writing
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A review of Fiona Gibson’s The Woman Who Got Her Spark Back Eyes on the shelves, scanning for my next read, I knew I was searching for something optimistic. The books already placed on my bookshelf promised struggle, sadness and no guarantee of a happy ending. To crush the hopelessness I was feeling, I needed…
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In April, I came out of a three and a half year relationship that I had been in since I was 16. It’s now August and I’m putting myself on the dating scene for the first time ever as an adult. Turns out, it’s brought up so many questions and so much confusion within me…
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I’m not typically a series binger, but Sex and the City has had me locked. I love the excitement and optimism of 90s sitcoms, and I want to emulate that hopeful, joyous feeling I get when I watch them throughout my life. Days of freedom, opportunity and enrichment are everywhere in these shows, and I’ve…
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I’ve been thinking about all the things I could be capable of if I wasn’t held back by an element of fear. Anxiety about what other people might say and worry that I’ll be bad at something, embarrassing myself for even trying. I think this is what stops so many ambitious and talented people from…
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I’ve been using a journal prompt randomiser lately to see what feelings need to come up for me, and today’s question was ‘when was the last time you felt shame.’ Shame is an emotion I’ve found has acted as a looming cloud above me as I’ve worked to get better, and although I’m so proud…
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I really love the quote, “you can’t heal in the same environment that made you sick”, and although it doesn’t fully resonate because I haven’t got any serious trauma from this place, I feel this way every time I return to my hometown. I began experiencing anxiety this time around the moment I got on…
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Welcome to Love is in the Pen, my new literature and book review series! I grew up watching Jennette McCurdy almost every day and I fell in love with her Nickelodeon character, Sam Puckett, instantly. It was only upon the release of her incredible and raw 2022 memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, that I…
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Trust me. The amount of times I’ve had a little lie down and some phone time before my evening plans, and then absolutely dreaded getting back up, is crazy. I’m a committee member for two societies at uni, which means I have at least two evening weekday plans per week. I love my social life…
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I’ve been in the ‘alternative’ scene for years, exploring different subcultures and trying new things. I’m stylistically inquisitive and always on the lookout for new ideas, but for years I was stuck in a mindset of not feeling ‘goth’ enough, comparing myself to people online. I always thought if I wore a colour that wasn’t…
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Alongside my new year’s resolutions, I like to have some ins and outs to refer back to. I tried to think holistically about 2025, isolating some items or behaviours that impacted my life, both positively and negatively! My 2026 is about self-growth and progression with my writing. I want to balance being young, getting to…
Diary of a Happy Goth 