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Tuesday, September 04, 2007

3 Day Novel: Epilogue

Illustration by Peter Kuper

Here we are the day after the World's Most Notorious Literary Contest draws to a close. I finally had an opportunity to speak with the author only moments ago as she was on her way back upstairs to her office to continue transcribing her manuscript.

I ask her how she feels about the project now that the 72 hours is up and the bell has wrung. She tells me that she feels very good about the experience, pleased with the work in general and completely at a loss as to how to explain the fact that she wrote a novel in 3 days when her usual daily quota is about 5 pages. The title of her story is called 'Hide Your Life Away'. She went into the project with a simple two page outline and a boat load of coffee and came out the other side a hero.

I have yet to read a word of the story, but she assures me that I can start reading tomorrow. The final typed manuscript has to be in the mail Friday so until then she'll continue burning the midnight oil with cramped fingers, stiff back and a four point headache.

I ask would she attempt this again? Absolutely, she replies, but I might hire a typist... and an in-house personal masseuse.

In closing she adds the interesting observation that many people who have been following her mentally/physically torturous endeavor participating in the 3 Day Novel refer to it as "Hilarious", or "A Riot". A perplexed look crosses her sleep deprived face at such utterances, as if the words must hold another meaning. Is such torment a point of humor to some? I suppose it must be so. And with that, the Author struggles to stand and with glazed eyes robotically turns toward her office where the words and the pain have melded into one numb pool of exasperation.

Yes folks, she has won. Congratulations again Carol, Champion of the Word.

3 comments:

Bon said...

while not wanting to be one of the philistines giggling and making Carol's eyes glaze over in incomprehension...this was quite the saga.

and i am totally humbled. i barely have the wherewithal to blog these days, let alone write novels. and then you two have that twin thing going on.

yep. lots of restfulness at your house i bet. :)

let the literary awards roll!

Suzanne Marsden said...

Yeah.. I wouldn't pick "hilarious" as my first word to describe the experience.... Desperate, intense, frightening, exciting..um.. I wouldn't pick "Riot" either. Hm.. I guess I would have a riot in the looting and burning sense of the word if my computer had crashed with my novel inside it....

Btw..
My book is GONE.. printed, sealed, and in the mail :-D Hurray!

I wish I could send my talented fingers your way to help in the massage department Carol.. but I've been begging neck rubs myself :-(
((hugs & plenty o' love))

How'd the CBC thang work out???

Anonymous said...

I'm participating for the first time this year with a few friends.

5 days away from the contest I'm scouting the internet, looking for encouragement to do this crazy thing.

Thanks for the encouraging word, I hope to be a champion too.