Top 3 Reasons to Participate in the 3 Day Novel Contest

Are you ready for the 3 Day Novel Contest?

Wait, you meant you haven’t heard of this annual write-a-thon, happening every Labo(u)r Day weekend since 1977?!

Where have you been hiding, honey? It’s only the world’s most notorious writing contest!

I’ve only written an entire book about it…

Okay, so here’s the deal, for those who are still miffed: the goal of the 3 Day Novel Contest is to write an entire book in just three days. You’ve got from midnight on September 3rd to midnight on September 5th (2016 writing dates) to complete the task.

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• You CAN outline and do any brainstorming and planning and plotting and character sheets and whatever else you do to prep for writing a novel before the contest begins.
• You CANNOT have actually started writing the novel before the start date of September 3rd.
• You CANNOT pick up a previously scrapped or halfway-written piece and keep writing.
• You MUST start and finish your entire novel (or, really, novella) within the three days allotted to the contest.

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And, if you officially enter, you’ve got a shot at first prize – which is is publication with Anvil Press.

So, without further ado, here are my Top 3 Reasons to Participate in This Year’s 3 Day Novel Contest…

3 – You don’t have anything better to do than write

Let’s face it: you weren’t going to do anything new or exciting this Labor Day weekend anyway. If you’ve got kids, you’re probably just celebrating the fact that they’re finally going to back to school, and if you don’t, you’re probably just mourning the “official” end of summer.

Obviously, you should be writing instead! Write a whole novel about kids going back to school, or summer’s end, and call it a weekend.

2 – Long weekends are guilt-free writing days

Even though I’m a professional writer, I still occasionally feel guilty about putting my writing time first. When it comes to writing novels, particularly, it can feel awkward to put such a big project – an artistic endeavor from which you may never actually make any money – ahead of paid work.

Long weekends, however, are the perfect excuse to devote all of your quality time to writing. After all, the government has decreed that, by law, there shall be three days in a row devoted to the weekend, and weekends are for guilt-free indulgence in your favorite activities!

So basically, the government is telling you you should be writing.

What do you want, an engraved invitation?

Well, since you asked, here you go:

1 – Your novel needs you!

Who are you to deny your novel life? Only its Creator, I suppose. But haven’t you felt that spark of excitement at the possibility of letting loose? Of simply playing with words for three blissful, uninterrupted days? Your novel is calling to you. It’s saying “write me!”

So, who’s with me?

Will you be writing a novel this weekend?

Mine is going to be about robots with a “Vagenda of Manocide.” My tentative title is Manbots Attack!

I’ll keep you posted about the twists and turns on Twitter, using the hashtag #3DNC.

What are you going to be writing about?