A friend just told me that she had an affair with my boyfriend.
I’m in a 17th-century mansion in my best dress.
The bouquet of pale salmon roses reflects on the glass of sparkling white wine.
Next to me, there’s a friend who just got married.
“I don’t know if I ever told you”, Alicia says. “Actually, I know that I didn’t”, she rectifies.
Such an odd introduction, don’t you think? She puts her glass on the table.
“Seven years ago, I had an affair with Mathias”. Her words are a bullet. She looks at me as if she’s not sure if she hit or miss.
Mathias is the longest relationship I’ve ever…
TBIN July Interview Questions
So here we are again with the third episode of «So You Want To Know More About Me».
Previously on…
[1] If you could go back to the beginning of your writing career, however far back that is, what is one tip you would give yourself?
Do not buy into a culture where you can’t “just write”.
Do not buy into a culture where you can’t write and do other things too.
In other words, don’t let ANYTHING prevent you from being a writer.
[2] In classic group-based ice-breakers format: “Share your name and one random fact about yourself”, how do you choose the fact to share? Do you come up with one on the spot? Does it change depending on who you’re talking to? Do you have one “go-to” answer for all of these ice-breaker situations?
It never happened to me, but I would definitely improvise. By choosing something different anytime I do.
[3] In what ways do you take care of your mental health?
Honestly, I’m not taking care of my mental health the way I’d like😅, and I’m starting to feel the consequences.
In…
Success and self-worth — in the words of Naomi Osaka.
I recently watched Netflix’s documentary on Naomi Osaka. It’s a fascinating piece of TV, almost as interesting as the woman it portrays.
Naomi Osaka is a tennis champion and a young adult who is struggling with her self-worth and mental health. She’s open about it and she’s trying to change the rules of the business. She fights for anything she believes in and she stands for who she is.
I have nothing but respect for her.
By the end of the first episode, Naomi is reflecting upon her path. She expresses her concerns on how much we relate our self-worth…
Can we have menses gone for good? Here’s why we need clarity on menstrual suppression.
Do you remember that weird term for the first period? It’s menarche, and it’s Ancient Greek.
Menarche and monarchy come from the exact same word, arché. Arché has multiple meanings in Greek. It means “origin”, “begin”. But it also means “power”, “control”.
In menarche, arché is combined with the Greek word for “month”. Literally, it is the month in which it all starts. The creation of a new human being becomes possible.
It should be the month where a woman is given power over birth. …
When you freelance for “celebrities”, the arch-villain is your self-esteem.
In this galaxy, millions of human beings believe they’re the hugest Star Wars fan out there.
My brother is one of them. I grew up in a home where May the 4th is a bank holiday, and dogs go by the name of Chewie. Call it galactic alignment, but I was at my brother’s place when I was asked to join the Resistance.
Yet, you won’t find my name credited anywhere near the movie.
What happened, you say?
The arch-villain to any freelancer: self-esteem.
#3 The one that asked me if I like spiders.
10. The one that tried and kiss me; then when I stopped him, said: “That was the right move, you’re not my type”.
9. The one that paid for 9 bottles of sparkling white wine before confessing that he was leaving on the following day for New York to meet his fiancée.
8. The one that made out with a friend of mine in a dancing club and then came to me stating that he kissed her “because he really wanted to go out with me”.
7. The one that took my number at a party and texted me “Hey…
A poem about self-doubt.
Is there eternal sunshine for the anxious minds?
Today I got my first panic attack in 5 years.
I was at an online conference in tort law. We were discussing how companies may be held liable for climate change.
In case you are not aware of it, it happened a month ago in the Netherlands where Shell, a renowned oil giant, was ordered to cut its CO2 emissions in half by 2030.
Once the last speaker finished her presentation, I texted a friend if she wanted to stop by at my place for a drink. I even put a beer emoji 🍻.
She replied, asking for time and…
Our last summer of wildness.
At the time she married, my mom had a Bassett Hound called Pluto.
My family lived in the countryside. Our neighbors owned an extensive crop plantation.
Pluto crowned himself king of the whole land. The road that led to the village became a majestic throne for his naps.
The harvest season started at the beginning of July.
In June, before the ears of wheat crumbled to the ground, the plants were tall. The perfect scenario to play hide and seek.
In the sunniest hours of the afternoon, my brother and I ran through the fields, in search of a hiding…
TBIN June Interview Questions
Or maybe you don’t want to.
But Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)’s interviews are lovely, so I will still go through her questions.
[1] As a writer, how do you come up with new ideas? How do you capture them so that they are ready when you sit down to write?
I have tons of ideas, but I’m not properly good at keeping up with them.
Reading, news, tv, chats with friends, sudden thoughts… they all contribute to stories.
I usually save a sentence/title that will remind me of the topic in a Medium draft.
I write daily, but I follow no structure nor have a schedule. I open the draft that inspires me the most and just go on with it.
Finishing a piece…
Giulia
A being. Trying to get somewhere. Probably, Mars.
