For 3 days, beginning at midnight on Friday, August 30, I will embark on my fourth year of the madness that is called…The 3 Day Novel Competition.
In three days… just 72 tiny hours, I will write a complete short novel of 30K, give or take a few words. Like I said, this is my 4th year of participating. The rules are simple: no words of the story are written before the beginning time and on Monday, September 1 at the stoke of midnight, nothing can be added to whatever has been written.
Why do I do this? It isn’t because I enjoy the lack of sleep, I can tell you that. During this marathon of writing, I’ll be lucky to get enough sleep to remember my own name. The first year, I only had 9.5 hours the whole 3 days. Since that first time, I have added a few more hours but the game is to try to write as much as you can for as long as you can and make the story have structure and hopefully be compelling.
It is a struggle but invigorating. Woman against her own physiology. Hell yes!
I may crash after the last word is typed but it really makes you feel powerful to have completed the challenge. Tired…oh yes…Very tired… colossally tired….Sick to your flippin stomach tired… but still empowered.
I will try to update my word count on this blog every night. Of course, sleep deprivation does screw with your mind so I might forget. I AM 60, you know! But I will at least enter the final total.
If you have the guts, hop on over to www.3daynovel.com and have a go yourself. You may find a new level of respect for what you are capable of…or you might fall asleep on your computer keys.
Either way, it’s good to try.
j.k.chumbler 
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