Prologue: Welcome to The Story Grove

To the younger self whose dreams were to be a writer and finally made a home for it.

Welcome to The Story Grove 💚

When you first become an artist, you are like that rock. You're in a raw natural state with hidden gems inside. You have to dig down deep and find the emeralds tucked away inside you. And that's just the beginning.

— Shirō Nishi, Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Well you’re reading this because I pressed publish on my very first post and what a freeing, but scared sh*tless feeling. What started as a small seed of hope to find love in writing again became a weed-ridden field of ideas and eventually a maintained (sort of but exciting nonetheless) acre of potential posts to bring here.

The Story Grove is a place where documenting my stories and experiences may not have a fruitful harvest each season, but like the roots of a tree or a chapter in a book— life grows in unexpected ways. Some moments are grand, others are quiet, but all are meaningful in the larger tapestry of my journey. This space is my way of capturing these moments through my favorite things: travelling; writing; reading; and photography, and I share them to build courage in my storytelling. And who knows, it may inspire you to discover and embrace your own creative path as well.

So, welcome 🌱 I’m glad you’re here as I water these ideas without the greenest of thumbs, but with the tools and the eagerness to keep learning how to express my creative heart. Each post moving forward will be labeled as a chapter entry (always doing it for the plot plus I like to be organized to a degree) under the theme of “trees” and “sprouts”.

The Trees (Main Chapters)

You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.

— Maya Angelou

🌳 Travelling Tree: I’ll share bite-sized travel guides featuring hotels, restaurants, shops, activities, and more to inspire your next trip. You’ll also find staycation ideas for my two beloved cities: London and New York. I’m lucky to call both places home, and I’m excited to bring you along on my adventures.

🌳 Writing Tree: This is a way for me to share seeds of my writing (short stories, flash fiction, novel prompts, and creative processes) as I work towards becoming a published author.

🌳 Reading Tree: Books are a lifelong passion of mine, and I’ll share my current reads, book recommendations, bookstore finds, and potential author interviews.

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The Sprouts (Bonus Chapters)

🌱 Grove Journal: A collection of personal musings that don’t fit into any one tree, but still deserve a place to grow.

🌱 Take Shelf: (coming soon).

Let's Grow Together

Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. . . be the best of whatever you are.

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

There is no right way to read Substack posts, and my path is certainly non-linear to navigate you in a specific direction, so I invite you to explore this individually or follow the narrative that sometimes ties them all together. I may fall in love with a city creating three distinct posts about it or I may share a single post of photos on the everyday mundane. Whatever keeps you here — whether it’s for travel tips, creative insights, or literary discussions — just know there’s always a place for you to relax against a tree in this grove and leisurely read or converse each moment, chapter by chapter.

Because that’s how I plan to take my life and my writing, day by day.

Happy Reading,

Soraya P.

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About Me

Hi! I’m Soraya Pierce, a late twenties writer living in the big grove (London and NYC). I’m a lover of traveling, pilot .38 pens, fantasy books, fujifilm cameras, museums, studio ghibli, korean food, and cute-artsy trinkets.