Greg Schmidt

Getting all writerly at the WestWords Living Stories 2026 anthology launch and showcase held over the last two days. My story made the shortlist and is published in this year's anthology. I also got the chance to read it out aloud at the event.😬 #amwriting #writingcommunity #published

I've competed in every #NotQuiteWritePrize to date which makes this my 13th entry! Lucky for some...right? Anyway, it's hardly High School Musical, but I wrote something, so that'll do me. #teamTreat #TeamAmanda @notquitewrite.com

Hoping to transmute whatever daft idea I come up with into storytelling gold! Or at least something worthy of the longlist. 🤞

In for #WritingBattle Harvest Owl 2026 with my attempt at a campfire story. Wish my cat was that excited for me...

First time in for #theboobyprize. Loved having 7 days to write, even if I did end up wasting most of it and left the majority of writing for Sunday anyway. 😅

More flash fiction fun times! This time at Tomaree and Raymond Terrace Libraries for all you NSW Mid North Coast peeps! Full details here: www.eventbrite.com/cc/start-wri... Let us know in the comments if you plan to attend.

Well, I wrote something. Really wasn't feeling it this weekend, but it's done, and hey, sometimes the ugly writes end up surprising you. #writingbattle @writingbattle.bsky.social

Oh my, what fun! #WhimsyFiction @whimsyfiction.bsky.social

Wordle 1,866 6/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟨🟨⬛⬛ 🟨⬛⬛🟨🟩 🟨🟩⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 😮‍💨 #wordle

Never mind yin or yang, I'm out of any energy after that! Glad to put this one to bed. Now the same for me. #notquitewriteprize #teamamanda @notquitewrite.com

Wordle 1,862 6/6 🟩⬛⬛⬛🟨 🟩🟩🟩⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Lost my way a bit searching for those last two letters. #wordle

It's the entrance of... the Niche! We've just released our brand new Patreon bonus show, plus stacks of member perks. Check out what's on offer at patreon.com/notquitewrite 👀

Been a fan of the @notquitewrite.com Podcast and Prize for some time now, so it was great to finally meet with @akscotland.bsky.social at her Flash Fiction Workshop at Hornsby Library. If you have the chance to get along to one of Amanda's workshops, I highly recommend it.

I'm only fairly new to NYT Wordle, but what the hell was that today!? Wordle 1,852 5/6 🟩⬛🟨⬛⬛ 🟩🟨⬛⬛🟨 🟩⬛⬛⬛🟨 🟩🟩⬛⬛🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #WQers #wordle

Been In a bit of a writing funk of late, and not the good funk. But I finished a story today I'd been sitting on for ages, and I'm excited for some writing events this week, so getting back in the game. #amwriting? #writingcommunity

Looking forward to this on Wednesday. Come along if you're in the area, or even if you're not.

Westwords Living Stories is my most local writing competition, so I'm stoked to win for Penrith area. Apart from being published, my story will now compete against other Western Sydney area winners with an overall winner announced at a ceremony in July. Eeeek! www.westwords.com.au/living-stori...

Night night sweet dreamies 🧡 It’s okay to have a bad day. One mouldy strawberry in the punnet doesn’t mean the whole punnet is ruined. Don’t let one difficult day convince you that all the days ahead will be the same. Tomorrow is a fresh strawberry. 🍓

Sydneysiders, check it out if you're in the area. I've got my ticket!

Well, it was a pleasure just to have danced with you all. 🕺Good luck long listers!

Struggled a bit with the prompts this round, but like Australia's own beacon to participation, Raygun, I had a go. Hopefully my scores end up better than hers. Let's go #TeamEd @quitewriteed.bsky.social @notquitewrite.com #NotQuiteWritePrize

Some good stuff in here. There's also an old episode of the podcast titled the same with heaps of great advice, a lot of which helped me write my first shortlisted story for the #NotQuiteWritePrize

Ah, delighted to see my servo inspired ghost story sneak on to the March #FuriousFiction long list! Leaned into horror with this one, and I'm not talking about petrol prices. #writing

My Scrabble inspired Origin Story made the final 16! I struggled with this genre a lot more than I thought I would, so I'm bloody delighted to see this story get as far as it did. Thank you for the challenge @writingbattle.bsky.social

Well, look who's on the shelves of my local library in Penrith! Not sure about your shelf mates there @notquitewrite.com but if someone happened to move you to the feature stand out front, I know nothing about it. #notquitewriteprize

Time to fess up, and these delightful badges make it so much easier! Sadly, no #FleshFiction longlist, but stoked with a couple of shout outs on the podcast. And thank you @notquitewrite.com for such a unique opportunity with this comp. I doubt I'd have attempted such a story otherwise.

More story results! Disappointed to not be moving on, but this was my first crack at #writingbattle, so I'm pretty happy my somewhat swashbuckling story got an honourable mention. @writingbattle.bsky.social

Justice is blind, but revenge is 20-20! Oh wait, that's hindsight... Well, probably best not to look back anyway. #notquitewriteprize @notquitewrite.com

ATTN: SYDNEYSIDERS Amanda will be delivering an in-person flash fiction workshop at Hornsby Library in July! The workshop is beginner friendly, while also covering some more technical skills. Comment below if you or someone you know is keen, and we'll send you the booking link when it goes live.

Ah, another last hour special for the #NotQuiteWritePrize. Much later and it would have been an actual write off, but it's away now. Let's goooo #TeamAmanda @akscotland.bsky.social (sorry @quitewriteed.bsky.social) @notquitewrite.com

Well, I have a draft for the #NotQuiteWritePrize Write Off! Needs some work, but I think I'll stick with these prompts. So @notquitewrite.com can we say which team we're choosing, or is it meant to stay secret until judging?

www.writingbattle.com/join-battle I joined the upcoming Tempest Owl Battle with writers from around the world. Get Ready to Battle on Jan 13, 2026! @writingbattle.bsky.social #flashfiction #writingprompts #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writersofbluesky Join the Battle and Learn More

*Another* FLESH Fiction announcement just dropped in the NQW Community! If you're feeling charitable to your fellow entrants, like and/or repost this post so it will make it to their feeds. This announcement is big. We're talking REALLY BIG. HUGE.

Although I suppose I am one when I write, I must confess I don't care for the term "pantser". Maybe it's an Australian thing, but it always just sounds like someone getting dacked. 🩳 #amwriting #writingcommunity

Truly honoured to have two of my stories published in the 2025 #NotQuiteQritePrize anthology. This year seemed to bring out the best (or worst, some might argue) in my writing, so can't wait to see what next year brings! Thanks as always @notquitewrite.com for the wonderful work you do.

It's one of the best #flashfiction competitions about, and now you can read the best stories from it (and mine). Get the 2025 #NotQuiteWritePrize Anthology now! notquitewritepodcast.com/anthology/

What a way to farewell the anti-prompt. These stories were superb!

Sadly, no longlist this time around, but thanks for the title shoutout @notquitewrite.com! It was blatant attention grabbing on my part, but what else was I gonna call it? #notquitewriteprize

My story "Is Bliss" was published on the Literary Veganism online journal. I've been exploring #vegan ideals and animals more in my writing, and this one is about a piglet learning the truth of his life on a factory farm. Suffice to say, not one of my comedies. #amwriting tinyurl.com/3ty2y7rm

Was supposed to be looking up new vacuum cleaners in the Black Friday sales but got a little sidetracked and bought a #Tintin boxset instead...feels like a win to me! #booksky #readingcommunity

Sadly, not the Tipping Point fanfic I was aiming for, but my story for this months game show themed #furiousfiction was still a whole lot of fun to write. Good luck all that are entering!

Well, that was a lot more difficult than expected. Not completely sold on what I've created, and though still 18 hours left till deadline, I won't be able to write tomorrow, so in it goes! #scarystorychallenge @nycmidnight.bsky.social

Up in lovely Katoomba today for the Blue Mountains Writer's Festival. Sadly, only made it to one event, but always good to be out and about in the #writingcommunity.

Go time for the #ScaryStoryChallenge for NYC Midnight (well, 3pm Saturday arvo for me). But, it's a stormy and rainy day in Sydney so perfect for staying in and making up things. And rather fitting to get "rain" as the assigned scare for my story.

Chuffed my story "The River Waits For No One" made the October #furiousfiction longlist! I took the prompt to set the story on public transport quite literally, stranding my characters on top of a bus during a flood. Read it here if so inclined - tinyurl.com/3r56574j #amwriting #writingcommunity

Farewell anti-prompt! That's 9 from 9 from me. I'm going to miss you most of all Avoid All Adverbs. #notquitewriteprize @notquitewrite.com

Well, no one ever says "show us a good story". It's always "tell us a good story", so it should be easy...right? 😅

Getting my October #furiousfiction story in before I settle in to yell at the TV over the footy final #NRLGF.