Category Archives: Writing

I Want to Wear a Dress with Lemons All Over It by F.C. Malby – Sledgehammer Lit Mag

“Ready for war but not yet called up, fuelled on coffee and vodka with a lick of cynicism and delayed hope.”

My poem, I Want to Wear a Dress with Lemons All Over It, has been published in Sledgehammer Lit Mag. It was inspired by a photograph of a dress that Jill Biden wore, along with an ensuing conversation on Twitter about said dress. As a writer, I questioned why it had caused such a stir, especially because I’m not keen on the media focus on what women wear, so I played with the idea that it was the boldness of the colour and the print…

“the brazen cheer of it, the rebelliousness with which is stands out against the grey and drudge of news bulletins.”

And there began my poem….

“Somewhere there must be a place for a dress with lemons all over it, if not here, then there.“

I want to wear a dress with lemons all over it,

a bright yellow citrus burst of colour like the

pansies in the garden. The brazen cheer of it,

the rebelliousness with which it stands out

against the grey and drudge of news bulletins

and long faces, people in their houses, locked

away with slippers, computers fixed to bodies

like combat clothing. Ready for war but not yet

called up, fuelled on coffee and vodka with a lick

of cynicism and delayed hope. The blackbird sings,

establishes itself as the Beethoven among birds,

competes with the Woodlark, Thrush, Skylark and

Robin. Song that pierces the dawn, punctuating

thoughts of another day, another unsent email

dishes rising in dank sinks, laundry spills

out of baskets waiting to be slipped against

flesh or folded and stacked, but the only things

folding in these times are dreams and jobs. Doors

close as we wait for a window to chink open.

Somewhere there must be a place for a dress

with lemons all over it, if not here, then there.

This is the Year I Learn to Float

Today is the National Flash Fiction Day 10th Anniversary and I have a flash fiction piece published in their Flash Flood Journal which was chosen from 2,000 entries!

I am eight years old and this is the year I learn to float. It is the year I learn to speak Spanish, although I firmly believe floating will be more useful, especially if I want to become a magician’s assistant. You don’t need language qualifications.

“Heather?” Mum yells up the stairs. “Come down and set the table.” I wonder if I can do this by floating, but I will need more practise. She doesn’t understand magic. Not many people do. I set the table and float back upstairs, but I have to stop half way as I lose my focus.

At the dinner table, later in the evening, the conversation revolves around government policies, shopping lists and Harry’s exams. “I can levitate,” I say. Silence falls across the room. Grandpa is snoring in the corner in his rocking chair. Dad gives me an eat-your-food look and that’s all I say for the rest of the evening. At breakfast tomorrow, I will try Spanish. It will be more acceptable.

Find out more about what’s happening this weekend and beyond at National Flash Fiction Day.

You Fold Yourself into Tiny Spaces

My story has been longlisted in the Reflex Press Quarterly International Flash Fiction Awards 2021.

You fold yourself into tiny spaces, words come at you like rain. You tuck in your arms and feet – soles digging into your calves – so that the words don’t slice your limbs. You hide your competition win in case it’s seen as an indulgence, like the cakes you get for afternoon tea: Miniature, crustless cucumber sandwiches, cakes and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Saliva lines your lips as you imagine this.

You squeeze your words into shorter sentences and, sometimes, single words. Your arms sting with the folding and the tucking. The tiny spaces make her feel bigger, less threatened; more. You listen hard and speak less, reaching a point where the bird flying overhead, beyond the skylights, provides the distraction you need.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ she asks, but you know you can’t give a proper answer.

‘I forgot,’ you say, and take a swig of hot tea, the mug leaving a ring on the mat. This will be noted… continue reading at Reflex Press.

Blogging as a Writer: Why It’s Worthwhile and How to Build Up Over Time

WordPress sent me a notification this week to say that I’d published 200 posts, and they think this is worth celebrating. 200 posts! It sounds a lot, but it’s been built up over time, much like the rest of my writing.

Sometimes the task of writing a novel or putting a short story, flash fiction or poetry collection together feels vast, but these are all built up over time. Writing steadily over the months and years will help you to reach your goals.

I began blogging in 2012, before the release of my debut novel, Take Me to the Castle. It was a great way of connecting with readers and honing my skills as a writing.

The posts have been a mix of author interviews, posts about the craft of writing and personal writing news, although most of this is sent out in a newsletter.

So, why write a blog as an author? Some feel it’s a waste of writing time, but here are the benefits:

1. It builds your audience and connects you with readers, and other authors. There are many authors who follow my blog who have cheered me on, and vice versus. People can follow your blog and sign up to your mailing list. Your list will grow over time.

2. It keeps you writing regularly and forms a vital habit, especially of you are writing non-fiction. For fiction writers it’s good to switch gears, although you can also post some of your work. I’ve chosen not publish my work until it has been published in a magazine or journal, but some authors post snippets as they work on their manuscript, so that readers get a taster.

3. You get to meet some wonderful authors and editors along the way. I’ve interviewed Matt Haig and S.J. Watson, as well as short story authors and poets. I have also interviewed journal editors, which promotes their journals and gives new writers an idea of how to submit, and what editors are looking for.

4. It’s a great addition to an author website. When readers enter your website, they can find out more about you through your blog. I’ve often had interesting chats with people in the comments on blog posts and have met readers that way.

National Flash Fiction Day

I’m thrilled to share the news that my quirky little story, This is the Year I Learn to Float, which began to form at a SmokeLong Quarterly workshop, with editors, Helen Rye and Christopher Allen, will be published by National Flash Fiction Day in their Flash Flood journal at around on 26 June for National Flash Fiction Day 2021. They will be celebrating their 10th anniversary.

National Flash Fiction Day was founded in 2011 to celebrate all that is exciting and bold and, above all, brief in the world of flash-fiction, and aims to:

  • Promote flash fiction and flash fiction writers in the UK and beyond
  • Inspire new shortform writing
  • Encourage new writers and writers of other forms to explore flash fiction
  • Provide a positive, encouraging, inclusive community for flash fiction writers and readers around the globe

National Flash Fiction Day was founded by Calum Kerr, and is currently run by Santino Prinzi, Ingrid Jendrzejewski and Diane Simmons.

Keep your eyes peeled on the @nationalflashfd Twitter page for lots of flash fiction pieces published through the day on 26 June.