30 days. 30 prompts. 30 Words.
#WVFlashFic22
2022 is the fourth year that Writers Victoria has run its April Flash Fiction competition.
Every day for thirty days, we’ll post a prompt on our Twitter and via newsletter for participants to write 30 words about – the theme for 2022 is ‘glimmer’.
A winner will be chosen by the Writers Victoria staff every day of the competition. As a prize the winner will be mailed a personalised postcard from a Writers Victoria staff member. One overall winner will also be awarded a free workshop of their choice from our program!
Read on for information on how to take part in #WVFlashFic22.
Flash Fiction 2022 Winner and Runners-Up
WINNER: INTERMITTENT
dear e. remingt n and sons,
my rec nt typewriter pur hase has proven to be regretful y and intermitt ntly defective. und r y terms of warr nty, I e pect pr mpt epair o b
f ck
– Peter James Dunn
RUNNER-UP: GLOW
The glow of the porch light was fleeting after she switched it off, going inside. The warmth of her first kiss lingered much longer, carrying her upstairs to sleep.
– amberBeeG
RUNNER-UP: GLIMMER
You nudge, shove, cajole, persuade. You add, delete and rearrange words. Chasing the idea.
And sometimes, just sometimes, you see a glimmer of what might be.
You, a writer.
– Dr Karen Downing
Daily Prompt Winners
Winner: Day 1, HINT
The #Hint effectively built up to letters, each read doggedly in directly introducing the word. If the hint and clues are now dramatically lucid, everyone sees the insidious cold killer.
– Andrea Barton, @AJBartonOnline
*Hint: read the sentence with just the first letter of every word.
Winner: Day 2, PYRITE
The ebony kitten lay silent. Still. Something shifted in me. Her velvet nose twitched. Her eyes unseamed, revealing glimmering pyrite moons. ‘This is the one,’ I said. ‘We’ll take her.’
– Yvonne Sanders, @Yvonne_Sanders_
Winner: Day 3, GLOW
The glow of the porch light was fleeting after she switched it off, going inside. The warmth of her first kiss lingered much longer, carrying her upstairs to sleep.
– amberBeeG, @amberBeeG1
Winner: Day 4, FORTUNE
Zara sighed. Nobody drank leaf tea any more, and customer sensitivities precluded the use of entrails.
These days she practises perseamancy, reading fortunes in the contours of smashed avocado.
– Alison Knight, @Alialight88
Winner: Day 5, IDOL
My father was my idol until the day he slapped me with a juvenile trout.
Our relationship changed that day, and I’m certain the shift was profound for the trout.
– Shane Potter, @Shane_PotterExp
Winner: Day 6, INTERMITTENT
dear e. remingt n and sons,
my rec nt typewriter pur hase has proven to be regretful y and intermitt ntly defective. und r y terms of warr nty, I e pect pr mpt epair o b
f ck
– Peter James Dunn, @petedunnwords
Winner: Day 7, BRIGHT
Some bright spark packed the silverware with the crystal. On opening the box marked, ‘kitchen’, I’m confronted with a glittering, broken mess. Perfect analogy of our time together.
– Megan Howden, @Meghowden
Winner: Day 8, MOON
I brood like a moon tonight.
Count the months.
Languish in memories beyond reach.
A wail satellites down the hall.
The baby’s mouth opens and I gift him my grief.
– Andrea Rowe, @AndreaRowe_au
Winner: Day 9, PERCEIVE
Fluffy was very lonely. The real problem was not that she #perceived herself to be a duck, but that the ducks still very much perceived her to be a cat.
– Tehnuka, @tehnuka
Winner: Day 10, TWINKLE
She inhaled deeply. Gum leaves and woodsmoke filled her nose and lungs. City lights had once been her night sky, but now millions of stars twinkled above her.
– Ady Georgia, @ady_georgia
Winner: Day 11, SEQUIN
She walked past a large embroidery hanging on the wall, then returned to it. The unicorn, fenced in, was weeping. Not in sequins, but actual tears, dampening the floor beneath.
– Eileen Chong, @eileenchongpoet
Winner: Day 12, SHIMMER
An inland sea.
What mystery?
They came in droves to mine the salt.
Its glory shimmered under sun.
They cut into the crust, disturbing spirits.
They dug, and sunk deeper.
– Sandrina D, @sandrinado
Winner: Day 13, ALTAR
Body bent to the soil, the old woman toils. Her hands are crooked, her skin thickened from decades of laboring. But still she works; the land is her blessed altar.
– Cat Lane, @_CatLane_
Winner: Day 14, HORIZON
“You are charged with practising witchcraft,” says the town elder.
I am only guilty of standing and gazing at the horizon, wanting to be the town elder.
And practising witchcraft.
– Vicki, @WhatVickiWrote
Winner: Day 15, SUBDUED
Beige, off-white, pastel… homes in hospital colours. In them, subdued conversations, lacking warmth – lacking joy.
How she missed Mexico – the swirls, the ‘gritos’, the riotous saturation of her senses.
– Lydia Lo, @LydiaLo12
Winner: Day 16, OASIS
In a single teacup, mistakes melt into porcelain clay. Whether the tea is hot or cold, an oasis forms among banana flowers growing in seduction of shadows behind secret libraries.
– Lalipa Nilubol, @Lalipa_Nilubol
Winner: Day 17, DAPPLE
I proferred, she reached. Peppermint tea in porcelain. Our hands touched in ginger transfer. My skin was smooth and dry. Hers was dappled by time.
– Samantha Johnson, @joyandcorduroy
Winner: Day 18, FAINT
“I think I’m going to faint.”
“This isn’t a Regency novel,” her friend said as her knees buckled.
“I’ve got you,” a smooth voice said, catching her with strong hands.
– Angharad, @TintedEdges
Winner: Day 19, BLINK
By degrees, he learnt to blink. He found that with the smile and the dimples, it camouflaged the absence of a heart, and the tiny cameras in his eyes.
– Kathy George, @K_W_George
Winner: Day 21, GOLD
‘Always aim for the best,’ her mother said. ‘Strive for gold.’ Felicity spent her whole long life chasing that illusive pot of riches and happiness, forgetting to enjoy the rainbow.
– Laura Besley, @laurabesley
Winner: Day 22, SCINTILLATE
My friends show me how to find sea sparkles.
‘Like this,’ they say stamping their feet into wet sand.
I copy them and the beach lights up with scintillating blues.
– Celeste Louise Brittain, @CLBrittain
Winner: Day 23, HOPE
I hope no-one finds out. The shame burns like a furnace.
Help me forget. Tell me that fairytale again, the one where we’re always good to each other.
– Mark Murdoch, @FarOutOz
Winner: Day 24, INKLING
Edgar had an inkling his story wouldn’t be a bestseller. The plot was listless. Words jostled, creating unhappy unions. Finally, his characters went drinking without him.
They wrote themselves off.
– Dr Nerida Wayland, @njwayz
Winner: Day 25, SPARKLE
Upon waking, Clare crept from her dreams; stitching remnant sparkles, bending beaming light, bumping against layers, waiting for explosion, for collapse … longing to climb back inside of herself once again.
– Dr Helen Edwards, @drhelenedwards
Winner: Day 26 NEON
Perennial neon
Vanished time
Croupiers calling
Roulette spinning
Red High
Lucky streak
Evergreen tables
Bets made
Cards laid
Twenty One
Winning swagger
Go again
Hopes dashed
One more
Casino victory
– Angela Watt, @littlewritespac
Winner: Day 27, SOFT
“Mummy, my new pet is so soft. Do you want to stroke her?”
“Pet?” thinks Mummy and turns.
The eight surprised eyes of the huntsman stare back from Milly’s palm.
– The Ink Rat, @rat_ink
Winner: Day 28, FLASH
The next autumn brings storms; flash floods; landslides; blackouts. Yes, we are cut off for days at a time. But cocooned from the world, our love, long dormant, grows fat.
– Dr Paula Hanasz, @paulahanasz
Winner: Day 29, EYE
The transplant goes well. He wears an eye patch for eight weeks. When he takes it off, the world is bright. He doesn’t see the ghosts, but he will.
– Jane O’Sullivan, @sightlined
Winner: Day 30, GLIMMER
You nudge, shove, cajole, persuade. You add, delete and rearrange words. Chasing the idea.
And sometimes, just sometimes, you see a glimmer of what might be.
You, a writer.
– Dr Karen Downing, @drink_an_ocean
Guidelines
- The daily prompt will be shared via this newsletter and on our Twitter account every day at 8AM.
- Write up to 30 words inspired by and using the prompt in your writing.
- Submit your entry on Twitter by tagging @Writers_Vic and by using the hashtag #WVFlashFic22.
- Submit you entry by midnight on the day the prompt is released.
- Winners will be announced every Tuesday.
FAQs
Can I submit more than one entry?
We only accept one entry daily per person. If you’re writing multiple entries daily, we suggest waiting to post your entry until the end of the day (entries close at midnight) so you can choose which will be your entry.
Do I need to write exactly 30 words?
You can write up to or exactly 30 words, but not more, and one of those words must be the prompt or a version of it (see below). If you need to check your entry’s length before submitting, you can use the word processor on your computer or use an online word count tool like wordcounter.net.
Do I have to be a member of Writers Victoria to take part?
No, anyone can take part in Flash Fiction. There’s no requirement for you to be a member to enter (but we’d love it if you supported our efforts in running Flash Fiction via membership – more information here).
Can I use a version of the prompt word?
It’s absolutely fine to use a version of the prompt word, as long as it’s closely associated. For example, if the prompt word was ‘glimmer’, then the use of ‘glimmered’ or ‘glimmering’ are perfectly acceptable.
Can I use any definition of the prompt word?
Yes. As long as the word or a close variation of it is used in your entry, then you can choose whichever definition you like. For the daily prompt, we simply choose one of the main definitions of the word as a guide for display.
All of our prompt word definitions are taken from the Macquarie Dictionary.
Does a title count as part of the 30 word limit?
No – not everyone chooses to use a title for their entry, so we won’t be counting any titles in the thirty word limit.
I don’t use Twitter. Why can’t I submit via email?
When users post their entry on Twitter using the hashtag #WVFlashFic22, we’re able to easily track and download entries for our team to read through and choose a winner. Entries submitted via email have collated individually by a team member, and unfortunately with the volume of entries we receive, we just don’t have enough staff time to commit to this. We hope that in future, with more resourcing, this might be a viable option. In the meantime, you are more than welcome to take part in Flash Fiction by using the daily prompts for your own writing practice and habit.
I have a question that wasn’t answered here.
If the information on this page hasn’t answered your question, please feel free to send us an email.