Joining the PING Anthology Contest: A New Speculative Fiction Challenge
There is something incredibly addictive about flash fiction, isn’t there? I have always loved the challenge of the speedy style—the art of carving out a whole universe in just a few hundred words. It’s like a sharp, sudden intake of breath; it’s meant to startle, to pique interest, and to leave a lingering scent of something darker in the air.
But recently, I’ve decided to push myself into slightly deeper waters.
I am officially taking part in the PING Anthology contest. For those who haven’t clicked the link yet, the prompt is centred around a mysterious app called PING. While the concept itself is fascinating, what really drew me in was the word count.
The Leap to 3,000 Words
Most of you know me as a creature of brevity. I love a quick twist and a sharp line. However, the PING submission allows for up to 3,000 words, and honestly? It felt like an invitation I couldn’t refuse.
Moving from flash fiction to a 3,000-word piece is a bit like moving from a studio flat to a sprawling manor. Suddenly, there are so many more rooms to decorate. You can’t just rely on one twist; you have to build the floorboards, hang the heavy velvet drapes, and let the emotional stakes simmer until the tension is almost unbearable.
For this contest, I wanted to focus on the emotional weight of connection. In a world where we are constantly “pinged,” what does it do to our internal rhythm?
Staying Under the Radar
I won’t be sharing the specifics of my plot or my characters here—at least not yet! I’m a firm believer in the integrity of the judging process, and the last thing I’d want is to bias the lovely folks behind the anthology. I want the story to stand on its own two feet (or paws, or scales, depending on the day).
What I can tell you is that it has been a joy to stretch my wings. There’s a specific kind of atmospheric pressure you can build when you have the space to describe the grey drizzle against a windowpane or the precise way a cup of tea goes cold when you’re staring at a notification you’re too afraid to open.
Why the PING App?
The PING app has transitioned from a proximity tool to a global barometer of the human psyche. By honing in on a precise frequency via the collective consciousness, PING now allows any individual to see exactly how many people are thinking of them at any moment. These thoughts are categorised into the primal binary: FEAR or LOVE.
We are seeking speculative fiction, psychological thrillers, and “techno-philosophy” stories that explore a world where the internal state of others is no longer a mystery.
The reason this specific contest caught my eye is that it sits right in that sweet spot I adore: the intersection of the domestic and the uncanny. We all have that one app we check too often, don’t we? That little digital heartbeat in our pockets. Expanding that into a 3,000-word exploration of what it means to be “reachable” has been a brilliant exercise in character study.
It’s been a challenge to keep the pace snappy while indulging in the layered, descriptive language I love, but I think I’ve found the right balance. It’s still me—just with a bit more room to breathe (and perhaps a bit more room for a few well-placed, slightly darker observations about human nature).
Are You Writing?
If you’re a fellow writer, I highly encourage you to look at the PING Anthology details. Even if you usually stick to micro-fiction, there is something so rewarding about seeing how much more trouble your characters can get into when you give them a few thousand extra words to play with.
I’ve submitted my entry, I made myself cry, it made a fellow author cry and I scared my Dad enough for him to call in to check I was OK.
I’m hoping that means I have written something truly stunning! We’ll have to wait and see…
You have plenty of time to craft something yourself to take part. The deadline for submissions is 31st March 2026.
Have you ever tried to expand a short idea into something much longer? Did you find it liberating, or did you miss the constraints of flash fiction? Let’s chat below!
