Ady Coles
@adycoles.bsky.social
🌀Generalist - Strategy | Operations | Delivery. Inveterate thinker, micro-investor, business owner.
Lurker.
I also do #poetry.
Lurker.
I also do #poetry.
This morning, I have mostly been listening to SHEL.
Lot's of inspiration (both musical and poetic) incoming.
#amWriting #poetry
Lot's of inspiration (both musical and poetic) incoming.
#amWriting #poetry
November 21, 2025 at 12:45 PM
This morning, I have mostly been listening to SHEL.
Lot's of inspiration (both musical and poetic) incoming.
#amWriting #poetry
Lot's of inspiration (both musical and poetic) incoming.
#amWriting #poetry
Publishing a book can feel like shouting into the void. Jonathan Stanley’s experience shows that without readers, books can remain invisible.
How do you make sure your voice gets heard?
buff.ly/LzZ6w1l
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
How do you make sure your voice gets heard?
buff.ly/LzZ6w1l
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Recognition, At Last
Why Jonathan Stanley’s story is a reminder to show up for new authors.
buff.ly
November 21, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Publishing a book can feel like shouting into the void. Jonathan Stanley’s experience shows that without readers, books can remain invisible.
How do you make sure your voice gets heard?
buff.ly/LzZ6w1l
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
How do you make sure your voice gets heard?
buff.ly/LzZ6w1l
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Creative prompts don’t always yield comfortable results. What do you do when a prompt opens something difficult?
buff.ly/qpzvYsF
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
buff.ly/qpzvYsF
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
PIP: Beyond the Sea
How the subject of an earworm and it's creative output can be so different
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Creative prompts don’t always yield comfortable results. What do you do when a prompt opens something difficult?
buff.ly/qpzvYsF
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
buff.ly/qpzvYsF
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Poetic form isn’t about tradition. It’s about finding the right container for the feeling.
buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
The Ode Map | Ady Coles | Substack
Behind the poems: writing process, emotional themes, and new poetry as it takes shape. Click to read The Ode Map, by Ady Coles, a Substack publication.
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Poetic form isn’t about tradition. It’s about finding the right container for the feeling.
buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
A week of two halves.
The 1st was quiet; space to write & think. The 2nd was full of people, conversations, and shared energy.
The trick is finding balance; enough space to create, but enough collaboration to stay inspired.
"Blogging (poetic) & Unconference (epic)": buff.ly/AnkXyYQ
#weeknote
The 1st was quiet; space to write & think. The 2nd was full of people, conversations, and shared energy.
The trick is finding balance; enough space to create, but enough collaboration to stay inspired.
"Blogging (poetic) & Unconference (epic)": buff.ly/AnkXyYQ
#weeknote
Reflective breaths & Cheese-related deaths
With the GovCamp Cymru event over and done with, it’s now time to do the wrapping up. That means prepping for a retro next Friday and tying up the loose ends, finance-wise. Just wa
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 8:30 AM
A week of two halves.
The 1st was quiet; space to write & think. The 2nd was full of people, conversations, and shared energy.
The trick is finding balance; enough space to create, but enough collaboration to stay inspired.
"Blogging (poetic) & Unconference (epic)": buff.ly/AnkXyYQ
#weeknote
The 1st was quiet; space to write & think. The 2nd was full of people, conversations, and shared energy.
The trick is finding balance; enough space to create, but enough collaboration to stay inspired.
"Blogging (poetic) & Unconference (epic)": buff.ly/AnkXyYQ
#weeknote
Reposted by Ady Coles
Leaving an entire neighbourhood in Bristol with only faith-based school options fundamentally undermines fairness and parental choice. The local community is clear in its opposition. Decision makers should listen. humanists.uk/2025/11/14/r...
Save the last non-faith school in Hotwells, Bristol, from closure, Humanists UK tells DfE
Humanists UK has called on decision makers in Bristol to reject proposals to merge Hotwells Primary School, a school of no religious character, with a Church of England Primary school. If the decision...
humanists.uk
November 17, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Leaving an entire neighbourhood in Bristol with only faith-based school options fundamentally undermines fairness and parental choice. The local community is clear in its opposition. Decision makers should listen. humanists.uk/2025/11/14/r...
Constraints aren’t always a cage. The clerihew’s strict AABB rhyme scheme paired with flexible line length gave a perfect playground for quick, playful poetry. How do constraints fuel your creativity rather than block it?
buff.ly/utQJDBX
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
buff.ly/utQJDBX
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Outliers, Strays and Sudden Clerihews
When poems arrive fast and don't fit anywhere
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Constraints aren’t always a cage. The clerihew’s strict AABB rhyme scheme paired with flexible line length gave a perfect playground for quick, playful poetry. How do constraints fuel your creativity rather than block it?
buff.ly/utQJDBX
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
buff.ly/utQJDBX
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Reading retreats aren't just vacations for book lovers. They're creative ecosystems where the act of reading replenishes imagination.
Read more on The Ode Map:
buff.ly/prYHXGI
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more on The Ode Map:
buff.ly/prYHXGI
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
The Reading Retreat: Rewilding the Writer’s Mind
On how stepping away from writing can bring us back to it
buff.ly
November 17, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Reading retreats aren't just vacations for book lovers. They're creative ecosystems where the act of reading replenishes imagination.
Read more on The Ode Map:
buff.ly/prYHXGI
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more on The Ode Map:
buff.ly/prYHXGI
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
I spend 20 minutes scrolling Netflix and watch nothing. Give me live TV's 20 channels instead. For me, less choice means more freedom.
Read more: buff.ly/gP6iVGQ
#reflection #mentalHealth
Read more: buff.ly/gP6iVGQ
#reflection #mentalHealth
The Tyranny of Choice
You open Netflix. Twenty minutes later, you're still scrolling. Nothing feels right. You close the app without watching anything. My friends think I'm strange when I tell them I pr
www.adycoles.co.uk
November 16, 2025 at 2:04 PM
I spend 20 minutes scrolling Netflix and watch nothing. Give me live TV's 20 channels instead. For me, less choice means more freedom.
Read more: buff.ly/gP6iVGQ
#reflection #mentalHealth
Read more: buff.ly/gP6iVGQ
#reflection #mentalHealth
Boredom allows ordinary life to become extraordinary, by creating space for meaning to grow.
Read more in The Ode Map:
buff.ly/40NZ7Mt
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more in The Ode Map:
buff.ly/40NZ7Mt
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Boredom as a Creative Tool
Why doing nothing might be the most productive act
buff.ly
November 16, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Boredom allows ordinary life to become extraordinary, by creating space for meaning to grow.
Read more in The Ode Map:
buff.ly/40NZ7Mt
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more in The Ode Map:
buff.ly/40NZ7Mt
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Writing with metre is like writing with music in your head.
Rhythm can create a mood before the words do.
buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Rhythm can create a mood before the words do.
buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
The Ode Map | Ady Coles | Substack
Behind the poems: writing process, emotional themes, and new poetry as it takes shape. Click to read The Ode Map, by Ady Coles, a Substack publication.
buff.ly
November 15, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Writing with metre is like writing with music in your head.
Rhythm can create a mood before the words do.
buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Rhythm can create a mood before the words do.
buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Wordle 1,610 3/6
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
That turned out a lot better than the first two clues had me thinking.
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
That turned out a lot better than the first two clues had me thinking.
November 15, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Wordle 1,610 3/6
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
That turned out a lot better than the first two clues had me thinking.
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
That turned out a lot better than the first two clues had me thinking.
Unfamiliar environments spark ideas.
Cardiff City Hall, ornate and echoing, gave me a poem when I least expected it.
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/sNV1Nvz
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Cardiff City Hall, ornate and echoing, gave me a poem when I least expected it.
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/sNV1Nvz
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Sources of Creativity: Unfamiliar Environments
In a previous post - “The Creative Process” - I listed ‘Unfamiliar environments’ as a source of inspiration.
buff.ly
November 14, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Unfamiliar environments spark ideas.
Cardiff City Hall, ornate and echoing, gave me a poem when I least expected it.
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/sNV1Nvz
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Cardiff City Hall, ornate and echoing, gave me a poem when I least expected it.
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/sNV1Nvz
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Today I have been writing clerihews:
Kate Bush
Was my teenage crush.
She filled my lonely nights,
And sang “Wuthering Heights”
Nick Cave;
His lyrics are grave.
He made dirges the vogue
When he duetted with Kylie Minogue
#amWriting #poetry #poem
Kate Bush
Was my teenage crush.
She filled my lonely nights,
And sang “Wuthering Heights”
Nick Cave;
His lyrics are grave.
He made dirges the vogue
When he duetted with Kylie Minogue
#amWriting #poetry #poem
November 13, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Today I have been writing clerihews:
Kate Bush
Was my teenage crush.
She filled my lonely nights,
And sang “Wuthering Heights”
Nick Cave;
His lyrics are grave.
He made dirges the vogue
When he duetted with Kylie Minogue
#amWriting #poetry #poem
Kate Bush
Was my teenage crush.
She filled my lonely nights,
And sang “Wuthering Heights”
Nick Cave;
His lyrics are grave.
He made dirges the vogue
When he duetted with Kylie Minogue
#amWriting #poetry #poem
Songs outlive their singers. Poems outlive their poets.
Together, they build the creative lineage we inherit.
Here's my version of 'Paranoid': buff.ly/TJqbuo7
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Together, they build the creative lineage we inherit.
Here's my version of 'Paranoid': buff.ly/TJqbuo7
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Paranoid: A Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne
A poem inspired by the Black Sabbath song.
buff.ly
November 13, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Songs outlive their singers. Poems outlive their poets.
Together, they build the creative lineage we inherit.
Here's my version of 'Paranoid': buff.ly/TJqbuo7
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Together, they build the creative lineage we inherit.
Here's my version of 'Paranoid': buff.ly/TJqbuo7
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Reposted by Ady Coles
November 12, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Feeling stuck? Try recasting your subject: turn your topic into a person, an object, or a character. E.g. write anxiety as an unreliable narrator or hope as a struggling houseplant.
Read more in the Ode Map: buff.ly/VpjdaPD
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more in the Ode Map: buff.ly/VpjdaPD
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
How to Trick Your Brain into Creating Again
When inspiration dries up, stop trying to go straight through the problem. Take the scenic route instead.
buff.ly
November 12, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Feeling stuck? Try recasting your subject: turn your topic into a person, an object, or a character. E.g. write anxiety as an unreliable narrator or hope as a struggling houseplant.
Read more in the Ode Map: buff.ly/VpjdaPD
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more in the Ode Map: buff.ly/VpjdaPD
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Tip: To focus your creative energy, try construct-based prompts like acrostics or rhyme schemes. They can challenge and guide your writing in exciting directions.
More tips in The Ode Map: buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
More tips in The Ode Map: buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
The Ode Map | Ady Coles | Substack
Behind the poems: writing process, emotional themes, and new poetry as it takes shape. Click to read The Ode Map, by Ady Coles, a Substack publication.
buff.ly
November 11, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Tip: To focus your creative energy, try construct-based prompts like acrostics or rhyme schemes. They can challenge and guide your writing in exciting directions.
More tips in The Ode Map: buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
More tips in The Ode Map: buff.ly/41I1yC4
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Poetry can evolve in surprising ways. What started as a fun acrostic inspired by the song "Salute" by Little Mix ended up as a political satire.
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/j9sPWFa
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/j9sPWFa
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Salute: From PIP to Poem
Authority, charisma, and an anthem of control
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Poetry can evolve in surprising ways. What started as a fun acrostic inspired by the song "Salute" by Little Mix ended up as a political satire.
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/j9sPWFa
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/j9sPWFa
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Social media can be a source of curated randomness. Prompt challenges and creative exercises can break your routine and introduce innovation. Have you tried leveraging prompts from social media?
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/cUmbZhl
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/cUmbZhl
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Sources of Creativity: Randomness
Practical ways to let randomness fuel your work
buff.ly
November 9, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Social media can be a source of curated randomness. Prompt challenges and creative exercises can break your routine and introduce innovation. Have you tried leveraging prompts from social media?
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/cUmbZhl
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Read more in The Ode Map: buff.ly/cUmbZhl
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
November 8, 2025 at 4:03 PM
The hardest spaces to map are where nothing seems to be happening. Creative blocks aren’t stops; they’re foggy crossroads where the clarity hasn’t arrived yet.
See how to master the blank page in The Ode Map: buff.ly/5qB3ofN
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
See how to master the blank page in The Ode Map: buff.ly/5qB3ofN
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
The Blank Page: The Quiet Between Posts
On waiting for the map to redraw itself
buff.ly
November 8, 2025 at 10:15 AM
The hardest spaces to map are where nothing seems to be happening. Creative blocks aren’t stops; they’re foggy crossroads where the clarity hasn’t arrived yet.
See how to master the blank page in The Ode Map: buff.ly/5qB3ofN
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
See how to master the blank page in The Ode Map: buff.ly/5qB3ofN
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
AI helped me design my Substack content strategy.
It didn’t decide - it advised.
Where could a second opinion improve your writing system?
buff.ly/W2ztxxp
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
It didn’t decide - it advised.
Where could a second opinion improve your writing system?
buff.ly/W2ztxxp
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
Using AI in Creative Writing
General thoughts on the use of AI to support creative writing
buff.ly
November 7, 2025 at 8:45 AM
AI helped me design my Substack content strategy.
It didn’t decide - it advised.
Where could a second opinion improve your writing system?
buff.ly/W2ztxxp
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
It didn’t decide - it advised.
Where could a second opinion improve your writing system?
buff.ly/W2ztxxp
#amWriting #writingAboutWriting #poetry
"🎶 All you ever do is talk, talk 🎶"
And all I seemingly ever do is talk about the talk. But now that I've given the talk, let that be the end of it (until the next talk).
Read about it (and some other things) in "Mind the Gap & a well-earned nap": buff.ly/SFZSief
#weeknote #publicSpeaking
And all I seemingly ever do is talk about the talk. But now that I've given the talk, let that be the end of it (until the next talk).
Read about it (and some other things) in "Mind the Gap & a well-earned nap": buff.ly/SFZSief
#weeknote #publicSpeaking
Mind the Gap & a well-earned nap
I don’t have a great deal to report this week. I spent most of it either preparing for, or presenting, my talk - “Mind the Gap: Building a Bridge between Strategy and Delivery” - a
buff.ly
November 6, 2025 at 10:15 AM
"🎶 All you ever do is talk, talk 🎶"
And all I seemingly ever do is talk about the talk. But now that I've given the talk, let that be the end of it (until the next talk).
Read about it (and some other things) in "Mind the Gap & a well-earned nap": buff.ly/SFZSief
#weeknote #publicSpeaking
And all I seemingly ever do is talk about the talk. But now that I've given the talk, let that be the end of it (until the next talk).
Read about it (and some other things) in "Mind the Gap & a well-earned nap": buff.ly/SFZSief
#weeknote #publicSpeaking
Order Book of Lives, Margaret Atwood's memoir (of sorts) and enjoy an extra 10% off with code LIVES from @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social during November: buff.ly/DiYUChn
November 6, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Order Book of Lives, Margaret Atwood's memoir (of sorts) and enjoy an extra 10% off with code LIVES from @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social during November: buff.ly/DiYUChn