abrighterspark

I had this image sitting as my desktop calendar all last month, and I feel like it captures the quintessential cosy cottage vibes that I would love to escape to. This photo was one I took on a visit to the UK and I love how I framed the house behind the tree. Would you escape to this house in the woods?


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good morning xx

let pressure turn you to diamond, not dust ✨

wise words from strange places ✨

the first two lines of this piece were inspired by the dialogue from a character in the game Hyrule Warriors. Each character has their own purpose, with different strengths, weaknesses and uses throughout the game. It got me thinking about how we look at our own qualities and how we use that to create or discover our purpose in life.

I began writing a newsletter piece on purpose, with the idea of it being an uplifting and light piece on searching for yourself. However, within two paragraphs I could already see it becoming something more. The article turned into a deep dive on imposter syndrome and self-doubt as a creative, reflecting on how I handled my ongoing conflict with feeling like an imposter in the spaces I take up, and where this originated from. Unintentionally, I'd started on a research journey that became a thesis that became a whole project. Once it's done I still plan on sharing it, however it might take a little longer to get to a more polished place.

of all the cliches, my favourite is you ✨

poetry lurks beneath my skin // ink rising to surface, secrets spilled from within ✨

self-doubt seems to snuggle / cosy in my head / stealing all the covers / leaving self-esteem exposed instead ✨

sweet summer love ✨

here in Perth we are definitely seeing signs of an early and long summer ahead of us. what is the sky looking like where you are today?

Hi! Are you new around here? This is one of my favourite times of the year, because I get to read what YOU write. is now in its fourth year, and is where I give you 30 prompts for inspiration across the month of September.

All you need to do is tag me and use the hashtag in your posts so I can see them!

Choose whichever prompts interest you, or challenge yourself to write a poem a day. I write alongside you, and if you follow my stories, each day I reveal a little extra detail about the prompt that might help you find your writing spark.

If you want to check out how previous years went, there are highlights in my profile - or you can have a look at the posts in the hashtag.

There have been some INCREDIBLE pieces - both from new and well-established writers alike, so feel free to join in. Or, if you're a novelist/short story writer/artist/illustrator, the floor is absolutely open to you as well. I love multi-modal, spoken word and experimental pieces, if that's your jam!

Comment which prompt you're most looking forward to trying! I can't wait to read your words xx

full disclosure: i'm twenty four, but this one was dug from the archives and twenty three sounds far better with this flow 😂 However, the message still stands now... I think at seventeen, when you're on the brink of all you've ever been told to wish for, the world seems like it's truly yours for the taking. And then you hit *adulting* age and it makes less and less sense; your sense of self comes into question multiple times, and who you are at your core sometimes becomes blurry. but it'll be okay. life is just one big lesson, learning how we want to be perceived and how to perceive others for who they are as well... remember, life is full of change, and we are too. it'll be okay.



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sing me to sleep, love ✨🎶

poets: always seeing opportunity where it was missed ✨

i give up too easily / because i trust my heart / but surrendering is easier / than falling apart ✨

she followed her heart, and he followed his / until they both realised / they stood face to face ✨

the autumn to my fall ✨

occasionally, i write something i'm inexplicably attached to. maybe it's a specific line, or a feeling, or a memory it evokes. for this one, it's the feeling it gives me. i'm not quite sure if i'd describe it as sweetness, or wistfulness. it's not really hope, though i suppose it leaves a kind of anticipation for a story beyond the words. it's feels kind of... serendipitous? maybe that's not right either... help?? 😂

what word would you use to describe the feeling this piece gives you? ✨

thinking about you, thinking about her ✨

the weather rushes into winter / like a river left in flood / excited for the changes / i indulge in ruby gloves 🧤🧣

what are you reading right now? my tbr list seems to be growing faster than i can keep up, but here's a few i'm looking forward to reading soon:

✨ A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro (blind date book from the markets)
✨ The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith (the one that has been on my tbr the longest)
✨ The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (verse novel recommendation from a friend)
✨ By the River by Steven Herrick (verse novel from a panel discussion I went to)
✨ The Sun and the Star by Mark Oshiro and Rick Riordan (fun PJO spin off)

share your tbr's in the comments!

angel uncalled for ✨

i wrote this a very long time ago about second-hand embarrassment and then during a recent edit this turned into a poem about guilt instead. funny how hindsight changes your take on the emotions stored in memory ✨

tell the truth and i'll hear you out / tell me lies and you'll hear goodbye ✨

devil in disguise ✨

eyes meet, souls touch // time stops; love's lust✨

it winks at me from within / as if knows my fate / hiding secrets like i hide my heart / it glows and glitters in wait ✨

i saw this prompt from and of course i couldn't go past a poem that takes inspiration from Coldplay. Here's "yellow" for ✨

thanks to for the prompt "right where i left you" ✨

"distance makes the heart grow fonder" / has always been a lie... / distance makes the heart grow weary / of waiting on replies ✨

feeling spring 🌸 from all of you living in the northern hemisphere. i'm sure you'll start to see my autumn inspiration kick in soon enough, and you can hit me up for your bookish autumn weather vibes.

"Don't be stodgy, I implore you, dear Twenty-Four. And do be dramatic. I love dramatic things and people." - L.M. Montgomery, 'Emily's Quest' (a letter from Fourteen to herself at Twenty-Four).

So I had my 24th birthday on Wednesday, and while I never wrote to myself at this age like Emily, I did have a few things on a kind of bucket-list that I had hoped to have experienced. Some are still a work-in-progress, others I've officially ticked off and while I know milestones aren't necessarily a good way to measure your life, I do feel like these memories give me a kind of waypoint where I can look back and see moments I have taken steps in certain directions, and how those steps have brought me to my current understandings of myself and my creative journey.

This year I'm looking forward to making the most of opportunities and standing strong in my decisions, whatever they might be. I want twenty-four to be dramatic (in the nicest way possible) and full of new things and people. Twenty-four is a year to remind myself to make the most of what I've got, and follow the paths life leaves open for me.

Remember, this is my own - this is the only body i've ever known. And this year will bring more ways for it grow.

someone stop me from spending all my free time binging bridgerton, please - my poetry will thank you 😂

no, but really - sometimes i feel like i'd rather be a 19th century poet, happily tucked away in a country chateau most days while making the occasional trips to a townhouse in the city. it might feel like a remnant of the past to shift places with the seasons, but honestly? i think they might have been on to something. spending colder months surrounded by people to keep your spirits up, and the warmer months ensconced in a summer haze by yourself sounds like it balances out time with others and time with ourselves. plus, i get restless without travelling or changing scenery once in a while.

unfortunately, i'm not going to a country chateau, or a town house in Sicily (like this photo), any time soon. but i am definitely counting down the days until my next travels! where would you want to go for a creative retreat?

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