Maxime Chattam helps you put an end to your novel -
20 Minutes
20 Minutes is
organizing the second edition of its writing competition open to all: the "20 Minutes of the novel", on the theme "The world after" and whose winner will be published at the end of the year.
An additional two weeks, until April 1, is allowed to submit your manuscript.
The novelist Maxime Chattam, godfather and president of the jury, explains how to finish writing his book.
Who will succeed Estelle Tolliac, first winner of the 20 Minutes Prize for the novel with
Noir de Lune
?
Maybe you, if you manage to send us your manuscript on time.
The good news, if you're late, is that the original deadline is extended to April 1.
You therefore have fifteen additional days to finalize your novel on the theme of the “next world”.
Some tips for a beautiful finish
Before releasing your manuscript, the writer Maxime Chattam gives you a video of some tips to finish in style.
"While writing, be totally selfish, savor the pleasure of writing, because what is expected of you is to feel the pleasure that you may have had in writing, advises the sponsor and president of the jury of the Price
20 Minutes
of the novel… During the proofreading, on the other hand, think of the other.
Invent, if necessary, a typical reader different from you, put yourself in his shoes and see how he interprets what he reads and reacts to what you have written… This is how you will end up finding a balance between what you liked about the writing of your novel and what will appeal to those who will read it.
»Maxime Chattam confessed to
20 Minutes
that this is exactly how he worked for his own novels… To summarize:
Trust yourself you will be really done when you are satisfied
Cut if necessary, but do not remove anything that would lose the thread of your plot
Put yourself in the shoes of someone other than yourself when you read yourself again
As a reminder, you therefore have until April 1 to register your manuscript on a dedicated platform.
A first selection will be made at the beginning of June, as the manuscripts are received by “Les Nouveaux Auteurs”, a group of readers set up by our partner Prisma media.
Save your manuscript here
The jury of the "
20 Minutes
of the novel
" prize
, chaired by Maxime Chattam and which includes journalists from the editorial staff and readers of the "
20 Minutes
books"
platform
, will take over this summer to determine, during a deliberation at the start of the school year, the winner of the prize whose novel will be on sale before the end of the year.
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