Judy Darley
@judydarley.bsky.social
Writer & daydreamer living by the Somerset coast. Author of fiction collections #TheStairsAreASnowcappedMountain, #SkyLightRain (https://bit.ly/3zlfK7Q) & #RememberMeToTheBees. Workshop leader/journalism/brand engagement.
Walking at the seafront I spied this oddity.
A prehistoric omelette? A death mask from an unknown civilisation?
No, a desiccated ray, complete with cavities where eyes once stared & a tail of spines.
What a marvel of evolution, and a fabulous #writingprompt. judydarley.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/w...
A prehistoric omelette? A death mask from an unknown civilisation?
No, a desiccated ray, complete with cavities where eyes once stared & a tail of spines.
What a marvel of evolution, and a fabulous #writingprompt. judydarley.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/w...
November 21, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Walking at the seafront I spied this oddity.
A prehistoric omelette? A death mask from an unknown civilisation?
No, a desiccated ray, complete with cavities where eyes once stared & a tail of spines.
What a marvel of evolution, and a fabulous #writingprompt. judydarley.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/w...
A prehistoric omelette? A death mask from an unknown civilisation?
No, a desiccated ray, complete with cavities where eyes once stared & a tail of spines.
What a marvel of evolution, and a fabulous #writingprompt. judydarley.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/w...
Reposted by Judy Darley
"I feel like I'm trapped within a crystal box" by Barbara Schoeberl @BarbaraLS.bsky.social is today's 75-word #story on Paragraph Planet paragraphplanet.com #writingcommunity #amwriting
Creative writing website for authors and readers. 75 words, changing daily. Submit your
paragraph today.
A flash fiction website for writers and readers. One 75 word tale published daily. Plus author interviews and writing group map
paragraphplanet.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:00 AM
"I feel like I'm trapped within a crystal box" by Barbara Schoeberl @BarbaraLS.bsky.social is today's 75-word #story on Paragraph Planet paragraphplanet.com #writingcommunity #amwriting
Wow, this is so poignant. Fierce imagery I’ll carry with me, like the river @stephieosaurus.bsky.social describes. And that last line… 😍
Excited to share that I have a piece out in the beautiful new issue of @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social today! gooseberry-pie.com/anyone-who-f...
Anyone Who Falls Does Not Drown but Decays1 - Gooseberry Pie Lit Magazine
Photo by Peter Robbins on Unsplash by Stephanie Frazee I am kayaking with my son on the river that once caught fire and has never been allowed another personality, has only been judged in terms of pro...
gooseberry-pie.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Wow, this is so poignant. Fierce imagery I’ll carry with me, like the river @stephieosaurus.bsky.social describes. And that last line… 😍
Some days we are the teddy bear in the cosy embrace of a loved one. Sometimes we are that same bear, lost and drenched, slumped on a park bench. Oh, I cannot think for the sound of rain 💧💧💧
November 14, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Some days we are the teddy bear in the cosy embrace of a loved one. Sometimes we are that same bear, lost and drenched, slumped on a park bench. Oh, I cannot think for the sound of rain 💧💧💧
Two gorgeous glimpses: stepped out of my house to the flap of a red admiral butterfly. What's it doing out in November? And from the Land Yeo riverbank a blur of emerald green – kingfisher!
November 11, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Two gorgeous glimpses: stepped out of my house to the flap of a red admiral butterfly. What's it doing out in November? And from the Land Yeo riverbank a blur of emerald green – kingfisher!
#foundpoem each bird name a flick of a call or whisking wing 🪶
Birding Highlights from today's walk: Ravens, posing Jackdaw, Great White Egret, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzards, Siskins, Reed Bunting, Little and GC Grebes, Tufted Ducks, Skeins of Pink-footed Geese, Cetti's, Meadow Pipit, GSWoodpecker, Redwings, Fieldfare , Mistle Thrush #ukbirding
October 29, 2025 at 9:33 AM
#foundpoem each bird name a flick of a call or whisking wing 🪶
When I heard about Dorset's Wind Phone, I was instantly intrigued. The concept is of a phone box where we can have conversations with the people no longer with us. Have you ever thought, if only I could speak to them, just one more time…?
Find out more here: judydarley.wordpress.com/2025/10/20/c...
Find out more here: judydarley.wordpress.com/2025/10/20/c...
Creative prompt – tell it to the wind
Dorset’s first wind phone invites us to connect and heal.
judydarley.wordpress.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:54 AM
When I heard about Dorset's Wind Phone, I was instantly intrigued. The concept is of a phone box where we can have conversations with the people no longer with us. Have you ever thought, if only I could speak to them, just one more time…?
Find out more here: judydarley.wordpress.com/2025/10/20/c...
Find out more here: judydarley.wordpress.com/2025/10/20/c...
Did you enter Clevedon LitFest's Flash Fiction Award? Or do you just love stories?
The award ceremony is at the #CelebrationOfTheBook, Sat11Oct, 12pm, Prince's Hall, Clevedon. It's open to the public free of charge, beside a hall full of books and more! www.clevedonlitfest.org.uk/celebration-...
The award ceremony is at the #CelebrationOfTheBook, Sat11Oct, 12pm, Prince's Hall, Clevedon. It's open to the public free of charge, beside a hall full of books and more! www.clevedonlitfest.org.uk/celebration-...
October 9, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Did you enter Clevedon LitFest's Flash Fiction Award? Or do you just love stories?
The award ceremony is at the #CelebrationOfTheBook, Sat11Oct, 12pm, Prince's Hall, Clevedon. It's open to the public free of charge, beside a hall full of books and more! www.clevedonlitfest.org.uk/celebration-...
The award ceremony is at the #CelebrationOfTheBook, Sat11Oct, 12pm, Prince's Hall, Clevedon. It's open to the public free of charge, beside a hall full of books and more! www.clevedonlitfest.org.uk/celebration-...
10 tips for writing winning poetry from Mslexia's editor Debbie Taylor. They work brilliantly for #flashfiction too 😉
Top tip: surprise your reader!
mslexia.co.uk/magazine/blo...
Top tip: surprise your reader!
mslexia.co.uk/magazine/blo...
October 8, 2025 at 7:15 AM
10 tips for writing winning poetry from Mslexia's editor Debbie Taylor. They work brilliantly for #flashfiction too 😉
Top tip: surprise your reader!
mslexia.co.uk/magazine/blo...
Top tip: surprise your reader!
mslexia.co.uk/magazine/blo...
My story Rib-stitch has found a home with the friendliest ear rat you could hope to meet! Thanks, ear rat team 😍👂🐀🧤
NOW--
Judy Darley @judydarley.bsky.social hits us in the feel bone with her microfiction "Rib-stitch"
you ever go walking down the street when its really cold and you start thinkin about your life and you look up at the grey sky and you feel overwhel
YOU GET THE IDEA
Judy Darley @judydarley.bsky.social hits us in the feel bone with her microfiction "Rib-stitch"
you ever go walking down the street when its really cold and you start thinkin about your life and you look up at the grey sky and you feel overwhel
YOU GET THE IDEA
Rib-stitch
A micro fiction about gloves, I think? By Judy Darley
earrat.com
September 29, 2025 at 4:10 PM
My story Rib-stitch has found a home with the friendliest ear rat you could hope to meet! Thanks, ear rat team 😍👂🐀🧤
I have a new site! Got tired of Fasthost's escalating fees and ineptitude so it was time for a fresh start. You can take a peek here: judydarley.wordpress.com
Judy Darley
Author, storyteller, creative
judydarley.wordpress.com
September 24, 2025 at 6:59 AM
I have a new site! Got tired of Fasthost's escalating fees and ineptitude so it was time for a fresh start. You can take a peek here: judydarley.wordpress.com
Chuffed to have my story 'Dog Brother' featured in Querencia's Summer 2025 issue. TBH my twisted fairytale has more of an autumnal feel to it, making this the ideal time to read it! www.querenciapress.com
September 5, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Chuffed to have my story 'Dog Brother' featured in Querencia's Summer 2025 issue. TBH my twisted fairytale has more of an autumnal feel to it, making this the ideal time to read it! www.querenciapress.com
Weather changes fast at the coast – I heard the raindrops rumble over Poets' Walk as I strolled beneath the first trees, Moments later damp teens surrounded me, seeking shelter.
A fraction earlier I was on that walkway surrounded by the Marine Lake's captured waves.
A fraction earlier I was on that walkway surrounded by the Marine Lake's captured waves.
September 4, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Weather changes fast at the coast – I heard the raindrops rumble over Poets' Walk as I strolled beneath the first trees, Moments later damp teens surrounded me, seeking shelter.
A fraction earlier I was on that walkway surrounded by the Marine Lake's captured waves.
A fraction earlier I was on that walkway surrounded by the Marine Lake's captured waves.
Seeking homes for some stories and doing a trawl of lit mag submission calls. I've found mags seeking flash from 500-1000 words and short stories from 2000-3000 words. What about the fiction that sits in between? Where does that fit??
a little girl is crawling into a pink suitcase in a bedroom .
ALT: a little girl is crawling into a pink suitcase in a bedroom .
media.tenor.com
September 2, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Seeking homes for some stories and doing a trawl of lit mag submission calls. I've found mags seeking flash from 500-1000 words and short stories from 2000-3000 words. What about the fiction that sits in between? Where does that fit??
Very happy to have my story 'A Haircut is a Poem' included in the first issue of dif writers' dif megazine. It's on sale for £12.50, which includes free UK shipping: www.bedif.org/product-page...
August 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Very happy to have my story 'A Haircut is a Poem' included in the first issue of dif writers' dif megazine. It's on sale for £12.50, which includes free UK shipping: www.bedif.org/product-page...
Look at this beautiful #bookpost from @troutiemcfish.bsky.social via @northodoxpress.bsky.social. What an enticing cover! Can't wait to dive into 'The Blue of You' 😀
August 7, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Look at this beautiful #bookpost from @troutiemcfish.bsky.social via @northodoxpress.bsky.social. What an enticing cover! Can't wait to dive into 'The Blue of You' 😀
Reposted by Judy Darley
Submissions open 1st October 2025 ... celebrating 15 years of Pure Slush publishing ...
pureslush.com/submissions/...
pureslush.com/submissions/...
Fifteen Pure Slush Vol. 24 – celebrating 15 years of publishing
Celebrating 15 years of Pure Slush publishing … Pure Slush turns 15 in December 2025. Submissions for Fifteen Pure Slush Vol. 24 will open 1st October 2025. We will be accepting submissions o…
pureslush.com
June 8, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Submissions open 1st October 2025 ... celebrating 15 years of Pure Slush publishing ...
pureslush.com/submissions/...
pureslush.com/submissions/...
I'm still buzzing from the amazingness that is @flashficfestuk.bsky.social & in the mood for reading lots of flash! As a judge for Clevedon LitFest's 2025 Flash Fiction Award, I'm sharing some story prompts. You can enter the competition & discover prompts 1 to 4 here: www.clevedonlitfest.org.uk
Clevedon Litfest events literary festival north somerset
The Litfest is a destination for quality cultural offerings for everyone here in Clevedon, for our visitors, and for the residents of North Somerset and Bristol.
www.clevedonlitfest.org.uk
July 22, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I'm still buzzing from the amazingness that is @flashficfestuk.bsky.social & in the mood for reading lots of flash! As a judge for Clevedon LitFest's 2025 Flash Fiction Award, I'm sharing some story prompts. You can enter the competition & discover prompts 1 to 4 here: www.clevedonlitfest.org.uk
What a beautiful weekend at the @flashficfestuk.bsky.social, at Trinity College, Bristol, reuniting with old friends and making new ones, listening to the forest (and the karaoke!), and being inspired to write write write. Thanks to @judehiggins.bsky.social and the team ♥️
July 21, 2025 at 7:43 AM
What a beautiful weekend at the @flashficfestuk.bsky.social, at Trinity College, Bristol, reuniting with old friends and making new ones, listening to the forest (and the karaoke!), and being inspired to write write write. Thanks to @judehiggins.bsky.social and the team ♥️
Reposted by Judy Darley
Ahead of a new story of mine on BBC radio four, you can listen (should you wish) to a couple of other pieces of mine. Together they'll make a loose folk horrorish trilogy. here's The Death of Wildflowers:
BBC Radio 4 - Short Works, The Death of Wildflowers
A short story from Scottish writer Helen McClory marking the primal shift of the seasons.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 16, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Ahead of a new story of mine on BBC radio four, you can listen (should you wish) to a couple of other pieces of mine. Together they'll make a loose folk horrorish trilogy. here's The Death of Wildflowers:
The perfect piece of #bookpost arrived for me ahead of my Fairy Tale Toolkit workshop at the @flashficfestuk.bsky.social next weekend. Thanks to @judehwriter2.bsky.social for inviting me to teach this session again. This year it's darker and may feature smooshed faeries 😀🧚❤️
July 12, 2025 at 8:51 AM
The perfect piece of #bookpost arrived for me ahead of my Fairy Tale Toolkit workshop at the @flashficfestuk.bsky.social next weekend. Thanks to @judehwriter2.bsky.social for inviting me to teach this session again. This year it's darker and may feature smooshed faeries 😀🧚❤️
Need a seed to get a story started? I'm sharing a series of writing prompts for Clevedon LitFest to help you write something wonderful for the #FlashFictionAward I'm co-judging with author Jackie Hales. Find them here: clevedonlitfest.org.uk
Clevedon Litfest events literary festival north somerset
The Litfest is a destination for quality cultural offerings for everyone here in Clevedon, for our visitors, and for the residents of North Somerset and Bristol.
clevedonlitfest.org.uk
July 11, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Need a seed to get a story started? I'm sharing a series of writing prompts for Clevedon LitFest to help you write something wonderful for the #FlashFictionAward I'm co-judging with author Jackie Hales. Find them here: clevedonlitfest.org.uk
#Writers! Green Stories opens for entries to their Epiphanies Competition on 21st July! They're seeking #flashfiction (under 500 words) exploring 'moments of green transformation or revelation'.
There are £1k worth of prizes. Deadline = 27 August. www.greenstories.org.uk/flash-fictio...
There are £1k worth of prizes. Deadline = 27 August. www.greenstories.org.uk/flash-fictio...
July 9, 2025 at 6:58 AM
#Writers! Green Stories opens for entries to their Epiphanies Competition on 21st July! They're seeking #flashfiction (under 500 words) exploring 'moments of green transformation or revelation'.
There are £1k worth of prizes. Deadline = 27 August. www.greenstories.org.uk/flash-fictio...
There are £1k worth of prizes. Deadline = 27 August. www.greenstories.org.uk/flash-fictio...
Reposted by Judy Darley
Such an itchy beauty of a tale from @joycebingham.bsky.social via @templeinacity.bsky.social 😍
Honoured to be part of the first issue from this glorious new lit mag, Temple in a City. And in such great company too. @templeinacity.bsky.social
templeinacity.com/fiction-joyc...
templeinacity.com/fiction-joyc...
Fiction - Joyce Bingham - Temple in a City
Flash fiction Multihued Feathers by writer Joyce Bingham. Published in Temple in a City literary journal.
templeinacity.com
June 20, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Such an itchy beauty of a tale from @joycebingham.bsky.social via @templeinacity.bsky.social 😍