It’s jam-packed full of adventure, intrigue, humour, and genuine heart—and darned if it didn’t have me crying big soppy tears by the end. I’ll avoid the spoilers, but let it be known that Osman hasn’t shied away from the more heart-breaking side of aging, either.
Author Archives: Aly Writes
How to Revise Flash Fiction
With so much packed into so few words, every word has to earn its place. Somehow the piece has to move, needs to have conflict and shape and feeling.
Guests in the Night
The edge of my bed is digging into the back of my thighs, and my neck aches where it meets my slouching shoulders. I deflate with a sigh. Defeat lowers himself down onto my rounded back and settles in, making his bulk comfortable. He’s heavy.
Like an Eyelash in my Eye
Little star, nebulous
You stay far outside of my reach
Lofty and twinkling
You were the light of my dreams
Simple Scones for Cream Tea
It’s a tradition, a ceremony of sorts, that demands one to slow down and savour. The very nature of tea requires a slower approach—wait for the kettle to boil, wait for the leaves to steep, and wait for the tea to cool enough that it doesn’t immediately blister the roof of your mouth.
How to Keep Writing When You Feel Like Giving Up
I get it. I feel you. The struggle is real. How to persevere as a writer when you feel like giving up? Here are ten suggestions. I hope some combination of these helps.
Love is Just One Side of a Two-Faced Coin
Midweek, we’d steal moments between classes, adjourning to his office, door bolted, to debrief each other. We came close to getting caught more times than I can count, but people didn’t want to see what they didn’t want to see and so we carried on.
January 2023 Editing Progress Update
I am a little behind schedule already, for no other reason than my own dawdling. I’m a chronic procrastinator.
Impossible Coconut Custard Mini Pies
Let’s kick it off with these custardy coconut mini-pies that somehow make their own “crust” in the oven. It’s a one-bowl recipe that requires minimal effort and few ingredients and pays off with something that tastes like hours of work.
One Foot Out the Door
I’ve got 14 things in my shopping cart
That I don’t intend to buy
And my eye on a ticket to anywhere
A homebody with the urge to fly