Living The Dream: new competition

schoolforyoungwrit
Aug 9
2 min read

Flash fiction is a great form for young writers to explore.

Your challenge is to pack a story into a small word count of UP TO 300 words.

The prompt:

Something from your dream follows you into the real world. What is it, and what happens?

DEADLINE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2025

Flash Fiction tells a story in a small space. Your final piece should be 300 words or fewer, although you may start with more and trim it down (see tips below).

Getting Started

The theme asks for a dream. Think about the different dreams you have had.

Some are dreamy- gentle, relaxing

Some are surreal- weird things happen, logic and the laws of physics

Nightmares can be downright terrifying.

Whichever you choose — dreamy, surreal, or nightmarish — will guide the words you select and the effect you want to have on your reader. We are looking forward to a variety of different stories and fresh approaches to this idea.

Your key story conflict is that something from a dream has entered the real world and will cause some out-of-the-ordinary experiences for a character.

Think about the perspective you want to write from - the dreamer? the dream? or someone else?

As you write, build belief in this rather unbelievable experience by using sensory and real details.

Focus on the actions and reactions of your characters. The reader knows it is weird, so you don't need to use up words with your character thinking this or asking lots of questions about what is going on; instead, answer those questions for your reader by showing what is happening.

CRAFTING YOUR FLASH FICTION WRITING ( some tips)

Start Late. Drop us right into a moment of urgency. Give a few clues to help your reader infer what has already happened. For example, you don't need to say 'I woke up" if your character is already clearly awake.

Magnify a key moment/ image in the story by using interesting language. Draw on your poetry skills- think about sound effects, rhythm, and metaphor.

End Early: Look for a moment when something significant has changed- you won't have space to wrap the whole story up. Leave your reader with a lingering thought.

Redraft and reduce! Prune back your sentences. Delete weedy words.

Save words by using the full power of precise nouns and lively verbs ( this will cut back on adjectives and adverbs)

instead of "beautiful yellow flowers"- "daffodils"

instead of "she ran fast" - "she sprinted"

Check your first sentence and last sentence- how are they working to engage and satisfy the reader?

Read your story aloud. Reading out loud is an essential part of the writing process. Check the flow and rhythm of your sentences. Your ears may pick up something your eyes have missed!

Make the title work for you. ( It is not a part of the word count)

To enter the competition, please use the form on our website at the link below

Terms and Conditions at schoolforyoungwriters.org/competitions

The age groups are Year 4-6, Year 7-9 and Year 10-13.

Many thanks to Telling Tales: Scorpio Children’s Books for their generosity in assisting with prizes for this competition.