My final words for the year, as we wave goodbye to the year of the Wood Snake, and all the hardship and shedding that came with it.

I propose a year of HAPPINESS ahead. In the podcast I talk about the themes of the upcoming retreats, my personal revelations about happiness, and its links to creativity.

Do we want to stay stuck and jaded in grief and anger cycles that continue to fuel hatred...

Or do we want to choose a happier, healthier world? It starts with US.

There's more in my recent Substack: https://substack.com/@heartwriting/note/p-181950926

Finally, a decent update from me — learn about my last few months, moving to northern beaches Sydney, my recent engagement in Bali, my latest writing projects, my incredible students, and what’s coming next in HeartWriting. If you haven’t met me yet — hi! I’m Rose, the founder of HeartWriting. I teach people how to open their hearts and write stunning words. I teach writing courses online, plus international and Australian writing retreats. I’m an ex English teacher and magazine editor. I studied a master’s in creative writing 2017-2019. This is after years of working as a creative writing specialist in schools: testing out my very alternative methods on all my senior students who became effortless writers in my hippie af classroom. They will still remember my incense, candles, beach writing excursions and creativity “shrines”. Fun facts about me — I’m Scorpio as f*** and I love a good dose of 90s grunge music. I’m not really into numbers and astrology and psychic readings. It’s not that I don’t believe in them, I just love watching the magic of life unfold on its own. I can’t wait to meet you — I can feel your energy from here. Energy I can do. 🤍🌹 #heartwriting #writingcommunity #writingistherapy #writingprompts #sydneyyoga #writingchallenge #writingtips #australianauthors #northernbeachessydney #creativesofsydney #sydneycreatives

In this episode, Rose Mascaro talks with Katie Rose — founder of Bhakti Rose and author of Yoni Codes — about merging technology with creativity and heart-led business. They share candidly about writing from the heart, while also using AI as a tool for business and writing. Learn about the pitfalls of outsourcing your voice, and how to use modern tools like ChatGPT without losing your soul.

Rose's Tips for Using ChatGPT Better/ More Ethically:

1. Use ChatGPT for planning. Map out your book outline, chapter ideas, or character arcs. Ask:

• “Give me 10 possible chapter titles for a memoir about my travels in South America.”

• "Tell me how my storyline can be improved to create a suspenseful narrative arc."

• "Give me a timeline and plan on how to finish my book."

(Don't get it to write your book proposal. It will be shitty at best. Go and see Rose about that.)

2. Ask good questions. The better your prompt, the better the result. Be specific.

• Instead of “Write about meditation,” ask: “Write a 200-word reflection on how meditation helps with writer’s block, in a warm, conversational tone.”

3. Use it for writing prompts, grammar checks, or brainstorming — not to replace your voice.

• Ask ChatGPT to generate 5 opening lines for your scene, then freewrite your own first paragraph inspired by one of them.

4. Avoid overuse of punctuation (especially em dashes) and repetitive sentence styles (like too many ‘rules of three’). ChatGPT loves rhythm and drama taken from other famous author styles — but you’ll need to refine for your own style.

• Paste a paragraph in and ask: “Highlight where I’ve overused em dashes or trios.” Then rewrite it in your own style.

5. Beware of exaggerated, inauthentic tone. AI tends to overdo enthusiasm or drama. Dial it back to sound more real.

• Tip: If the draft sounds like a motivational poster, rewrite it in your natural voice.

6. Teach it to do tasks, but never trust it blindly — always cross-check.

• If it gives you a historical fact or a quote, double-check with a reputable source (cross-reference two actual books) before including it in your work.

7. Remember: it doesn’t always know the answer. Treat it as a brainstorming partner, not a teacher.

8. Use it as a mirror. Paste in a page of your writing and ask: “Where is this repetitive or unclear?” Take its notes as suggestions, not rules.

9. Experiment with style practice. Ask it to rewrite a paragraph in the style of Hemingway, Morrison, or Garner — then notice the techniques, and try them yourself.

10. Break through blocks with timed prompts.

• Ask: “Give me a prompt to write for 5 minutes on the theme of longing.” Then put ChatGPT aside and just write.

11. Keep a balance between input and output. Don’t let endless ChatGPT tinkering replace time on the page.

• Use a timer: 10 minutes max with ChatGPT, then 30 minutes of your own writing.

12. Use it to play editor, not author.

• Ask: “Point out where this paragraph is too verbose.” Then you decide what to cut.

13. Do not, I repeat, do not run your whole book, or whole chapters, through it for editing.

Just a sentence or a paragraph at most. It will ruin things, remove things, repeat things, or copy your work.

Hope these tips are helpful! Send through any extras on @heartwriting.com.au.

This gorgeous and soft meditation was filmed during a class last summer, and on rediscovering it, I just had to upload it to the podcast. You can watch the video if you sign up for the Ten Days of HeartWriting course, which is the perfect intro program for writers. Or get loads more of this – plus all the academic lessons and editing program – in the Level 1 and Level 2 HeartWriting workshops. www.heartwriting.com.au/workshops

Today I felt called to record a meditation while in the middle of the forest. Here it is.

The sun shone on my face and I could finally feel my heart opening after a particularly cold and cocoon-like winter. Spirit connected with me, and this meditation (for creatives) spilled out.

It feels nice to connect with you all again after a couple of months off. Let me know how you go in the meditation: I'd love to hear from you. You've all been so quiet lately! (And so have I!)

I've been integrating all the magic of the Bali Writing Retreat, and making space and softness to call in the next one. Two, actually – one in Bali, and one in Blue Mountains booked for February. Something about writing retreats is feeling really good, really right, alongside my online course curriculum.

I'd also love to hear how you are going. What you've been doing. What has felt hard this year? What are you yearning for? I know, I know – the energy hasn't been particularly conducive for creatives this year. It's a shame, but let's rectify that.

Say hi on Instagram. Check out the retreats on www.heartwriting.com.au/retreats

Enjoy your special peek into the closing class of the HeartWriting Retreat held in Ubud, Bali in July 2025. This class is not to be missed!

To book next year, head to www.heartwriting.com.au/baliretreat or join the level 1 HeartWriting course, accessible for all, anytime, online: https://heartwriting.com.au/signature-workshop/

In this episode, I reflect on the first ever HeartWriting Retreat held in Ubud, Bali — thirteen women, four days, a jungle full of rain, and something sacred we couldn’t have planned if we tried.

I take you behind the scenes: from the Agni Hotra fire ceremony where we cracked coconuts (and our egos) wide open, to the Shamanic healing workshops where women wrote the truest sentences of their lives, to the sound healing session where a tropical downpour turned into an unexpected symphony that none of us will ever forget.

This wasn’t just a writing retreat – it was a remembering, a ceremony, a beginning. And something in me clicked into place — a big, quiet yes to the next chapter of this work.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when women gather to write, to heal, and to be fully seen, this is that story.

In this spontaneous travel episode, I’m coming to you from my princess bed in Ubud, Bali – surrounded by jungle sounds, mosquito nets, and the soft swirl of pre-retreat solitude. This is my little “retreat before the retreat,” and after weeks (okay, months) of go-go-go, I’m finally landing in myself, in the truth of what it means to be a writer who’s also very human.

I share a few raw reflections about the pressures we put on ourselves when we travel — to be present, to be productive, to document it all perfectly. But what happens when the words don’t come easily? What happens when you don’t write the book you planned to write? Can we still call it writing when it's quiet and private, when it’s healing, when it’s just for us?

This episode is a voice note to my community — with the hum of the jungle behind me and total honesty in front. If you’ve ever wrestled with creative guilt, or felt unsure how to hold space for yourself while chasing your dreams, this one’s for you.

Let’s embrace the imperfect writer. Let’s remember: you don’t have to turn every beautiful moment into a story… sometimes the real magic is in living it.