Flashback: Furious Fiction

That time I got shortlisted for the AWC's Furious Fiction

Even though I had no idea what I was doing...

Back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I went through a phase. A flash fiction phase. During the first lockdown of the year, I'd finished two books in a planned middle grade series. (On a side note, don't do that. Ever. I ended up completely reworking the first book and having to scrap the sequel - all 40,000 words of it.)

Maybe that was what pushed me in the short-fiction direction. I wanted to do something Fresh and Fun™. I wanted to write new things while editing my larger projects.

Enter Furious Fiction.

Furious Fiction is a monthly competition held by the Australian Writers' Centre. On the first Friday of every month, the AWC sends a writing prompt via email, and you have 55 hours to complete a piece of short fiction (500 words or less). I'm not ashamed to say that for a time, I looked forward to this competition more than I looked forward to the holidays.

And once, my work made the shortlist.

(I was longlisted a few times, too, but that's for another day.)

Here were the prompts that month:

At the time, one of my English students had been talking to me about lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is essentially being conscious of the fact you are in a dream, and being able to exercise some level of control over your environment. There are people who actively try to have lucid dreams in order to experience total freedom.

That was what inspired my Furious Fiction entry.

What I wrote

You can find the whole text and the judges' commentary here, but for good measure, I'll post the story below:

TO WALK IN DREAMS by Gabriella Page, WA

‘Good evening and welcome to the—wait, Anabelle Cleets?’

‘Yeah?’

The receptionist loosened her collar and slumped back in her chair.

‘Seriously? That’s the best you can do? I mean, you could be flying around on a goddamn winged giraffe right now, and instead you’re booking into a three-star hotel in Northbridge—alone.’ She shook her head in disbelief. ‘This is a lucid dream… you know that, right?’

‘Course.’

‘And that means you can do anything you want?’

‘I’m aware of that.’

‘Then… why are you here?’

Anabelle tucked her hands into her pockets and tried not to look offended.

‘Aren’t you supposed to ask for my ID or something?’ she said. Then, noting the sapphire-studded tip jar on the counter, she added, ‘And my credit card?’

‘You want to pay?’

‘Isn’t that what usually happens when you book a room?’

The receptionist studied her a second, lips puckered to one side. ‘Fine. Hand them over. But just so we’re clear, this goes against our usual policy.’

Anabelle gave a curt nod. Only then did she realise her mistake. She didn’t have valid identification on her person, and the last time she saw her credit card it had been sunning itself on her kitchen windowsill. Unless…

‘Here,’ she said, pulling a thick plastic card and a small photograph out of her pocket. Her face flushed hot when she recognised the photo she had willed into existence—it was the one she had slipped into Marty’s wallet ten years before. ‘I hope that will do.’

‘If it’ll do for you, it’ll more than suffice for us. Come on—I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.’

Anabelle followed the receptionist across the lobby and down a hallway speckled with vintage art prints. The steady rhythm of their footsteps was already lulling her to sleep, which was more than that Sounds of the Forest CD had ever done.

‘You’re in Room 16, just down the end of the hall,’ the receptionist chirruped as they walked. ‘It’s a little gloomy, but the fridge is fully stocked and the memory foam pillows aren’t half bad. Anything else you need? Scotch? That guy from Lord of the Rings? Because we could get him for you—’

‘It’s fine.’

‘Your loss.’ She unlocked the door and waved Anabelle into the room. ‘It’s all yours—knock yourself out.’

Anabelle collapsed face first onto the bed the moment the door clicked shut. She could barely hear the squeal of the police sirens beyond her window now, and even the traffic in her head seemed to be slowing. For a moment, the world was at peace.

Do I still enter Furious Fiction?

I'm sorry to say that I haven't entered in a long time. Things calmed down pandemic-wise, I went back to work in the theatre, and I decided to dedicate the free time I had to my novels.

If you're interested in taking part (it is a lot of fun!), you can sign up to the Furious Fiction Fan Club on the Australian Writers' Centre website. You don't have to be Australian to enter! Best of luck.