Why would you subject yourself to a 72-hour marathon of writing a novel from scratch? I can’t speak for the other contestants of the International 3-Day Novel Contest who joined me on Labour Day Weekend challenge (August 31 to September 2), but I will tell you why this year I stopped dancing around the idea and finally registered to participate.
You may have met aspiring novelists like myself, or even be one. We love to say “I am writing a novel”. It often elicits a positive reaction and makes you feel kind of special. Five years and only thirteen chapters later it was getting a little “old”. It is easy to procrastinate about completing such a daunting project when work and other commitments pull you away from writing. There have been some days when I have been in the mood to write and completed a chapter in 20 minutes. Then months go by when I don’t touch my project.
Usually at the end of August I, like many Canadians, look forward to Labour Day Weekend as a last chance to enjoy the summer before the job or school year starts with all of its deadlines and events. This year my circumstances are different. I have enjoyed a wonderful sunny summer with a flexible schedule however my focus has been on job search as I make a career change. The thought of not having to think about cover letters and resumes for 72 hours while I focused on something I love doing, creative writing, was a strong incentive to make the commitment to the contest this year.
The contest was started in 1977. Writers around the world competed for one chance to have their finished work selected in January 2014 for publication or for other cash prizes or finalist mentions. The contest guidelines suggest that you embrace the contest as a personal challenge due to the high quality of submissions and strong competition, and to not be disappointed if you are not a finalist. This is the approach I took taking. At least you get a certificate if you submit your work by the deadline and have someone vouch for your having followed the rules.
My experience was a life-changing event, a “spirit quest”. In a contemplative moment on the Sunday afternoon, sleep-deprived at the kitchen table with my laptop, I looked up at m husband who had started preparing dinner and said “This reconfirms it for me. This is what I MUST do. I must write.” I cried a few tears and went back to my half-done novel which had somehow morphed from a light comedy to a dark psychological thriller/murder mystery. Well I stopped writing at midnight on the Monday night as per the rules, and submitted “The Goldilocks Perspective” online on the Tuesday morning. It is the bones of a good book and will require a lot more work and research but I now know that it is possible to complete at least a first draft of an entire novel in three days. I didn’t quite reach my target number of 30,000 words but I am going to continue working on this project and want to have it done before the winner is announced in January. I also have another novel “Birthday Girls” which is about 50% completed, which I started about five years ago. I now understand the discipline of just picking a time, allowing no interruptions, and just writing – no excuses. So stay tuned. I don’t know where this adventure will end up. Those who have read some of my chapters to date are very encouraging and that is what matters to me, that something I loved to write does the job of sharing my voice, and that it is enjoyed by someone who reads it.
For future reference and planning for the 2014 contest, which I am planning to enter, here are the rules You register online for $50. Check out the event website www.3daynovel.com for more info.
Check out #3DNC on Twitter and my feed @sailonsilver to get a sense of the conversations that took place between myself and the other contestants that weekend.
Last updated: September 10 2013, G. MacDonald