Finally, a decent comp for those of you- and we know there are a lot!- who have novels-in-progress. I can't seem to post the link to the Jobs Section, but it's the top job at the moment, cos I've just posted it. Top quality judges- David Almond, Pat Barker, Anne Fine..

Contrary to what it says in the listing, the Patrons of the competition are David Almond, Pat Barker & Ann Fine

The judges are apparently as follows:-

CHAIR:- Wendy Robertson. Best-selling novelist, writer-in-residence and author of ‘No Rest for the Wicked’ (Headline)

PANEL MEMBERS:-

Elizabeth Gill. Well known novelist and author of ‘The Preacher’s Son’ (Severn House)

Sharon Griffiths. Popular Northern Echo columnist and the North’s leading female journalist.

Competition Deadline: 21 October 2005

More details: http://www.bishopaucklandtown.org/event.asp?id=157

Am I the only person who finds the idea of celebrating Nelson's victory at Trafalgar - and equating this somehow to 'The Game of Life' - a bit strange?

Frances

Yes, distinctly strange! I also don't find 'The Game of Life' at all an appealing subject - such a cliche, for one thing!

Emma

Erm..me too. No thanks.

Kat

On the other hand, to play devil's advocate, you could interpret virtually just every novel as being about the 'game of life'.

I agree with the comments above. I fail to see the significance of 'hooking' this Competition to Trafalgar Celebrations. I also fail to see the relevance of the 'the Game of Life'.

OK, Trafalgar Day gives us a date, a time or a spot on the Calendar... perhaps Jago is right and the organisers are trying to avoid being specific in order not to inhibit creativitity; but it's a peculiar way to go about it.

Len

The link between Trafalgar and the game of life seems to be the monopoly board. But to my mind the 'game of life' theme only fits a very few novels - Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, for instance, maybe - so I think it's actually a very restrictive theme to propose.

Frances

Frances,

I have thought about the points you make but I cannot see any aspect of restriction in the theme suggested. The Game of Life as a theme can encompass absolutely everything to do with people. In fact, when one thinks about it, this theme could equally apply to tales of animals, Natural History, gardening, and so on.

For my tuppence-worth I would suggest that the organisers wished to set a theme that was the complete opposite of restrictive, thereby encouraging the widest possible creative thinking. However, if it means anything specific, then I cannot fathom its meaning but I can relate it to almost every published novel.

Len

OK, fair enough. Maybe it's just my thinking that's restricted. War and Peace, Pride & Prejudice, Lolita - yes, I guess these are all sort of about 'the game of life'. About life, anyway.

Frances

Anyone read a book called The Game of Life and How to Play it by Florence Scovell Schinn?

Cath

"The Game of Life" - suggests to me life set by arbitrary rules rather than cause and effect. Like a score in football is defined by the game, just like the number of players, teams rather than individuals, etc. Seems more like Franz Kafka than Tolstoy. Or Hesse and The Bead Game. It's not like any novel I'm writing/have written but it's interesting to think of...

Of course, I may be over complicating the theme...

Hey everyone, there is also a pretty good National Competition going on in UK right now. Its called Undiscovered Authors and you can enter pretty much anything you like! Its free to enter and there are some good prizes Check it out! its www.undiscoveredauthors.co.uk xxx

Hmm... Re: Undiscovered Authors - the prize money might be okay, but the main prize is still, basically, a self-publishing deal. I may be cynical, but it strikes me as more of a way of enticing writers with the 25% discount so that:

even if you don’t win you can still have your book published for under £100.

That's ONE copy - complete with ISBN of course, but even so, I'm personally not that desperate to see my name on the spine of a book!

maybe so but it's still a good way to get your work read and maybe win £10000.....!and anyway self publishing can be a really good way of getting your work out there and taken seriously...so whats so bad about that?