Brittany Riley was still umming and ahing about entering her story 'Chicken Salt' into The Best Australian Yarn competition on the night the entries closed.

But now, she's counting herself "very lucky" that she did.

The short story follows a brother a sister who visit their local corner shop on a Sunday afternoon.

Ms Riley said the inspiration for the story came from growing up in a small town.

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"There aren't too many things open on a weekend," she said.

"I think corner shops are really interesting little commercial and social hubs.

"They're like little hives."

The story is set in 2004, before the era of mobile phones and social media.

When Ms Riley found out she had been long-listed for the competition, placing her in the top 50 of more than 4700 entries, she said she was in "genuine shock".

"I gasped so loud my cat ran from the room," she said.

"It was quite indescribable, I wish I could bottle up the feeling."

Since the top 50 was announced, Ms Riley said she had often revisited the list just to make sure her name was still on there.

Winning the competition would be the "cherry on top" of an already successful year for the budding author.

Ms Riley said 2022 had been her most successful year yet, after having multiple stories published.

"I'm hoping it's a sign of good things to come," she said.

The winner of the competition will be announced at a ceremony in Western Australia on November 18.

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