A “fad,” an “idle threat,” a “great way to overcome writers block” and “a trial by deadline.”
I have to go ahead and recommend the 3-day novel writing contest
(September 2 - 4) to anyone that wants to get it together to produce a book-length manuscript. The idea is that you and hundreds of other writers hide away for Labour Day weekend and produce a literary gem. The winner receives a publishing contract and the runner up, $500.
One year, many moons ago, I signed up to become a shut-in for a long weekend and managed to squeeze out over a hundred pages for submission. Mind you, it was over one hundred very bad pages, but a book nonetheless, and the makings of my first novel.
The website suggests: … Take three deep breaths. Guzzle coffee, black or with sugar. Don’t punish yourself. Do that on Tuesday. Get back to work. Take phone off hook. Pull drapes. If you feel lonely an outcast you are. That manuscript is now your only friend, the only one who cares. Finish it. Let it have a life, even if you don’t. Bravo.
This year the registrations a bit pricey at $50.00, but they do offer group rates if you manage to bring in some fellow writers to enjoy the reclusive revelry. Besides, theres no glaring need to pay the fee to write the novel- you can always forgo the competition completely, simply participate without registration and challenge yourself to complete the literary task at hand.
Digg
Facebook
del.icio.us
one comment
If you find writing a novel in a long weekend too much, there's also NaNoWriMo -- National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to write an entire novel -- 50 000 words -- in a month. It works better for people who need to work around other commitments. It isn't for a prize, it's just for fun and to challenge yourself. It happens every November.
Posted by Evey
September 2, 2006, 4:28 PM
Leave a comment
This blog post is older than 90 days old. All comments submitted regarding this post will be automatically held for review by the editors before posting. Your comment will not appear on the site until it has been approved.
Our comment policy
Shameless prides itself on the diversity of opinions expressed by our writers, and we encourage and appreciate different points of view. Our intention at Shameless is to foster community and to maintain a safe and positive blogging environment; we do not consider it our duty to give a voice to anybody with an opinion.
Discussion on this site is moderated. We will delete comments that:
(We get to decide what's discriminatory, hateful, attacking, or inflammatory).
In some cases, we will cap off comments on a discussion when we feel they are spiralling out of control and fostering an unwelcoming space for bloggers and readers. Comments will be closed by the Web Editor, unless the post is by the Web Editor, in which case the Editor in Chief will close them.
If your comments repeatedly make the same point, they may be deleted. This also applies to comments made by multiple members of the same organization.
Your comments should be about the topic of the post, not its writer—although we certainly encourage praise for our writers, if you want to say something nice.