What exactly is this contest?
It’s a 48-hour writing contest. You have 48 hours over the August 20-21 weekend to write a story about anything you like; then you submit it for judging, and if the judges like it more than they like the other stories, you get prizes and your novella is published in a book of winners.
What, precisely, are the time constraints?
You have from midnight on Saturday morning until 11:59pm on Sunday night, on August 20 and 21. That's Pacific Standard Time.
Got it. Is there a minimum length the novella needs to be?
There is: 6500 words, double-spaced (in 12-point Times or Times New Roman). It seems like a lot, but it’s not really all that much to write in 48 hours, especially since you’re allowed to write an outline in advance. This is a novella-writing contest, not a short-story-writing contest, after all. And remember, two people can collaborate on a single novella if they want.
You said “outline.” Does that mean I’m allowed to base my story on an idea I already have?
Yes. Absolutely. You’re allowed to think about what you’re going to write as much as you want. You’re just not allowed to write any of the novella text before 12am on Saturday, August 20, or after 11:59pm on Sunday, August 21.
So do I have to be anywhere special to participate? I might be in Terrace that weekend. Or Brussels.
You can be wherever you want. You can take breaks whenever you want. You can go for walks, go shopping. You could write the whole thing on a bus for all we care.
What happens if I don't finish in the time provided?
Nothing happens. Only finished novellas will be accepted. Sorry.
Okay. Say, what exactly constitutes a novella anyway?
For the purposes of this contest, anything goes, as long as it is prose fiction and has at least 6500 words. And it really does need to be fiction, not creative non-fiction, since we want to publish these and disseminate them without your more litigious friends suing us for misrepresenting them.
But the novella, provided it's fiction, can be about anything I want?
Yup, so long as you incorporate all the Elements adequately.
The Elements? What are those?
To make it harder for people to cheat and write the whole novella before the 48-hour period even starts, we’ll be giving all the contestants two to three elements that they need to incorporate into their stories. Don’t worry. They’ll be broad, and easily adaptable to any genre of story set in any time period. So you won’t have to fit a space ship into your story of romance in Edwardian England, and you won’t have to fit a bouquet of tulips into your tale of life after nuclear apocalypse. The Elements will be given on this site one hour before the contest begins. You can still plan your story in advance, but this, we hope, will prevent people from writing any of it beforehand.
Neat! So what do I get if I win?
The top prize will be $325 (Canadian); the prizes for runners-up have yet to be determined, but they will either be cash or books, most likely. And of course, the winner and the two runners-up will published in the book we're releasing in December.
Any other reason why I should enter?
Because it’ll be fun! So fun!
Do I have any hope of winning?
Oh yeah, totally. This may seem like a big deal because there’s a website for it and a cash prize, but the contest is actually very small.
Alright then. How do I register?
Simply send your name and contact information (email address and phone number), with your registration fee ($8 on or before August 1 and $12 after that date), to the following address:
PEMBERTON-TEMPLETON 48-HOUR NOVELLA-WRITING CONTEST
1709 COTTON DRIVE
VANCOUVER, BC V5N 3V1
CANADA
Make all cheques payable to Pemberton Templeton.
Will I receive confirmation of my registration?
Yes. We will send you a confirmation message to the email address you provide.
Is there a deadline by which I have to register?
Yes. You must register by 10pm on August 18, which is the Thursday before the contest starts. And we mean we actually have to receive your registration by then, not that you need to send it by then.
Can I register online?
Alas, no. You’re not considered registered until we've received your money, and since we don’t accept credit cards, you need to give us the money either by mail or in person.
Can I register now without paying if I promise to pay you later?
No.
Please?
Nope.
Why not?
We don’t trust you. You might back out. As with all things, if you have a really good excuse you can contact us and explain your situation. We are quite flexible, but to avoid paying your registration fee, you better have a really good excuse. Like, really good.
How do I submit my novella when it’s done?
You’ll be able to submit it electronically through this site. It'll be very simple, and complete instructions will be available on this site shortly before the contest starts. Please remember, however, that you will need to submit a copy of the Contestants' Contract with your novella for us to accept it. (That, too, you'll be able to submit electronically.)
Whoa, wait. Contract? What’s all that about?
For your submission to be accepted, you must agree to the Contestant’s Contract. The contract says, first, that you did not exceed the time limits of the contest (that is, you must affirm that you did not cheat), and second, that you consent to our printing your novella in the 2005 book of winners, if your novella wins the contest or is a runner-up in it. We know this seems a little formal, but, obviously, we need your express permission if we’re going to print your stuff. Rest assured, however, that by agreeing to this contract, you are not signing over ownership of your novella; you are simply giving us permission to publish it once, this one time in the 2005 book of winners. We also ask to be able to quote up to 100 words from a novella in our promotional materials, including this website. So, yeah, that’s what the contract is all about. It's very straightforward. Please make sure you take a look at it here here before you register for the Pemberton Templeton contest.
Who, or what, exactly, is Pemberton Templeton anyway?
Ah! An excellent question! You’ll have to buy the book to find out.
And what’s this book you keep talking about?
Well, the winner and two runners-up will be printed with a brief introduction in a book of winners, to be distributed at the end of 2005. The winners and the runners-up will each be given a copy of it, but otherwise you need to buy it.
How much does it cost?
$12, plus $2 shipping. So $14. It'll be good, we swear. Order a copy here.
When and where can I buy it?
Well, aren't you full of excellent questions today? You must order your book in advance since we will print only as many copies as we receive orders for. You can send us a note indicating the number of copies you would like to buy, with payment for them, along with your registration form. Or, if the spontaneity of writing a note scares you, you can download an order form on this site.
Do I need to register in the contest to buy a copy of the book of winners?
No. Not at all. Just send your payment and a note indicating the number of copies you’d like to buy to the following address:
PEMBERTON-TEMPLETON 48-HOUR NOVELLA-WRITING CONTEST
1709 COTTON DRIVE
VANCOUVER, BC V5N 3V1
CANADA
Hey, what criteria are the novellas judged on?
How good they are.
Thanks. That’s really helpful.
We try.
You must be able to tell me something.
They’ll be judged on how good they are overall – your story idea, your writing style, your character development: all that will be taken into account.
Does spelling count?
What?
You know, does spelling count? Does it matter if I’m a bad speller?
Um, yeah, probably. I mean, honestly. How hard is to use a spellchecker?
Okay, okay, whatever. Who’s judging?
That has yet to be determined. Judges will be announced in the news section as they are confirmed. We’ll make sure they’re good, solid literary types with good, solid credentials.
What measures are you taking to ensure that the judges aren’t biased?
We will make every effort to ensure that judges do not evaluate novellas by people they know. We also insist that contestants refrain from putting their names anywhere on their novellas. In short, judges should not be aware of the identity of those whose novellas they are judging.
Wow. Well I think that's everything. Anything else I should know?
That seems like just about everything. You should probably read the Rules and Regulations just to make sure though. If you have any further questions that aren’t answered here or in that document, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We like email.