Three-Day Novel Contest
Encyclopedia
The Three-Day Novel Contest is an annual Canadian
literary contest conducted in September of each year. The contest, which is open to writers from anywhere in the world, gives entrants three days to write a novel
. Writers are permitted to plan and outline their novel in advance, but the actual writing cannot begin until the contest's opening date, which is traditionally on Labour Day
weekend.
The entries are then judged by a panel, and the winning novel is published by a Canadian independent publisher.
The contest began in a Vancouver
bar in 1977, where a handful of writers sat around bragging about their literary prowess. The tough-talk eventually led to a challenge: Go home and write an entire novel in three days. None of them managed to produce a book that first year, but the next Labour Day weekend the challenge was thrown down again, to an even larger group. The challenge was repeated the following year—and this time it produced a novel worth publishing: Dr. Tin by Toronto
playwright Tom Walmsley
. From that point forward, a small publishing house named Arsenal Pulp Press
ran the contest, took it international, and published one winner every year.
In the late 1980s, Arsenal Pulp passed the torch to Anvil Press
, which, 15 years later, passed it on to another small press. That publisher folded the same year, which seemed to mean the end of the contest. But a couple of fans of the 3-Day Novel agreed to rescue it; they put in hundreds of volunteer hours to set it up and manage it as an independent organization, which it remains today. About four to five hundred writers enter the contest every year, about two-thirds of whom manage to complete and submit a novel.
In 2006, the 3-Day Novel Contest became the subject of a reality television program under the auspices of BookTelevision
, a Canadian specialty channel produced by CHUM Limited
. Twelve writers lived and worked in Chapters Southpoint, a bookstore in Edmonton
, Alberta
, composing novels before bemused customers and a national audience.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
literary contest conducted in September of each year. The contest, which is open to writers from anywhere in the world, gives entrants three days to write a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
. Writers are permitted to plan and outline their novel in advance, but the actual writing cannot begin until the contest's opening date, which is traditionally on Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
weekend.
The entries are then judged by a panel, and the winning novel is published by a Canadian independent publisher.
The contest began in a Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
bar in 1977, where a handful of writers sat around bragging about their literary prowess. The tough-talk eventually led to a challenge: Go home and write an entire novel in three days. None of them managed to produce a book that first year, but the next Labour Day weekend the challenge was thrown down again, to an even larger group. The challenge was repeated the following year—and this time it produced a novel worth publishing: Dr. Tin by Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
playwright Tom Walmsley
Tom Walmsley
Tom Walmsley is a Canadian playwright, novelist, poet and screenwriter.Born in Liverpool, Walmsley came to Canada with his family in 1952, and was raised in Oshawa, Ontario and Lorraine, Quebec...
. From that point forward, a small publishing house named Arsenal Pulp Press
Arsenal Pulp Press
Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian independent book publishing company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company publishes a broad range of titles in both fiction and non-fiction, and is noted for founding the annual Three-Day Novel Contest .Authors who have been published by Arsenal Pulp ...
ran the contest, took it international, and published one winner every year.
In the late 1980s, Arsenal Pulp passed the torch to Anvil Press
Anvil press
An anvil press is related to a machine press, and is used to create extraordinarily high pressures on small items.They are often used in artificial diamond creation and research, as they mimic the pressures and temperatures that exist deep in the Earth....
, which, 15 years later, passed it on to another small press. That publisher folded the same year, which seemed to mean the end of the contest. But a couple of fans of the 3-Day Novel agreed to rescue it; they put in hundreds of volunteer hours to set it up and manage it as an independent organization, which it remains today. About four to five hundred writers enter the contest every year, about two-thirds of whom manage to complete and submit a novel.
In 2006, the 3-Day Novel Contest became the subject of a reality television program under the auspices of BookTelevision
BookTelevision
BookTelevision is a Canadian, English-language, Category A specialty channel that broadcasts programming relating to books, literature, and various media...
, a Canadian specialty channel produced by CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
. Twelve writers lived and worked in Chapters Southpoint, a bookstore in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, composing novels before bemused customers and a national audience.
Winners
- 1979 - Dr. Tin, Tom WalmsleyTom WalmsleyTom Walmsley is a Canadian playwright, novelist, poet and screenwriter.Born in Liverpool, Walmsley came to Canada with his family in 1952, and was raised in Oshawa, Ontario and Lorraine, Quebec...
(ISBN 0-88978-254-7) - 1981 - Accordion Lessons, Ray Serwylo (ISBN 0-88978-122-2)
- 1982 - Still, bpNicholBpNicholBarrie Phillip Nichol , who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces , was a Canadian poet. He became widely known for his concrete poetry while living there in the 1960s...
(ISBN 0-88978-146-X) - 1983 - This Guest of Summer, Jeff Doran (ISBN 0-88978-151-6)
- 1984 - Nothing So Natural, Jim Curry (ISBN 0-88978-167-2)
- 1985 - Momentum, Marc Diamond (ISBN 0-88978-179-6)
- 1986 - Hardwired Angel, Candas Jane DorseyCandas Jane DorseyCandas Jane Dorsey is a Canadian poet and science fiction novelist.Born and still living in Edmonton, Alberta, Dorsey became a writer from an early age, and a freelance writer since 1980. She writes across genre boundaries, writing poetry, fiction, mainstream and speculative, short and long form,...
and Nora Abercrombie (ISBN 0-88978-190-7) - 1987 - Starting Small, James Dunn (ISBN 0-88978-195-8)
- 1988 - Pawn to Queen, Pat Dobie (ISBN 0-88978-209-1)
- 1989 - Wastefall, Stephen E. Miller (ISBN 0-88978-220-2)
- 1990 - O Father, Bill Dodds (ISBN 0-88978-229-6)
- 1992 - Circle of Birds, Hayden Trenholm (ISBN 1-895636-03-5)
- 1993 - Stolen Voices/Vacant Rooms, Steve Lundin and Mitch Parry (ISBN 1-895636-06-X)
- 1995 - Body Speaking Words, Loree Harrell (ISBN 1-895636-09-4)
- 1996 - Tacones, Todd KlinckTodd KlinckTodd Klinck is a Canadian writer, nightclub owner and pornography producer.Klinck moved to Toronto at age 18 to study theatre at York University, but dropped out to focus on his career...
(ISBN 1-895636-14-0) - 1997 - The Underwood, P. G. Tarr (ISBN 1-895636-17-5)
- 1998 - Ruby Ruby, Bradley Harris (ISBN 1-895636-23-X)
- 1999 - Skin, Bonnie Bowman (ISBN 1-895636-32-9)
- 2000 - Small Apartments, Chris Millis (ISBN 1-895636-35-3)
- 2001 - Socket, David Zimmerman (ISBN 1-895636-42-6)
- 2002 - Struck, Geoffrey Bromhead (ISBN 1-895636-53-1)
- 2004 - Love Block, Meghan Austin and Shannon Mullally (ISBN 1-55152-194-6)
- 2005 - Day Shift Werewolf, Jan Underwood (ISBN 1-55152-208-X)
- 2006 - The Convictions of Leonard McKinley, Brendan McLeodBrendan McLeodBrendan McLeod is a Canadian spoken word artist, musician and novelist. His work often deals with the exploration of social and political commentary, family histrionics, surreal love poems, obscure adventure stories, and powerful personal stories....
(ISBN 978-1-55152-222-7) - 2007 - In the Garden of Men, John Kupferschmidt (ISBN 978-1-55152-239-5)
- 2008 - The Videographer, Jason Rapczynski (ISBN 978-1-55152-252-4)
- 2009 - Snowmen, Mark Sedore (ISBN 978-1-55152-366-8)