Mike Scantlebury writes stories, novels, plays and songs. His work is on the internet in a variety of sites, some of which he has set up himself. With many years experience of working with ordinary people in a variety of community settings, he has much to say about the state of the world.

So, what's it to be, young man? Why, you could be a famous sports personality, a singer or creative artist, all without work or effort. You could be rich, famous, an expert in your field, and all with...

Children love fairy stories, tall tales of short elves and beautiful maidens. Is it fair to shatter their illusions and puncture their dreams? Certainly not! But what if that 'child' is 21, or 41, or ...

Life is so unpredictable. Just when you were pretty sure that all swans were white, someone goes off and discovers Australia, where swans can be found that are black. No one was expecting that. Likewi...

Every day is an adventure and every road we go down gives us a choice, which way to go next. What would you choose, good or bad, right or wrong, the worst or the best. Let's look at a few examples and...

Why should we do what's good for us? Well, apparently, we don't. Despite all the good intentions in the world, not everyone is convinced that medicating the water supply is the best way to treat peopl...

Every artist has a hero, someone they admired when younger and then set out to emulate. But do they copy the person or just follow in their footsteps? If you want to go the way of William Shakespeare ...

As the age of Traditional Publishing draws to an end, authors are finding that the internet can now meet all their needs, for getting published and being heard. Writers make contact with readers throu...

Why prepare? After all, a lot of famous people are renowned for being able to 'wing it', coming up with the goods off the top of their heads. Isn't it good to be spontaneous? Why not copy the rich and...

We are who we think we are. Are we? Or are we who we say we are? Or, more accurately, we seem to be whom we pretend to be. That's good, surely, making out you're more than you are; more important; mor...

What's all this 'positive' stuff? Why do we have to keep smiling? What's this obsession with always looking on the bright side. Maybe there are other world views, and this article points you in that d...

We all get above ourselves, sometimes. We think we're pretty smart, pretty important, but as one successful entrepreneur likes to say, really we're just 'insignificant worms'. Actually, as the author ...

Scientists are funny people. They're not content with knowing what they can see with their own eyes: they want to know 'why'. That's great, it's the foundation of modern civilisation, but not so helpf...

You want to write a book and see it in print? So who do you think is going to help you? Not your 'friends'. Not the people who like you as you are and don't want to see you change. Not the people who ...

Bad things happen to bad people, don't they say? If people get tortured, it must be their fault, right? Nobody is going to break your legs without a good reason. Probably. On the other hand, if you ha...

Who are these people, speeding down the highway, overtaking dangerously and threatening lives and property? One thing is certain: they aren't successful in any other part of their lives, apart from bu...