12+ My first attempt at the Australian Writers' Centre's monthly Furious Fiction competition fell on my first weekend of COVID lockdown in April 2020. Some feared the prospect of social isolation, working from home, and long hours spent lost in their thoughts. But for me, it was a perfect storm — uninterrupted time to write!
The brief for April's Furious Fiction was the story had to begin at the side of the road. And include the words Apron, Pigment, Ribbon, Icon and Lemon (APRIL), and a splash.
I stared at the brief on my computer, and like a Rorschach test, my writer's eye began to discern a story in the random pattern. And so I wrote and submitted A Song on the Radio, *tied* around the Yellow Ribbon song from my boyhood.
View on TwitterI didn't win the April competition or make the short or long lists. But the experience proved I could write a 500-word short story in the 55-hour weekend deadline, and I looked forward to the next month's competition.
Fast forward, and in December 2020, I submitted my ninth Furious Fiction entry. Sadly, I've still not basked in the winner's spotlight. But I've enjoyed the monthly writing challenges.
And I've shared my short stories on the Tall and True writers' website and recently branched out and narrated them for the Tall And True Short Reads podcast.
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So thanks, Furious Fiction. You've helped me stay sane during the COVID lockdown.
And you've inspired me to share my short stories and launch a podcast.
© 2020 Robert Fairhead
With thanks to Engin Akyurt from Pixabay for the COVID mask image.
N.B. You can find all my short stories on Tall And True. You might also like these Furious Fiction-COVID themed blog posts, #FuriousFiction - Writers' Centre Competition (May 2020) and COVID-19 and Writing (August 2020).
Robert shares his writing on Tall And True and blogs on his eponymous website, RobertFairhead.com. He also writes and narrates episodes for the Tall And True Short Reads storytelling podcast, which features his short stories, blog posts, and other writing.
Robert's book reviews and other writing have appeared in print and online media. He has published three short story collections — Both Sides of the Story (2020), Twelve Furious Months (2021) and Twelve More Furious Months (2022) —, a microfiction anthology, Tall And True Microfiction (2023), and a collection of speculative fiction, One Day in the Life of Alex's AI and Other Speculative Fiction (2024).
In addition to writing, Robert's favourite pastimes include reading, watching the Sydney Swans Aussie Rules football team with his son, and walking his dog.
He has also enjoyed a one-night stand ... as a stand-up comic.
