Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

  Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert , is one of those curious figures who seem to stride confidently into history and then promptly trip over their own shadow. For years, he was celebrated as a kind of modern-day court jester — the corporate world’s favourite satirist, a man who managed to capture the absurdities of office life with such precision that employees all over the world pinned his cartoons to their cubicle walls. He made us laugh at bureaucracy, at jargon, at the pomposity of managers who confused volume with leadership. But behind that laughter was a keen and restless intelligence — a mind fascinated by persuasion, systems, and what he liked to call “pattern recognition.” I remember reading one of his books years ago — I think it was The Dilbert Future — where he wrote something that stuck in my mind: “Genius is the ability to disguise your influences.” It’s a deceptively sharp statement, almost tossed off as an aside. Yet the more you think about it, the more it ...

  Using Writing to Create a Better, More Peaceful World Writing has always been more than an act of self-expression—it is a force of transformation. Whether through poetry, storytelling, essays, or quiet journal entries, the written word has the power to shift the way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. In an age where conflict, noise, and disconnection often dominate our daily experience, writing offers something radical: a pause, a reflection, and a bridge toward peace. The Power of Reflection Writing slows things down. When we sit before a blank page, we are given space to breathe and think. Instead of reacting to the chaos of life, we observe it. We name our feelings, our fears, and our hopes. This simple act of translating emotion into language begins to quiet the mind. Journalling, in particular, allows us to process what troubles us, turning confusion into clarity. By writing about our pain, we do not amplify it—we release it. Anger and frustration, once p...