Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Writer Jo Malby

@jomalby.bsky.social

200 followers 340 following 57 posts

Neurodivergent writer (features+fiction) & poet | bibliophile & cinephile | CRPS veteran & advocate | artist Sharing haiku, photography, literary loveliness & writing tips. Eternal student. Finding wonder in nature & beauty through life's challenges.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · Jan 22

dusk
the mute hour
between us

~ Lisa Alletson, @lisaalletson.bsky.social / lisaalletson.com // #Photography: ‘Misty Church’ by Piotr Skrzypiec / piotr-skrzypiec.pixels.com #vss365 #haiku

A church with a lit steeple stands alone on a snow-covered hill in the winter mist, in the background a mountain peak appears as if piercing through the deep blue sky of dusk.s

1 8 73

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 1d

“The best way to learn to write is by reading. Reading critically, noticing paragraphs… how your favourite #writers use verbs, all the useful techniques. A scene catches you? Go back and study it. Find out how it works.“ https://buff.ly/3RtuXdV
@judieannrose.bsky.social #writingtips #writesky

1 3

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 2d

“Books and doors are the same thing. You open them, and you go through into another world.” ~ Jeanette Winterson #booksky

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 3d

quiet
on shadowy hills
the mist thins

~ Elancharan Gunasekaran, @elancharang // #Photography by Joelle LB, @joellelb.bsky.social / https://linktr.ee/joelleLB #haiku #micropoetry

1 2 17

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 4d

“Heroes and villains always have the same backstory—pain. The difference lies in how they respond… Heroes use pain. Villains are used by it… This fundamental conflict is what fuels the narrative and keeps readers engaged until the very end.” https://buff.ly/3ZmN5Mf #writingtips

1 1

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 5d

“A library at night is full of sounds: the unread books can't stand it any longer and announce their contents, some boasting, some shy, some devious.” ~ Helen Oyeyemi #booksky

1 3

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 8d

fishing boats
cast ripples
across the clouds

~ Michele Rule // #Photography by Justin D. Kauffman,
@justindkauffman.bsky.social (@justindkauff) / http://justindkauffman.com #vss365 #haiku

1 1 12

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 9d

“Those two ‘failed’ versions of my novel weren’t failures at all; they were part of the process… Writing in my natural voice is so much easier—the words are easier to find and the #story unfolds all by itself… Once again #writing is a metaphor for life.” https://cme.sh/BMEsgN #writingtips #writesky

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 10d

“I would like to be small enough to hear the dawn breaking, the tulip opening, the sand as it shifts under each tide, the long dream of rocks.” ~ Theodora Goss #writesky

1 1

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 11d

she left
without a word
--distant stars

~ Lafcadio, @lafcadiobsky.bsky.social // #Photography by Alyn Wallace, http://alynwallacephotography.com #haiku #vss365 #micropoetry

1 3 68

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 12d

“When you #write, find common ground… Readers should see themselves in the character’s vulnerability, uncertainty, their wounds and fears… Showcase the character’s hope and goals. These remind readers what’s worth fighting for, in #fiction and in life.” https://cme.sh/Hqoq3h

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 15d

“Everything can nourish the writer. The dictionary, a new word, a voyage, an encounter… a book, a phrase learned.” ~ Anaïs Nin

1 2

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 16d

after the storm
the river flows
into the sky

~ Barico, @njbarico.bsky.social // #Photography by Marc Adamus / http://marcadamus.com #haiku #俳句 #vss365

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 17d

“When you’re trying to write your way through to that teetering stack of a finished draft, a quick injection of suspense is a great way to keep your #story’s engine fuelled. Suddenly, you’ll very much want to write on to find the answer.” https://cme.sh/7kb0og #writingtips #writesky

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 18d

"Summer ended. The noises in the street began to change, diminish, voices became fewer, the music sparse... At night, from a distance, the parks and playgrounds seemed inhabited by fireflies, and the night came sooner, inched in closer, fell with a greater weight." ~ James Baldwin

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 19d

bit by bit
stealing my sleep
full moon

~ Dandelion Girl (Lena K.), @moscowdandelion // #Photography by Jerad Armio, @awayiflew / awayiflew.com/portfolio #vss365 #haiku

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 22d

“It comes down to caring deeply about the #characters & adopting a generous view of how to deliver an immersive experience to #readers. Let your #stories embody the form & length they want to be. Truly listen to your characters.” https://www.writersdigest.com/how-i-hacked-my-way-to-writing-a-novella

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 23d

“I am alive, I live, I breathe, I put my hand out, unfolded, into the sunlight.” ~ #MargaretAtwood, The Handmaid’s Tale #booksky

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 24d

end of summer ~
how the rain
tells stories

~ Andrea Cecon, @andreochka // #Photography by Camila Massu (@camilleshmeel) #haiku #micropoetry #vss365

1 3 21

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 25d

“Becoming a better writer—growing as a writer—means that we learn how to listen to ourselves… to put faith into our ideas, our stories, our process, and our potential.” Trusting Your Own #Writing Process https://laurensapala.com/single-biggest-secret-pantsing-trusting-writing-process/ #writingtips

1 4

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 26d

"Write it down... and then some morning when the world seems drained of wonder, some day when I am only going through the motions... I will simply open my #notebook and there it will be, a forgotten account with accumulated interest, paid passage back to the world." ~ #JoanDidion

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 27d

tonight
I am stardust
who knows
what I will be
tomorrow

~ Lafcadio, @lafcadiobsky.bsky.social // #Photography by Mika Suutari #nightsky #haiku

5 34

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · 29d

“At its heart, #voice is about style…style in the sense of a flow, a rhythm, a cadence to the #writing… We leave fingerprints all over our work. That part of you in your work is what makes it something that no one else can duplicate.” https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2010/05/how-to-craft-great-voice

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · Sep 11

"But it was still summer. I didn't want to sleep. I never wanted to sleep these days. Then I didn't want to wake up. I didn't want the leaves turning, the nights turning dark early." ~ Louise Glück #poetsky #writersky

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · Sep 10

silently
evening
shadows
dive
into
the lake

~ Tanja, @joypops.bsky.social // #Photography by Paul Reiffer, @paulreiffer / http://paulreiffer.com #haiku #vss365 #micropoetry

Writer Jo Malby @jomalby.bsky.social · Sep 9

"Literary misdirection creates those perfect moments when everything shifts and we see with new eyes... Perhaps that's the magic—not that the #story fools us but it makes us willing participants.” https://www.writersdigest.com/literary-misdirection-using-reader-expectations-against-them #writersky