be told, that is dying to come out of you. Do you know what stops you?

This Is How You Find Your Purpose

When you’re doing—and not just resisting—the work that is your true soul work, it will heal you. It will elevate you. It will fill you up. It will nourish you.

Believe People When They Show You Who They Are

What is true of fiction is also true of life. Characters reveal themselves to you. You can see it, but you have to pay attention.

Writing When It's Hard

Don’t believe people who say it never gets easier. It gets easier—of course it gets easier!—but as you grow, your ambitions and your expectations grow, too.

When You Let Their Limitations Become Your Limitations

People tell you things aren't possible as if it’s fact. Instead of saying, “I couldn’t do it,” they say, “It can’t be done.” Because it’s true. In their experience, it couldn’t.

What Finishing Looks Like

In the real world, finishing anything is a non-event. It’s a momentary pause in the middle of your day. And for most of us, finishing is not a celebration.

How to Reclaim the Power in Your Writing

It is a myth that only successful writers have more control over their careers because they’re successful. It is, in fact, the demanding of control early on that led to success.

An Easy Way to Build Your Confidence Quickly

If you're struggling with confidence in your writing ability, you need to learn how to give yourself some easy wins.

Trick Yourself Into Writing More With This Easy Tip

Here's a secret: The more you write, the more you want to write. The more you will write.

Let Go of Your Big Goals and Focus on This Instead

On my whiteboard in my office, I’ve written, “One thing at a time. First things first. Start now.” Below that, I’ve added, “Baby Steps. Just Begin."

Who Are You Really? Do You Know?

The beauty of being a writer is that you don’t have to choose. If you've been struggling with your identity as a writer and finding out what you were meant to write, read this.

Don't Let Them Kill Your Dreams

Why does everyone try to dissuade you from expressing your true desires? Here's how to keep those negative voices out of your head and truly go after your big goals and desires

How to Stay at the Top of Your Game

Self care is important if you're going to be your best self, whether personally or professionally. Some quick ways to do it right now.

6 Things You’re Saying To Yourself That Are Holding You Back

What are the things you say to yourself when no one’s listening? Recognize any of these?

“Writing is a Job” and Other Myths That Limit Your Success

This is not your mother's writing career. Here's how Gen Y writers do it.

Want to Quit Your Day Job? 7 Good Reasons Why You Shouldn’t

If you’re a part-time writer or entrepreneur in-the-making, here are a few reasons you may not want to quit that day job just yet.

On Crashing, Burning, and Finding Recovery

Creative people are prone to depression and burnout. Here's how to recover.

Celebrate Your Failures!

There’s even a conference dedicated to failure. As noted on its website, “FailCon is a one-day conference for technology entrepreneurs, investors, developers, and designers to study their own and others’ failures and prepare for success.” Their speakers, from Vinod Khosla to David Pogue, aren’t typically people you’d associate with the word “failure.”

Your Culture and Your Brain

This new field of study is called cultural neuroscience and is dedicated to exploring the differences between Eastern and Western brains. I, personally, have always been more about mixing and matching. So if you’re wired a certain way, how do you create a balanced view of the world and learn to see things from an opposite perspective? Here are a few ways.

Creating a Color Blind Family

In art theory, we learned that different colors evoke different human emotions. Nowhere is this truer than in India. White skin is prized, a premium, something to aspire to. White means you’re rich, educated, someone who matters. Dark skin, on the other hand, is a sign of poverty, of hard manual work. Dark skin means you’re not as important.