The Ten-Word Novel Contest

Yes, ladies and gents, the Ten-Word Novel Contest has made its appearance again! For those of you who follow me at Free the Princess, y'all have seen this contest before.

So here's the contest description once again:

Many years ago, Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a novel in six words. The famous line? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Since six words seems kind of short to me, I figured I'd add a few on gratis. The challenge to you then, dear readers, is to compose a novel that consists of ten words. It can be quirky, dramatic, funny, introspective, or any other adjective that I can't think of right now.

And the rules:

• Multiple entries are allowed.
• All entries must be received by midnight U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 29, 2010.
• It must be ten words or less. 
• Put your entry in the comments section of this post.

As to the prize, well you have some options.

Option #1: A review of the effectiveness of your Internet and Social Media presence by yours truly. I run a whole mess of websites, and am very good at building a recognizable brand. I'll leverage those skills for the winner who chooses this prize pack.

Option #2: Rewriting a short story of yours to include Steampunk elements; sort of an alternate history of your fiction.

Option #3: A detailed developmental edit of the first 100 pages of your manuscript. Among my various jobs is a freelance editing business, where I charge $0.02 a word for developmental edits (line-by-line grammar, characterization, plot comments, setting comments, etc included). This third option is that entire package (which can easily be nearly $1,000 for a full-on developmental edit) for absolutely zero cost.

So them's your prize options. I know option 3 sounds a bit like a sales letter, but there really wasn't any other way I could phrase it. The winner of the contest will get their pick from the three options.

Happy writing!