Blog

One of the world’s greatest Go players who was defeated by an artificial intelligence program warns that the technology may come with a rude awakening for humans as it advances.

Lee Se-Dolis a South Korean legend in the game of Go, which is widely considered to be a more complex game than chess. The game, which can be played in person and online, also once posed a computational challenge for AI researchers.

In 2016, the Go world was rocked after Lee was defeated by AlphaGo, an AI program made by Google’s DeepMind. Lee lost 4 out of 5 games.

The defeat was a huge upset and pushed Lee to retire from the game in 2019.

“With the debut of AI in Go games, I’ve realized that I’m not at the top even if I become the No. 1 through frantic efforts,” Lee told Yonhap News Agency at the time. “Even if I become the No. 1, there is an entity that cannot be defeated.”

Lee told The New York Times in a recent interview that his loss against AlphaGo had a profound impact on his life: “Losing to AI, in a sense, meant my entire world was collapsing.”

Now, he warns that the technology won’t just be coming after Go players.

“I faced the issues of AI early, but it will happen for others,” Lee said at an education fair in Seoul, according to The Times. “It may not be a happy ending.”

Lee told the publication that he can see AI creating new jobs as it takes away others. But a larger concern for the retired Go player is what AI will do to people’s appreciation for originality.

“People used to be in awe of creativity, originality, and innovation,” Lee told The Times. “But since AI came, a lot of that has disappeared.”

Since AI’s rise to the mainstream, artists and some leading intellectuals have raised doubts about the technology’s ability to be creative.

Noam Chomsky, a linguistics professor and philosopher, previously told Business Insider in 2023 that he was “skeptical” that artificial intelligence could make breakthroughs in studies like the arts.

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg said in an interview with Stephen Colbert that AI takes the “soul” out of creative work.

“I think the soul is unimaginable and is ineffable,” Spielberg said. “And it cannot be created by any algorithm, it is just something that exists in all of us.”

The inner Star Wars nerd in me wants to punch a hole through the wall.

Mainly cause I wish I had the force as a power since I was kid watching Star wars…

But today I’m talking about force but for creating cause that’s where people seem to get stuck

From writers block. To not knowing what to paint. Or how to frame their photos or come up with a hook for their new music.

This whole creative endeavour seems to grab people around the neck and strangle them to submission and when it comes to producing for deadlines. They are like a deer standing in front of a 18 tonne truck about to end their existence…

Anywho…

Forced creativity Vs Flow state creativity.

The names tell you everything there is to know.

The majority of creatives live for the deadline and beg the muse to help them out. Hours before they need to produce they are stuck forcing out something to create.

This is not good. This is anxiety inducing and can honestly drive you mad. You don’t ever want to be here.

Flow state in the other hand is having an abundance of ideas that you can riff off of at any given time.

There’s no Yoda-based-voodoo-magic ancient jedi teaching that’ll help you to get to this point.

It’s just you NEED to get to a point where you are disciplined enough to come up with 100s of ideas and stack them together. That way at any given moment. Deadline or not. You can go through your tome of ideas and pick something out that you’re feeling, and create a piece of content.

Instead of relying on creativity and forcing yourself to make something. You have so many ideas knocking about that you can turn them down for that point in time and come back to it later when you’re in the mood.

That’s the type of state you want to get into.

A flow state beats a forced state 10/10 times.

Jedi-mind-trick free.

Now if you want a continuation of the HOW TO of this.

Hit reply and tell me.

If not. That’s cool. I’m gonna go head out into the wild…

Stephen Walker.

Medium. You glorious, glittery trashfire of a platform.

Home to thinkfluencers, self-help gurus, techbros, and the occasional writer who actually gives a damn about the craft.

But mostly, it’s become an ouroboros of writers writing about how to succeed at writing on Medium.

Scroll through the hallowed halls of Medium these days and what will you find?

A metric fuckton of posts with titles like:

“How I Made $10,000 on Medium Last Month With This One Weird Trick”

“The Ultimate Guide to Gaming the Medium Algorithm to Score Fat Stacks”

“Medium is Screwing Over Writers Again With These Latest Changes”

It’s a cavalcade of craven capitalism and crybaby complaining.

The actual WRITING on Medium has become secondary to the constant meta-discussion about the platform itself.

You know what’s sexy? Actually giving a shit about the CRAFT of writing.

Spilling blood on the page to tell a kickass story or share an idea that matters.

You know what’s about as sexy as a bucket of lukewarm turtle barf?

Endlessly prattling on about how to optimise yourself to make a quick buck off your “content.”

Sure, some of the criticism of Medium is valid.

The overlords keep changing the rules on us poor writer peasants, tilting the game in favour of shameless grifters and away from those who want to create something of substance.

It’s frustrating as hell.

But instead of bitching about it or trying to hack it, maybe – just maybe – focus on actually becoming a better goddamn writer.

Tune out the noise, hit the keys, and put something original and worthwhile out into the world.

THAT is the only “one weird trick” that has ever mattered.

So to conclude my little rant:

Fuck the algorithm, and fuck writing for robots instead of humans.

Tell your story, sing your song, and to hell with all the rest.

The cream always rises, motherfuckers.

Get to work.
P.S. Build your own list (Just like this) or forward this one email on to a few of yo’ friends and direct them to https://cult.thesillygoosesociety.com/

Stephen Walker

The love hate relationship with social media continues.

But every now and then you come across a gem of a human who does some amazing work…

Josh, is lucky enough to bless strangers through the power of crowdfunding.

He lifts up the ones who are struggling and also helps out the local mom ‘n pop businesses who support his cause.

In a world filled with madness, I aim to be like Josh. Use the power of my words to help those where I can.

Check out one of Josh’s clips here

Stephen Walker

2020 was the last time I went to Subway.

Meatball Marinara Melt was my go-to sandwich. It was messy and tasty.

Today I went after 4 years and had the same. It was crazy cause one of the employees recognised me, even though I’ve not been through those doors since the world shut down for a little while.

We got talking and they mentioned that they have just finished their final year of a computer science degree, which was awesome!

I made a few jokes about A.I. more specifically ChatGPT and they were laughing (Again)

I remember the last time we spoke we were laughing about some silly stuff. I can’t exactly remember what cause it was 4 years ago, but the impression was there. They were chuckling.

It wasn’t particularly busy. It was just after 4pm and raining and it got me thinking…

Maya Angelou once penned; 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

This was true cause all those years ago I left them with a humour-filled impression of me.

We had a few laughs amidst the chaos that the world was going through at the time.

You don’t need to be a world-class comedian to make someone laugh, giggle or chuckle like a mad scientist.

Just be yourself and had a little humour to it. You too can become unforgettable.

And if you need some inspiration on how to do it quickly and effectively check out:

Make ‘Em Laugh & Take Their Money by Dan Kennedy

Stephen Walker

Haters.

Those squawking shitnuggets that cling to your coattails like a cloud of fleas, sucking you dry with their endless negativity.

It doesn’t matter where you are in life; they’ve always got a steaming pile of word-vomit locked and loaded, ready to spew all over your dreams.

First, they’ll call you a loser, a bottom-feeding parasite with delusions of grandeur.

But when you start making moves, they’ll smirk and say, “Seen this song and dance before, buddy. You’ll be back in the gutter soon enough.”

As you keep grinding, they’ll snicker, “Tick-tock, motherfucker. Let’s see how long you can keep this charade going.”

When you’re inches from the finish line, they’ll sneer, “Any idiot can start a race, but it takes a real champ to cross that line.”

Then, when you finally hit your goal, they’ll shrug and say, “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.

Colour me unimpressed until you do it again.” And when you do? “Sure, anyone can win if they sell their soul. Real winners don’t need to cheat.”

As you keep stacking victories, they’ll grumble, “Get a load of this egomaniac. Pride comes before a fall, asshole.” When you don’t fall, they’ll pivot: “Yeah, you’ve got skills, but you’re still a slimy turd in my book.”

When you’re reaching the top, they’ll hiss, “Stepped on a lot of necks to get there, didn’t you? Karma’s a bitch, and she’s got your number.”

And finally, when you’re perched atop your throne, they’ll say, “I always knew you’d make it, you magnificent bastard. But you’re still a piece of shit.”

Here’s the thing: haters are gonna hate. They’ll judge you whether you’re facedown in the gutter or doing lines off a golden toilet. Fuck ’em. They’re just miserable pricks projecting their own inadequacies.

Win for yourself, for the people who matter. Use the haters’ bile as rocket fuel. They’ll always be there, gnashing their teeth in the shadows.

Let them choke on your success.

Stephen Walker.

P.S. You Like It Darker by Stephen King is on tonight’s reading agenda. Check it out if you dig his short stories.

A close friend of mine dropped me a message a few days ago about feeling anxious all the time and whether or not what they’re doing in their lives, business etc was good.

Now I’m not super-massive into the personal development scene as I used to be. I look at it more now from a psychology and human behaviour point of view.

In a nutshell. They’re anxious all the time because of Spotlight effect (or spotlight syndrome)

Which is the tendency to overestimate how much other people notice our appearance and behaviour. In other words, we tend to think there is a spotlight shining on us and that everyone is paying close attention to what we do or how we look, when in reality, people are often caught up in their own thoughts and concerns and are paying much less attention to us than we imagine.

And that there is the lesson in itself.

People are way too caught up in their own lives to worry about what you’re doing in every aspect of your life.

Yes we’re going to make stupid decisions and do stupid things that may make us look like a fool to others, but trust me on this. Nobody really cares all that too much. They have their own worries and things going in in their lives.

Once you’re able to change this thought pattern and re-frame your decisions. It can be the most powerful thing you ever do. It’ll give you the confidence to truly do and say what you want.

Write that story or book. Ask the guy/girl out for a drink or whatever. Start that business. Quit that toxic relationship with a partner, friend, family member etc. Change jobs or whole careers.

The sky is the limit.

Stephen Walker.

I’m sure we’ve all played a few video games in our lives and here’s an apt analogy to follow.

I’ll use Call of Duty as an example cause you’ve either played it yourself, or have kids who have played it and probably heard them talk or even get frustrated of an update coming out and things getting “Nerfed”

Nerfed basically just means changes that are always bad.

Say you have a favourite gun you play with and you usually find yourself destroying everyone that comes into your path. Then one day they send out an update and that same gun has now been nerfed.

It may do less damage per bullet, shoot slower or just recoil more and shake all over the place.

Which in turn just makes you either get killed more and not kill as much as you used.

To say it’s rage inducing is an understatement, but hey. It’s game and that’s what developers do to keep things interesting and also make people focus on other weapons.

Now when it comes to life. We all get nerfed a lot.

We have accidents as kids. We break our bones. Our hearts get broken or a loved one dies.

There are big and small nerfs in this life. Some will kick us to the curb rapidly and sometimes we do end up laying face down on the curb a little longer than we should.

It’s okay. It’s necessary and it’s also there for growth, hindsight and whatever other self-help guru might be peddling at the time.

As a writer, I have many a piece rejected. I’ve had entire sales messages bomb and not make a client any return on their investment with me.

Does it suck? Yes.

But there’s always a lesson to take from it.

Whether or not it’s video game. Your personal life, or business. We get knocked down and I give you full permission to mope around and feel sorry for yourself. Only for 24 hours though. No more no less.

Buy all the cake. Eat all of the pizza. Watch re-runs of Friends.

Then once that’s over. Sit up. Pull up yo’ pants or whatever bits of clothing you usually clobber on.

Then get to work. Reflect. Plan and go out and execute.

There will be many nerfs in life as we go. It happens but working on it as you go forward.

That right there. Is the way to set yourself free and grow into the person you deserve to be.

Stephen Walker.

P.S. I don’t have any interesting books I can point you towards with this type of subject matter in hand. Yet here’s a compilation of my unofficial mentor Jim Rohn and what he talks about when it comes to you being in control.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

“Take full responsibility for your life and never forfeit it over to someone else. There is no such thing as riding the coattails of an enlightened being to enlightenment itself.” – Adyashanti

A few months ago, I discovered a spiritual teacher named Adyashanti and I’ve really enjoyed his work so far.

Below is a quote from one of his books (The Way of Liberation) that felt strong enough to stand on it’s own, here…

…Especially the part in bold:

---

“I cannot overemphasize the importance of having a clear, unified focus.

What do you value most in your life — not in the sense of moral values, but in the sense of what is most important to you.

Contemplate this question.

Do not assume that you know what your highest aspiration is, or even what is most important to you.

Dig deep within, contemplate, and meditate on what the spiritual quest is about for you; don’t let anyone else define your aspiration for you.

Look within until you find, with complete clarity, what you aspire to.

Life unfolds along the lines of what you value most.”

---

Experienced practitioners will appreciate how powerful this is, while beginners are likely to underestimate it.

Read (and re-read) as many times as necessary, until it sinks in.

Then, hit reply to let me know what you come up with.

• T

P.S. For extra points…

1. Write the question at the top of the page:

“What is my highest aspiration in life? What really matters to me, and why?”

2. Write your response to the question for at least ~45 minutes (it takes time to strike gold).

Don’t settle for superficial answers (ie. “ball iz life!!!”)

Keep asking why, keep piercing deeper until the answer falls open in front of you, pure, simple and undeniable.

Hear ye, Hear ye…

Sometimes you just wanna troll the trolls to get a bit of that juicy juicy engagement sauce.

So listen up…

You wanna know how to weaponise Cunningham’s Law and get the internet goblins to do your dirty work for you?

It’s easy, and it’ll give you the sweet, sweet engagement you crave like a junkie craves their next fix.

Here’s the deal:

Cunningham’s Law states that the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question, but to post the wrong answer.

Post something that’s just a little bit off, a little bit wonky, and watch as the keyboard warriors descend upon your post like vultures on a carcass.

They’ll be falling over themselves to correct you, to prove you wrong, to show off their big, juicy brains. And in the process, they’ll give you the answer you were looking for all along.

It’s like some weird judo for the internet age, using your opponent’s own strength against them.

Not only will you get the right answer, but you’ll also get a metric ton of engagement. Comments, shares, likes etc. They’ll all come pouring in as people rush to put in their two cents.

It’s a double whammy of knowledge and attention. So go ahead, give it a try. Post something just a little bit wrong, and watch as the internet does its thing.
Now go troll the trolls…

Stephen Walker.

“Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work.” – Chuck Close

Make your move or pass the ball.

Speak up or sit down.

Sh*t, or get off the damn pot.

Those moments of lukewarm effort, of kinda doing the thing but really not…

The work hours spent flicking around social media instead of in deep, unbroken concentration on your most critical task…

The workouts half-assed, the sets stopped short of failure, the exercises skipped, the days missed…

The meditations spent lost in thought, sitting without practicing, never generating the diligent focus required for self-mastery…

The activities completed as checks on a to-do list, done just to say you did them, showing up without being fully present…

The time spent doing work you hate without also working towards doing work you love…

The years that pass by with no tangible results, no material progress, no dynamic movement towards your greater vision…

The hesitation, the indecision, the fapping and farting and taking it way too damn easy for no good reason other than fear, laziness, and that foggy, cloudy, not-sure-what-it-is that seems like it’s blocking you but evaporates the moment you take action…

…Those moments are the very building blocks your life is made of.

And when time all-too-quickly runs out, your life as you know it will be the end result of those moments: 

The moments you either sat there doom-scrolling with your pants down around your ankles…

…Or put your phone down, put your boots on the ground, sh*t, and got off the damn pot.

Happy Monday.

– T

P.S. This just dropped. 

You’re here because you want the skinny on cranking out those word counts, right?

You’ve got deadlines looming like storm clouds and a book that’s as stubborn as a mule.

You’re probably hoping I’ll tell you about some mystical muse that’ll swoop down and breathe life into your work. Well, sadly I don’t.

The Muse is a Fickle Beast

Let’s get this straight: the muse is about as reliable as a chocolate teapot.

Sure, the idea of some divine creature sprinkling your brain with fairy dust sounds peachy, but if you’re waiting around for that to happen, you might as well be waiting for rain in the Sahara. It’s a myth my  fellow silly geese. A beautiful, dangerous myth that could leave you high and dry when the deadline’s knocking at your door.

Embrace the Gloriously Mundane

Here’s the real magic trick: making peace with the mundane. That’s right, the day-to-day, the grind, the routine. It’s not glamorous, but it’s gold…

Here’s how you mine it:

1.Nail Down a Writing Schedule

Clock in, clock out. Make it as regular as brushing your teeth.

Whether it’s an hour after breakfast or a quick sprint before bed, keep it consistent. This isn’t just about cranking out words—it’s about making your brain sweat in all the right ways.

2. Claim Your Territory

Stake out your space. Whether it’s a creaky desk in the corner or your favourite coffee shop, make it yours. This is your cockpit, you’re the captain and that’s where the words are gonna fly.

When you sit down, you’re not just fooling around—you’re flying to the moon.

3. Chop It Up  

A book’s a beast. Don’t try to wrestle it all at once. Break it into bits—scenes, chapters, beats. Conquer it piece by piece, like eating an elephant one bite at a time. And yes, it’s okay to celebrate every little victory. Do a dance. Pat yourself on the back. You’ve earned it.

4. Systems Over Goals  

Forget painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Your job is to put paint on the brush and then put that brush to the canvas. Every. Single. Day. The system is your path to victory. The goals? They’ll follow if you keep pumping the pedals.

5. Feed the Beast  

Read, watch, absorb. Stuff your eyeballs with movies, your brainpan with books, and your soul with art. The muse might not show up, but you can still invite other guests to the party. They’ll bring their own sparks and who knows? Fire might just catch.

Finally…

Keep On Truckin’ 

The real work happens when nobody’s watching. It’s the slow and steady, the relentless march of words that pile up while you’re looking the other way. That, is where you’ll find the gold.

Remember, the muse is great for a fling, but the mundane? That’s your ride or die. It’s the quiet, commitment to the craft that’ll help you churn out stories that stick. Keep hitting those keys, keep showing up. Make the mundane your secret weapon. Now, go forth and write.
Stephen Walker.

I get that in the wild times of the internet in its current state.

We’re all shouting from the roof tops trying to be seen. Whether it’s just for attention (Which is the new currency btw) or whether we need to get people into our creative worlds so we can share our things and stuff with them.

It’s easy to do but it’s not simple. It takes consistent work and effort and a certain level of ruthlessness you need to weave into your system. Like when grandma gave you tablespoons of cod liver oil whenever you went over to visit. It may have tasted gross, but it was good for you.

So how do you do this you may ask?

Well…

You need to craft an interesting persona and origin story for yourself as a creator.

Build a mystique around your creative process. Engage your followers and readers curiosity about the person behind the work they love.

You do this by telling stories and sharing processes, it also goes a lot deeper with your characters and stories you write. The paintings you and drawings you make or even the music you write and share.

There needs to be back stories and emotions attached to it. You need to write it all. Yeah might write a love song or song about something but why? Go deeper. Were you feeling a certain way? Was it just cause you were bored? Details matter. Even if you don’t share it. It’s there so in your mind you can attach and pull from it with future work.

The thing is. It’s not difficult. It’s just a lot of work that needs to be done. Yet when you carry on doing work this way. Your work will automatically be infused with more magic and authenticity than the creatives who just create something with minimal thought.

It’s why some authors can write a single book. With a single character and rope in millions of fans.

A prime example would be Jack Reacher from Killing Floor by Lee Child

Lee has such an amazing approach to developing his characters, you can’t help buy think that you know that character in person, even though it’s pure fiction. Yet if you read the books. You learn about every single detail there is about the character, warts ‘n all.

This is something I actively think about the things I post and share on social media and with my fellow Silly Goose Society.

This is how I want you to think about creating if you are already making the jump or plan to make the jump in the future. Either way. I’ll have your back if you need advice or tips or be pointed in the right direction.

Stephen Walker.

I’m at this hoity-toity coffeeshop, right?

Just trying to inject some sweet, sweet caffeine into my veins and wrestle with the squirming, otherworldly creatures of my next series of posts, ideas and books.

When suddenly, this starry-eyed, enthusiastic fan comes bouncing up to me like a sugar-rushed squirrel.

“Oh my word, are you Stephen Walker? THE Stephen-Walker?”

[Silence for a second]

I’m like, “You caught me, my friend. Resident silly goose, squirrel tamer, and creative mischief-maker, at your service.”

This guy starts singing praises about how my storytelling advice has transformed his writing game.

He’s all, “Man, your tips on crafting unforgettable characters and building immersive worlds have straight-up supercharged my fiction skills!”

We chat for a bit, geeking out over our favourite fantasy series and debating whether adverbs are the linguistic equivalent of a stale cookie.

He tries to buy my coffee, but I’m like, “Nah, dude, I got this. Gotta fuel the ol’ imagination machine somehow.”

As we part ways, it hits me: this guy felt like he knew me, like we were old pals trading tales over a cozy campfire.

But we’ve never met. Heck, we haven’t even swapped a single Twitter high-five.

So, how did he feel so connected to me?

It’s because I’ve been weaving stories and sharing my hard-earned writing wisdom with him (and you) through my tales, blogs, and mildly caffeinated twitter musings.

And yeah, that little coffeeshop encounter? Total fiction.

But don’t get your knickers in a knot. There’s a method to my madness.

This is a demonstration.

I want you to take a closer look at this tall tale. Can you see the strings I’m pulling, the emotional beats I’m hitting? Do you get why I’m weaving this particular web of words?

Do you want to learn how to do this too, how to craft stories that grab readers by the heartstrings and don’t let go until they’re begging for more (and maybe even throwing their hard-earned cash at you) ?

Well, if you stick around and keep reading these emails.

You’ll be creating your own propaganda in no time and people will line up to throw their coins at you.

Stephen Walker.

P.S. Check out Writing Dynamite Story Hooks by Jackson Dean Chase if you want to indoctrinate a few new tricks up your sleeve in the mean time.

I had a call with a couple of my silly goose members and they keep brining up A.I. in the creative sense of the world.

Now I’ve always said that there’s a place for A.I. when it comes to do the boring shit. If you don’t like data and numbers, the robot overlords can do that. Hell, I welcome it.

(Unless you as a person love that then ugh, okay?)

When it comes to creative work. Art, writing and music… Well that’s a whole different thing in itself.

Firstly. The fact that all of these companies, start ups and “biz bros” who jumped on the bandwagon went out of their way to steal work from living artists, to train their models on.

I would’ve been totally cool if they were using work that has already been put into the public domain or even work that isn’t being used by family estates that may still be living.

Yet they didn’t.

Now when they have billions of dollars to throw at companies in silicon valley it’s the whole:

Grace Hopper’s famous axiom, “It is better to ask forgiveness than permission,”

Which is bullshit, cause instead of going out and getting a commission from your favourite painter or artist. Some shit weasel who is using A.I. can create a poor mans copy of your favourite living artists work by typing a few sentences (Or prompts as the A.I. nerds) like to call it.

So as much as I’m one for working smarter and not harder. When it comes to creativity. Well I’d rather spend my time crafting the best work I can with the brain-meat that sits behind my ears, than rely heavily on A.I. apps/software and the people who use it to exploit living creatives.

I’m actually just annoyed while writing this so it’s coming off more of a rant.

A.I. is just theft in its current state. They don’t care about the creatives they steal from, they also don’t even have heart to approach their artists they stole from and compensate them for blatantly ripping off their intellectual property.

And as much as I’d embrace my own manifest of being a silly goose (Coming soon)

I will go out of my way to boycott these start-ups, apps and advocates of A.I. cause they don’t seem to care about the humanity wrapped around it.

Stephen Walker.

The ol’ proverb: “empty vessels make the most noise” has always stuck with me over the years.

You also don’t want to be labelled as one because you’re going to remove any authority you may have over your audience etc.

When you’re shouting from the roof tops and echoing what has said without any conviction you are committing the sin of being an empty vessel.

With the way social media has infected our brains, we’re often pushing for changes or ideas without really standing behind what we mean.

Without getting too political, you see it with the current day social justice warriors. They just hop onto anything that’s popular to get a little bit of internet currency.

Creatives like us get stuck into it as well. We often start to water down our ideas, our stories and the things we create.

If you have a certain set of beliefs and you stand by them (Even when challenged) you are far from being an empty vessel.

I’m wrong more often than I’m right and I course correct my beliefs as I learn and grow.

That’s the way the world should be. That’s the way we need to stay true to ourselves.

Don’t be like one of the many internet weirdos who hop on band wagon after band wagon just to be part of the “In” crowd. It’s a form of misery that loves company.

Don’t be an empty vessel, cause they’re just loud and obnoxious.

Stephen Walker

Till this day. I live by that saying:

“If you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for everything.”

In the digital age we’re bombarded with everything. The good, bad and ugly.

Lies and truths that make up our world view. Social media platforms have got us thinking every single way. Up down left right and it’s tough.

So buckling down and having a world view that evolves as you learn and grow is a must.

Like having a moral compass on whether you’re gonna do this or that. If it’s write or wrong etc.

As a kid you were born and raised a certain way with a certain set of beliefs (whether they are right or wrong) well that’s just down to a lived experience.

However you need to adopt something that you can stand behind and believe in and if you are wrong (which will happen) you can course correct, learn and grow yet again.

I’m creating a little Silly Goose Manifesto which is essentially the way I see the world and the way/reasoning behind why I approach things the way I do. From my writing, to the way I carry myself in the real world and online. It’s by no means perfect but it’s a solid base which helps me just be me.

I’ll be sending it out when it’s done. Take a look. See if it makes sense and hey, if you’d like to adopt the Silly Goose Philosophy, well then that manifesto is all you’ll need.

Stephen Walker.

Alright, gather ’round, you merry band of weirdos and word-wranglers, because we’re diving deep into the mind’s muck and mire.

Picture this: your brain is a sprawling, chaotic map of the universe. A madcap collage of memories, beliefs, and wild-ass guesses, all stitched together into a shoddy patchwork quilt of reality.

This, dear silly goose cultists, is your mental model—a cracked, creaky simulation of the world you stumble through.

Now, we ride this rickety rollercoaster of a model to navigate life. We make plans. We strategise.

We predict. All in the hopes of wrangling our way to those glittering goals we set for ourselves.

But here’s the kicker: if your mental map is a half-baked, janky mess, you’re gonna make choices that are just as busted. You might think you’re on the golden path, but really, you’re about to cannonball into a pit of despair.

Why? Because the map is not the territory, folks. So, what’s our role in this carnival of chaos?

When we set out to sway someone, to nudge them into action, we’re playing the role of the map-maker. Depending on the gig, we might be tweaking their existing map, nudging it to fit our ends.

Other times, we’re handing them a fresh map, a guide to uncharted lands they’ve never ventured into.

Here’s the juicy part: you can spin this metaphor into gold.

Craft informational products that folks will scramble to buy. These maps—your maps—can guide people from their current mess to a sunlit meadow of desirability. Strip down the complex territory to the bare bones, the key landmarks and choices that lead to the promised land.

But wait, there’s more…

Craft a map to your map. Your sales pitch? It’s a map that paves the way from problem to solution, from agony to ecstasy, from empty hands to the Holy Grail. What are the waypoints on this journey? How do you lead someone from clueless to clued-in, from indifferent to raving fan?

And then, because we’re never just satisfied with one layer of madness, create a map to the map that leads to your map. Build content that drags people from the quagmire of their dull, settled lives to a state of restless agitation.

Light a fire under their complacent asses. Propel them from the land of “meh” to the land of “must-have.

Between where your mark is now and where you want them to be, there’s a wild, untamed wilderness. So, sharpen your pencils, ink your quills, and get to work on your cartography.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Stephen Walker

Every now and then a massive tweet thread goes down on Twitter where fellow word nerds debate Quality over Quantity.

It’s like trying to prove what came first? The chicken or the egg?

Now I’d like to think that I do alright with writing and words and whatever, yet that was never the case. I was a reader as a kid. I read a lot more and never thought of myself to be a writer.

I did great in English classes. Essays were always 100% but that’s probably cause the teacher loved that I debated with them because of everything that I read.

Getting back to Twitter. Well, it’s a weird place for authors. Unless you’ve got a massive audience nobody really cares about what you write and the quality of writing you put out.

I know I put out a lot of garbage and have done so for years. Luckily as time went on. It got a lot less garbage-y.

The thing is. You need to write a lot. Write about anyone and everything. Create characters, kill them off. Write silly stories and deep poetry. Write terrible jokes and make people cringe.

The more you do it. The more you imbibe your own “style” or voice (Voice is another different topic when it comes to writing)

You need to be writing daily and you need to be doing it a lot. Not once or twice a week or month cause you’re waiting for the muse.

Anything worth doing and getting good at needs to be done a lot. You need to get through some serious quantity before you start creating quality. This applies to pretty much everything in life too.

(Keep ya mind out of the gutter…)

…but seriously.

The handful of creative friends I’ve got who get stuck just ask me the same thing over and over.

“How do I get good?”

Simple answer.

Do the work and do a lot of it. Then when you’re done. Do some more and more and more until you can’t. Then rest and then do some more.

This is a craft. Everything creative is a craft.

So get to doing the quantity so you can get to doing the quality.

Stephen Walker.