2008 International 3-Day Novel Contest
Contest Dates: 12:01 am Saturday, August 30, to midnight Monday, September 1, 2008
Entry Fee: $50
Word Length: Averages 100 pages
Grand Prize: Publication
Second Prize: $500
Third Prize: Library of 3-Day Novels
The world's most notorious literary marathon is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, August 30 - September 1, 2008. The 3-Day Novel Contest demands that would-be novelists produce a masterwork in a mere 72 hours. This cheeky and uncompromising rebel of literary forms attracts hundreds of writers worldwide each year. It has been called "a fad," "a threat," and "a great way to overcome writer’s block." It's exhausting, it's exhilarating, and it flies in the face of the notion that novels take years of angst to produce.
How To Have a 3-Day Writing Contest of Your Own
This contest is not only a great challenge for novelists, but I know of many writers who have piggybacked on this "marathon" with the intention of jump-starting their writing or fast-writing the first draft of a novel, play, or work of non-fiction. This is a great excuse to give your internal editor a weekend off. If you want to pursue your own writing agenda over these three days, it helps to get other writers involved. Find at least one other writer who wants to participate, make a commitment to each other, and then celebrate what you've accomplished afterwards. If you belong to a writing group, make it a group project and then get together the following weekend to have a party and share your writing. You might even consider awarding prize certificates of your own for the most words written, the least sleep, the longest completed draft, and any other prize worthy accomplishments you'd like to acknowledge.
Make it fun and you'll get it done.
Comments