Yes, it's insane and outrageous. But it's true!! There are people who spend twenty years working on a book to come up with monumental trash.  By the same token, can a masterpiece be written over a mere weekend? Is it even humanly possible to conceive, structure, and write an entire story in the impossibly short duration of three days? Just think about how cool it would be if someone asks, "So, what did you do this weekend, Ishmael?" "Oh, nothing much (yawn). I wrote a novel, that's all. Did you sleep well?" Quite simply, you need to finish your own novel or screenplay within 58 hours, sleep included. And to register, send an email with a small bio (100 words) and contact details to the Co-ordinator. Time starts 14th May 0900 AM and ends 16th May 0700 PM. Registration will close at 12 noon, Thursday, India time. This is Wednesday night in the US. News and updates are here. Participants must check this regularly. The FAQ is also useful. More On The GMW 1. Starting at 9 AM on 14th May, the participant writers will commence the writing of a fresh novel or screen/stage play. All writers will write their own novel/play. 2. Scripts must be minimum 80 standard-formatted pages in length and novels must exceed 35,000 words. (subject to change with prior notification). 3. Pre-writing is NOT allowed. However, you can formulate your thoughts in advance.We can't stop that. 4. The participants can either write in a collective   at a centre, or in the comfort of their office/home. 5. It is essential to be connected online via MSN or Yahoo Messenger at all times. Either the centre or the individual should always be online, unless there is a serious problem. 6. The contest begins, tentatively, on 9AM Friday morning and ends Sunday evening at 7PM. 7. There is no entry fee. But centres should share expenses between participants for booze and food. 8. Once the deadline ends, stop writing. You have the choice of submitting the work to the Bombay headquarter so publishers can have a look at it. Or else, you can do an internal peer-review within a centre. 9. If you have pre-written, unpublished work, you will be able to expose it through our website after the contest ends.

THE GREAT MAHAKALI WRITE-A-THALON (14-16 May 2004)  what did you do this weekend?

Kali having tea with Our Lady of Guadalupe

How to Participate Registered Writers Prizes The contest is now in Bombay, New York, Dublin, and Ahmedabad. You can start your own city centre....

Partners:

Frog Books

Crimson Feet Magazine

Plastic Sugar Press

ATTN:We are also looking for an amateur filmmaker with his own DV camera to shoot the event over three days and edit it into a short film. This person will also maintain an internet blog of the contest for people who might want to tune in. Must be based in Bombay.