Hi everyone and welcome to another year of diaries.
These used to be called ‘Things I learned turning 30’ and ‘Things I learned turning 31’ but I don’t think that title quite fits anymore. This is just 9,000 words of my noticing things—about myself and my problems and my delights, as well as the problems and delights of the world around me—throughout the year. I record them here and there on my phone and computer and in some scribbled pads, then I pull them altogether and do a light edit for clarity.
I think some pretty clear themes come through this year. And it has reminded me how much I value this process for reflection time before taking a break and going into the new year.
I’ve just sat down and made a list of priorities and goals for 2024, and I’m going to share that process of agenda-setting with you in January’s News & Reviews Magazine.

A little ‘news’ before we get to the juicy bits.
Bookings are now open for my workshops in March 2024. In super huge and thrilling news, the guest authors joining us for the 5pm ask-me-anything cocktail hour are: Madeleine Gray, acclaimed author of Green Dot who will have just returned from her international book tour; and Gyan Yankovich, the Lifestyle Editor at The Age and Sydney Morning Herald whose first book, Just Friends is coming out in January.
I really cannot stress enough what an incredible resource it is to have done the workshops I’ve created during the day, then have these brains to pick at the end once you’ve applied the learning to your own work. If you’re looking for some way to re-commit to your writing in 2024, or sharpen your ability to generate and send pitches to editors, or polish a piece you’ve been sitting on… this weekend is it. If I wasn’t running it, I’d be doing it. Here’s something someone said last time:
‘You are very good at explaining concepts and illustrating particular points with personal anecdotes, extra text, quotes, recommendations etc. You also direct conversation well and create an open, transparent and safe space from which to foster these types of conversations because of your willingness to share so much of yourself. I appreciated so much your willingness to literally answer any and all questions, especially about the industry. Loved all the very practical and applicable tools, tips, tricks and prompts you mentioned.’
Also, Ace Hotel makes delicious food and it’s a really inspiring and beautiful space in which to learn. If you want to make a trip out of it, use the code ‘BRILEE’ for a discount. And to answer a question people keep sending me: no, sorry, I won’t be doing workshops in Melbourne or Brisbane in 2024. Only Sydney!
Bridie and I have recorded a couple of special, shorter episodes of Cool Story to go out in the December-January break. One is a summer reading special where we each talk about our summer reading plans and make recommendations. And another was actually really deep and meaningful—we each discussed our highs and lows from 2023. In other words: keep listening!
Thank you to everyone taking the time to rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts here and Spotify here). And for ‘Emackison’ who loves all the book content and asked us to make a Patreon… please just subscribe to News & Reviews, lol!
Finally, if you’re driving anywhere please be very careful on the roads. Summer death tolls are so devastating each year. Stop, revive, survive. My preferred roadtripping snacks are: Vegemite shapes, a juicy bag of cherries, and a 1.25L bottle of cheap soda water every travelling day. E Nolan shared an excellent four hour playlist here. Also, please apply sunscreen even if you’re in the car.
Okay! Housekeeping done!
2023 Diary
Met a guy called David (‘but everyone calls me Speedy’) at the caravan park in Coffs Harbour. He had angry KEEP OUT and UNDER SURVEILLANCE signs around his place, and his dog was barking at Judit from behind the chain link fence, but then the came out and both man and canine were friendly. People called him Speedy because at his old job, collecting shopping trollies for Woollies, he was so fast at it. He has a guinea pig called Russell Crowe. Two ferrets (both male so they’re in separate cages) a tortoise shell crab, a pair of lorikeets, and also a Peach Face that a guy in a neighbouring caravan had before he ‘disappeared from dementia’.
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Did the ‘molemap’ full-body scan this morning. So many people in my family have died of melanomas spreading it’s time to get real. My people are not supposed to live on these lands. I shouldn’t go outside between ten and four, and I need to ‘get checked’, as they say. The technician takes about 30 pictures of my naked body and I’m in the worst shape of my entire life. Little Christmas tum. Fresh stretch marks at my hips. My left breast hangs significantly lower than my right. There are outlines of feet on a mat on the floor and I do a routine so the camera can catch all the angles, every centimetre of my skin. Robot, Egyptian, Thinking Man. The brutally-lit photos start popping up on the screen and I flush with shame. But then as I’m sitting there, getting a once-over, just a paper gown between myself and the doctor, and she tells me she can’t see anything concerning but that they will ‘contact me within ten business days to confirm’ I just… I just... Wow. This body of mine. I want to be kinder to it. Thank it. In the elevator going back down: Thank you, body. Don’t worry about the boob thing.
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Have money
Have art
Have sex
Have a heart
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It’s finally summer and I’m in a red spaghetti strap top and white mini and I jogged 2km on a treadmill and had an excellent coffee and washed my dog and kissed my husband and went to work and life is good!
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Went away to the little cabin with the cows for the weekend. Had such a great Friday night drinking negronis while the cabin rocked from the cows scratching their butts against the corners of it. Judit did little puppy howls at them and we laughed at her. Had just started making a pot of coffee on the Saturday morning then was downed by a minor migraine. Didn’t have my medication with me. What an idiot. Ruining the weekend. They’re changing—more frequent but a bit less devastating? Vincent is unfailingly kind. Every time he is sweet to me I am awash with gratitude to him and I swear to be better to him. I am all love for him. At night we lit a fire. I was weepy, and still insecure about my body and how much Judit had ruined my productivity and now this migraine, etcetera.
I asked him, ‘Do you think it was a mistake?’
He seemed hurt by this. It didn’t come out the way I meant for it to. What did I mean?
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