Alex Harford
@alexharford.bsky.social
#ShortStory & flash writer of spec fic, fantasy, weird, horror, literary. Poet. Making Bluesky my social network writing home. Travel photographer of outdoors & places that don't seem real. Loves live music, film, running, and more.
https://AlexHarford.uk
https://AlexHarford.uk
Each word has a physical and metaphorical weight and the metaphorical weight is unique to the person. Creating words closest to the two weights matching wins points.
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Each word has a physical and metaphorical weight and the metaphorical weight is unique to the person. Creating words closest to the two weights matching wins points.
That's very kind. I have a flash fiction in mind if you have a spot.
November 16, 2025 at 12:26 PM
That's very kind. I have a flash fiction in mind if you have a spot.
As I wrote that, I was listening to the album Porgy & Bess by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong...and a track later is big band swing!
November 15, 2025 at 12:38 PM
As I wrote that, I was listening to the album Porgy & Bess by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong...and a track later is big band swing!
It sounds good. I'll look for an album it's on. I've been listening to a fair few swing albums recently, and big band. I don't think I've combined the two genres yet!
November 15, 2025 at 12:33 PM
It sounds good. I'll look for an album it's on. I've been listening to a fair few swing albums recently, and big band. I don't think I've combined the two genres yet!
Will this be in the upcoming print edition? I'm waiting for that to hopefully read some or all of the music stories. 🎶
November 12, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Will this be in the upcoming print edition? I'm waiting for that to hopefully read some or all of the music stories. 🎶
I think it's harder to be one.
(no pun intended if that actually seems it could've been intended)
(no pun intended if that actually seems it could've been intended)
November 10, 2025 at 3:21 PM
I think it's harder to be one.
(no pun intended if that actually seems it could've been intended)
(no pun intended if that actually seems it could've been intended)
Wow! It'd be amazing to see that view once in my life, never mind wake up to it every day.
November 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Wow! It'd be amazing to see that view once in my life, never mind wake up to it every day.
Urgh. Not surprising.
I started translating one of my flash fictions from English to Spanish and gave up after two sentences. If was difficult enough finding the right words, never mind flow etc.
I started translating one of my flash fictions from English to Spanish and gave up after two sentences. If was difficult enough finding the right words, never mind flow etc.
November 7, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Urgh. Not surprising.
I started translating one of my flash fictions from English to Spanish and gave up after two sentences. If was difficult enough finding the right words, never mind flow etc.
I started translating one of my flash fictions from English to Spanish and gave up after two sentences. If was difficult enough finding the right words, never mind flow etc.
Either way, it sounds like you were alarmed by something.
November 7, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Either way, it sounds like you were alarmed by something.
I read it at my local writing group, and they loved it too.
November 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
I read it at my local writing group, and they loved it too.
And how is it random if you thought about it? Surely you'd have to pick about 50 facts then randomly pick 5 of them.
October 8, 2025 at 6:37 PM
And how is it random if you thought about it? Surely you'd have to pick about 50 facts then randomly pick 5 of them.
I think I was just very wordy.
Or I should say:
I was wordy.
Or I should say:
I was wordy.
October 1, 2025 at 7:26 PM
I think I was just very wordy.
Or I should say:
I was wordy.
Or I should say:
I was wordy.
An editor made me cut 10% of a 10,000 word story.
It took me 30 hours.
It was a great lesson though!
It took me 30 hours.
It was a great lesson though!
October 1, 2025 at 6:11 PM
An editor made me cut 10% of a 10,000 word story.
It took me 30 hours.
It was a great lesson though!
It took me 30 hours.
It was a great lesson though!
A couple of dystopian futures. One where most music is banned and teens try to summon ABBA from the past (written before hologram ABBA) and another where punk silence gigs are a respite from a noisy world.
Others where the story is driven by music or it plays an important part in a scene or two.
Others where the story is driven by music or it plays an important part in a scene or two.
September 27, 2025 at 6:09 PM
A couple of dystopian futures. One where most music is banned and teens try to summon ABBA from the past (written before hologram ABBA) and another where punk silence gigs are a respite from a noisy world.
Others where the story is driven by music or it plays an important part in a scene or two.
Others where the story is driven by music or it plays an important part in a scene or two.
I didn't follow the account back because of its "AI" generated banner.
September 27, 2025 at 8:14 AM
I didn't follow the account back because of its "AI" generated banner.
"...an artist in a midsize city whose particular artform is creating beasts out of synthetic meat and animating them with jazz recordings..."
I'm in! Many of my own stories revolve around music but nothing like yours. I'm looking forward to reading. I happen to be listening to jazz right now.
I'm in! Many of my own stories revolve around music but nothing like yours. I'm looking forward to reading. I happen to be listening to jazz right now.
September 26, 2025 at 6:08 PM
"...an artist in a midsize city whose particular artform is creating beasts out of synthetic meat and animating them with jazz recordings..."
I'm in! Many of my own stories revolve around music but nothing like yours. I'm looking forward to reading. I happen to be listening to jazz right now.
I'm in! Many of my own stories revolve around music but nothing like yours. I'm looking forward to reading. I happen to be listening to jazz right now.
Speaking from a UK perspective, tying state pension age to life expectancy and being proactive rather than reactive in healthcare should go a long way towards that.
September 8, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Speaking from a UK perspective, tying state pension age to life expectancy and being proactive rather than reactive in healthcare should go a long way towards that.
Yep, by Oliver Sacks! My mum is a big fan of his work, and I keep meaning to read more by him. I've read a few of his patient stories that are fascinating.
September 6, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Yep, by Oliver Sacks! My mum is a big fan of his work, and I keep meaning to read more by him. I've read a few of his patient stories that are fascinating.
So most people visualise images when they imagine things? I feel like I have a good imagination, but I don't think I see images when I'm imagining things unless I'm forming something from a memory.
I wonder if that's why my writing was so white room when I started.
I wonder if that's why my writing was so white room when I started.
September 6, 2025 at 8:55 PM
So most people visualise images when they imagine things? I feel like I have a good imagination, but I don't think I see images when I'm imagining things unless I'm forming something from a memory.
I wonder if that's why my writing was so white room when I started.
I wonder if that's why my writing was so white room when I started.
I have a mild prosopagnosia. I used to think I was in my own world when family members & friends thought I'd ignored them, but in recent years I realised I probably didn't recognise them sometimes.
I met someone recently who doesn't recognise himself in the mirror.
Our brains are fascinating.
I met someone recently who doesn't recognise himself in the mirror.
Our brains are fascinating.
September 6, 2025 at 8:47 PM
I have a mild prosopagnosia. I used to think I was in my own world when family members & friends thought I'd ignored them, but in recent years I realised I probably didn't recognise them sometimes.
I met someone recently who doesn't recognise himself in the mirror.
Our brains are fascinating.
I met someone recently who doesn't recognise himself in the mirror.
Our brains are fascinating.
Massive respect. As a writer who has been trying to break through for years, I think I would have begrudgingly accepted the contract.
I doubt I'll submit to them in future unless something changes.
I doubt I'll submit to them in future unless something changes.
September 4, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Massive respect. As a writer who has been trying to break through for years, I think I would have begrudgingly accepted the contract.
I doubt I'll submit to them in future unless something changes.
I doubt I'll submit to them in future unless something changes.