“…sweat kept trickling down my collarbone, forming a tributary somewhere at the bottom of my bra. LOW-LYING AREAS WILL FLOOD FIRST.” Love the sprinkling of humour throughout this piece.

I’m back after a long break that I took for no particular reason…

Experimenting with posca markers, so I was drawing soap bubbles for fun, and I think I unintentionally Van-Goghed a section of this

Been in a somewhat low mood lately and AWOL from social media. I’m ok now, but how do I catch up on all the great stories I’ve missed in the meantime?

“The more I stared at the idea, the stronger and more fanciful it became.” — I love how this micro juxtaposes “us” and “I.” Such a subtle meditation on loss of autonomy and identity in a relationship.

“There is a new mouth on my arm. I move its lips and it says, “Sad. Sad. Bad. Sad. Bad. Mad.” If scars could talk, they’d tell you where you were going. I loved the air of apprehension in this story — fearing the inevitable. What a ride (and ending), Sumitra.

Thrilled to be on the longlist! Thank you Expo Team for all you’ve done for this piece. ♥️ Congrats to everyone on the longlist and Top 50.

“I told myself it was temporary. I would soon be back on my own two feet.” - I told myself this too. That it would pass, and I could have a “normal”-ish existence again. It didn’t happen - I used to think of it as a lost decade, of waiting, but now I think of it as time that I needed.

“But in the long nights she will listen to the sad wailing of the freight train and she will dream on and on” - two journeys, one physical, one emotional, in this gorgeous story “She Sleeps to the Sound of the Night Train” by @bronwengriffiths.bsky.social

Not to sound too “Gone Girl”-ish, but sometimes I think I want to poke at Sumitra’s brain and find out how she comes up with the stories she does… Anyway, this one is brilliant. A must read.

This hits hard, especially if you were a version of “Marissa” yourself. Ah, the guilt of making your mother’s life miserable because you can’t understand what’s going on with you or how the world works.

“One big bang can start a universe” - I can already tell this story will stay with me a while. The universe of possibilities as described by @jenwithwords.bsky.social.

Until we remember Keith Morrison, his baritone warning, it’s always the friend, the boyfriend, the husband, it’s always someone you know.” The oppressive, omnipresent fear as described by @kelliborges2.bsky.social

“All she knows is that she loves being out here on the road, the recklessness of it.” Love the tension and inner conflict that simmers just beneath the surface in this story by @bronwengriffiths.bsky.social in #nffd25.

I found a tiny bat hanging from my door frame, so this is, uh, very topical. Delightfully absurd tale from @stillsquirrel.bsky.social in #nffd25. If bats did write poetry, what would they write about? 🤔

Back from physiotherapy and I’m Horatio with a (disguised) limp now. Lovely piece, Matt. I love how you use colour and imagery to emphasise both the sameness of Horatio world and the yearning for difference.

This piece has so many layers. You find something new on each read. @pleomorphic2.bsky.social — (flash?) queen of turning the weird into the sublime.

An epochal event from the past tied to one we are all living through. I already know I’ll be coming back to this one again and again @gilloshaughnessy.bsky.social

It’s here! My first (but, hopefully, not last) appearance in FlashFlood.

Very satisfying ending… had me nodding approvingly.

The shit I’ve written hopped up on painkillers and muscle relaxants. I feel sorry for journals everywhere.

Back after an extended… break thanks to me throwing out my back. God, please, never again. I’ll exercise like my life depends on it.

I’ve very belatedly discovered an incredible short story collection. The voice and sense of place in every story. www.goodreads.com/book/show/30...

Note to self: don’t set an unsolved murder in Scotland

Literal last minute entry (not kidding - I got my submission in at 23:58) but I’m pleased to say I’ll be floating in the flood with my story “The Wish” on June 14th.

For some reason, I’ve only been able to write between midnight and 4 am for the last couple of weeks, which is, I guess, not the healthiest writing practice.

It’s migraine day for me, but happy valentine’s everyone!

The multiple PoV shifts that never jar and work to build tension… oh, this is a gem.

Working on a story that contains tarot elements, and help, I’ve grown obsessed 😭

Holy…! This one is a stunner.

Oh this is excellent. And the letter referenced towards the end made me tear up…

I wonder if I should divide my writing into eras like I’m some kinda pop star because how (and why) do I have an entirely different voice every six months?

I love stories that play with form. The buildup to that last line tho.

I love it when stories have a strong sense of place. It makes you believe this story could be only told here, and only in this form. And to do it all in 100 words!

A one sentence marvel. No frills, just going straight for the gut.

First ever nom. So excited! Thank you, Expo team.

It’s interesting how i interpreted the first sentence one way the first time I read it, and another way the second time around. Absolute stunner.

I love this story on so many levels, but most because, I, a heavy-brained being, absolutely adore slugs! Wise little creatures.

Catching up on all the pieces and oh, I love it when the title does a lot. The voice in this piece though - a child’s PoV just bounces off the page. So good!

That last sentence… wow.

Ah so good. I’ve read it five times and you catch something different every time.

First painting in a while.

Looking through my notes app and turns out I wrote a whole poem one night a couple of weeks ago that I forgot about the next morning! Kinda bitter tbh - apparently I can write a poem in my sleep but prose has been like pulling teeth lately.

Haven’t been writing by hand for a while and it seems impossible to find a pen with a good grip that doesn’t make my fingers hurt.