Alva
@alvawriter.bsky.social
700 followers 340 following 380 posts
Writer. Reader. Book Reviewer. Flash Fiction fiend. Kindness is everything. www.alvaholland.com
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alvawriter.bsky.social
Delighted to have a story accepted for the @flashficfestuk.bsky.social 2025 anthology. Many thanks to @judehwriter2.bsky.social & all involved at Flash Fiction Festival this year. #flashfiction
alvawriter.bsky.social
I hope you're a #pixie in the next life, my lovely friend whose angel wings took her out of this world on Monday. I hope you sparkle like you did on Earth. I hope you find someone to do your hair just the way you want, & I hope you're smiling, dancing with waiting family. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
A kiss under the tall #elm, & back then she didn't even know the name of the tree, just that it was the one she had her back pressed against when she received her first kiss, & now and ever since whenever she sees a tall elm she smiles & remembers the innocence of it all. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
Purple's quite a scary colour isn't it. I don't know why but it's always been that way for me. Yet, as I get older & older I quite like the idea of a #violet outfit, something outrageously head-turning. Clearly, this thought is related to age. I make no apology for that. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
I wouldn't like to be learning English as a foreign language when we have a car that can #tear down a road at full speed, a tear that falls down a face, a tear in a shirt, a friend that can tear into you for a perceived betrayal. I mean...where to start differentiating! #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
Cole, thank you! So good to see your lovely face in person and to get a brief chat at raffle time. 💚
alvawriter.bsky.social
I #promise myself I will get back to writing my daily #vss365 contributions! These last few days I haven't managed to do it. Travel, attendance at the amazing @flashficfestuk.bsky.social
& a head bursting with words afterwards somehow took over my ability to write a simple tweet each day.
alvawriter.bsky.social
Rachael, it was wonderful to see you in person. What a blast the annual @flashficfestuk.bsky.social is! So much talent in one place! I had an amazing time & I was only sorry I didn't get to chat with EVERYONE! ✍️⚡💚⚡✍️⚡
alvawriter.bsky.social
I am here! And I received the most wonderful welcome from @judehwriter2.bsky.social and @sarahillswrites.bsky.social yesterday. You are both sooooooo organised. It's so great to be back. Can't wait for everything to start later today. ✍️✍️✍️
flashficfestuk.bsky.social
Here’s the lawn outside Trinity College Bristol soon to be crowded with #flashfiction fans! We’re all set for the Festival this weekend in Bristol! Hurrah — the weather looks good, not too hot, not too cool, maybe a tiny hint of rain. So looking forward to meeting everyone! Flashfictionfestival.com
alvawriter.bsky.social
I was 17. My dress was pink. It had a #taffeta lining. I felt like a princess. I wore a flower in my hair. It was my debs dance. My date was a perfect gentleman all evening & we had a fantastic time. 47 years have passed & I still remember every detail of that evening. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
So many #skirmishes we had as kids. They were very important at the time, with hurt egos, claims of favouritism, even injuries sometimes! But with nine people living in the house, it was family life as it was meant to be. We look back with fondness as we remember. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
Don't click on it. It's a #rook.
But it's genuine. It's come from someone I know.
Believe me, it's not. It's a scam. Delete it.
But, but...
Listen. Don't come to me when your money is gone.
It's ok. All good.
That evening...
HELP! I've been scammed.
Hello! Hello!
#vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
Looking back on old photos & I see a picture of my Dad at a wedding, in formal black with tails & a #cummerbund & I think how handsome & happy he looked next to my lovely Mum, & how sad it was that he didn't get to wear that outfit more, that he didn't live long enough. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
It's a #prism of sorts, this thing that separates light from its different shades to darkness. Each has its purpose, its value. There is no one prettier than another. They are all interdependent, relying on each other for their display. Then they are all one. Yet not. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
Within the mad rush of everything, make a #space for yourself; for your brain to slow down, for your heart to beat slower, for your legs to take a break, for your emotions to breathe. That space may be small, but it's mighty in the bigger picture. It's called Me Space. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
Some minds & lives are a #starscape. Full of shiny things, yet surrounded by darkness & black holes. We look into the night sky & we see the beauty of the stars. We don't see the darkness. We need to appreciate that some people only see the darkness. Reach out. Help. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
I don't think there's much wrong with being an #enigma. Everybody doesn't have to know everything about you, how you tick, how you feel, how you react to things. There's nothing wrong with a touch of mystery now & then, an air of question. Answers are not everything. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
There's a #guru for everything these days. Experts everywhere; spilling out of cracks, screens, daily life. Catch yourself on! You're the expert on your own life. You know deep down what makes you happy, calm, peaceful. Find those things, those people. Be your own expert. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
You know, when you find yourself in that #liminal space, the place in between everything, don't be in a hurry to leave it behind. Staying in transition for a bit is not such a bad thing. You don't always need to be in a particular place. Enjoy the limbo feeling. Rest up. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
I'm walking in the woods & I see a path #parallel to mine & I wonder if I crossed the copse would that path take me to a place I haven't explored before. Or would both paths converge & end in the same place? I stay on my path & glance across now & then. A bit like life. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
When you feel like you're stuck in a #vortex & there's no way out, there's always a way out. It just may not be in the direction you think. That swirling mass of thoughts, debris can be cleared, to pave a way to a calmer place, a place of peace. The path may be small. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
In this gigantic #realm of all things known & unknown, it all comes down to caring for others & ourselves. To making the best life we can within the limited time we have. Not knowing when our time will end is the greatest incentive to make the most of every living day. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
The #susurrus of the tide, the trees, slowly seeps into my consciousness, forcing me to listen, slow down, to breathe, to expel the noise of daily life. A calm descends, surrounds me, & I want this moment to last longer than it does. The noise returns but I am able now. #vss365
alvawriter.bsky.social
More than anything else my #primordial need is that of peace. Peace of mind, of soul. That inner feeling of calm that no matter what happens I will at least be reacting from a level position & hopefully I will make better decisions, better choices, for myself & others. #vss365