Paid subscribers can read our rat recommendation "Catastrophe" by Billy Craven at: ratbaglit.substack.com/p/catastroph... Or buy it in issue one, digital or print: ko-fi.com/ratbaglit/shop

Paid subscribers can read our rat recommendation "Apawcalypse Meow" by Angela Benham, @authorabenham.bsky.social at: ratbaglit.substack.com/p/apawcalyps... Or buy it in issue one, digital or print: ko-fi.com/ratbaglit/shop (Sorry it took so long ot post this, cat had my tongue.)

Today's story is "A Practical Taxonomy of Animals for the Purpose of Husbandry by Dr. Arthur Talbot" by Angela Benham. @authorabenham.bsky.social #ratbag #ratbaglit #litmag #literarymagazine #micro #micros

A Practical Taxonomy of Animals for the Purpose of Husbandry by Dr. Arthur Talbot

By Angela Benham

open.substack.com

So excited to snag a second win with the Write Hook writing contest, this time for the 1k word count. Much love to my fellow UDLW writer, Victor, for being my emergency beta reader. 💜

Let’s do it again, see if we can’t get a little farther.

Can you take home the £500 prize? #writingcommunity #flashfiction

What an honor to be among such talented authors! Well done to all the winners, and I look forward to competing again next year. 💜 Thanks to Writer’s Workout for hosting this challenging competition!

Can’t complain about an Honorable mention! And again, so many amazing writers up there. Bring on Event 3!

My goal was just to not have any DQs this time around, so we’re off to a fantastic start with fourth. And what a great group of people to be in that list with! Still just aiming for no DQs this year, lol.

One of the top 16 stories out of 365? I’ll take it. But one of these days I’m finally going to break out of the Sweet 16, I hope! 😂

The little ink drop was crying, because his mother was in the pen and he didn't know how long the sentence would be. Thank you very much. I'll leave quietly.

www.writingbattle.com/join-battle I joined the upcoming Spring Microfiction Battle with writers from around the world. Get Ready to Battle on May 2, 2025! @writingbattle.bsky.social #flashfiction #writingprompts #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writersofbluesky Join the Battle and Learn More

Do you have a survival story in the works? Ready Chapter 1 is running a contest with a publishing deal for your survival story offered as the prize. Entry is free, so why not give it a shot?

Day 12: Plunder - “Ephemeral” Lawless men plunder villages for gold and silver coins. Trinkets turned museum artifacts centuries later. The violence of men ebbs and flows in the stream of time, but never wins. #30words30days #writingcommunity #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 12 - Plunder Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #plunder

Day 11: Wander - “Untethered” Cut these ties. Set me free. Let me wander this world, tasting its wonders, basking in its beauty. When I close my eyes, I’ll leave it behind with no regrets. #30words30days #writingcommunity #flashfiction #Microlit #microfiction

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 12 - Plunder Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #plunder

‘What activities does she like?’ The walls are hung with bright, daubed paintings and clumsy needlework. The care home nurse smiles; I fight back tears. The parent-child switch is complete. #30Words30Days #Switch

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 10 - Switch Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #switch

Belated Day 10: Switch - “Perspective” Dread fills her daily drive into her soul-sucking job. Until another driver blows a red, a near miss. She’s given a second chance to switch paths and pursue her dreams. #30words30days #writingcommunity #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 10 - Switch Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #switch

So excited for @victorcabinta.bsky.social and his new book!!! Get your copy of Superstring, I promise it will be worth it! 💜

Okay. There's a lot going on right now, and I do mean a LOT. And while it's important to stay aware, stay informed, a doomscrolling spiral won't help you or anyone else. So. Pick one thing. One thing you can do now, one action you can take, no matter how small. Do that. That's where you start. ❤️

Libraries aren't a luxury. They are a right. As publishers, we are unwavering in our support libraries. We remain committed to a literate, informed society and democracy, during #NationalLibraryWeek and beyond. Read our full statement: simonandschuster.biz/p/IMLS-Lette...

I watch the cormorant dive into the sea and surface with a live fish flapping in its bill. I will the fish to escape, but death is a one-sided battle. ✍️ #30words30days #writingcommunity #amwriting #writing #flashfiction #microfiction #30wordstories #30words30dayscommunity #bluesky 9/30 #dive

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 9 - Dive Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #dive

Day 9: Dive - “Dissolution” She had plans. But none involved him leaving her for a younger woman. Now she’s a fixture in this dive bar, looking for answers at the bottom of a bottle. #30words30days #writingcommunity #flashfiction #Microfiction #microlit

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 9 - Dive Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #dive

Day 8: Jangle - “Illegal” Men shuffle in a line, heads down. The jangle of their chains as discordant as cheers from the desensitized multitudes. The wolves wait, licking their lips, anticipating their unwitting feast. #30words30days #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writingcommunity

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 8 - Jangle Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #jangle

Day 7: Flip - “Worship” Decks shuffling and dice rattling provide percussion for a slot machine choir. This casino is my church. I whisper my prayers for fortune’s blessing before the flip of a card… #30words30days #writingcommunity #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 7 - Flip Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #flip

Day 6: Swivel - “Nascent” I wanted a fresh start. Now I’m in a foreign cobblestone street, crying over a suitcase’s broken swivel wheel. A man’s warm voice interrupts, offering help. A handsome fresh start. #30words30days #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writingcommunity

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 6 - Swivel Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #swivel

Butterflies Inside Noses brush. Eyelashes flutter. We’re just a breath apart, until our lips reach for each other like flowers to the sun. A kiss. One kiss that releases a thousand chrysalises.

Danielle Baldock ✏️@danielle-baldock.bsky.social · last yr.

#30words30days Day 5 - Flutter Happy Writings! ✏️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #flashfiction #microfiction #microlit #writing #shortwriting #30words30dayscommunity #writingprompts #prompts #flutter

Nothing. Inky black. Dark blue at the edges. Faint streaks bled through the void from an indiscernible somewhere. Something. An image. Collecting in waves, forming in blobs, it trickled in from all sides as new cells settled. #1stlinepit #wip #a #h #sf