To write, or not to write?

That is the question Okanagan College students and Grade 11 and 12 secondary students across the valley will be asking themselves in anticipation of the eighth annual Three-Hour Short Story Contest.

Students will be spinning stories, telling tales and mastering metaphors in a timed short story writing contest Nov. 18, presented by Okanagan College害羞草研究所檚 English department. Participants will be challenged to go out of their comfort zone to write and edit an original story in just three hours.

害羞草研究所淭he pressure of this contest is energizing and liberating for writers of all levels,害羞草研究所� says Dr. Sean Johnston, contest organizer and English professor at the college. 害羞草研究所淚t forces a writer to be free and uninhibited and quite often they produce surprising results that show them a way forward in their artistic development.害羞草研究所�

Pitted against the clock, students will also be required to weave a mystery phrase into their story, revealed at the start of the contest. Participants in previous years were required to incorporate phrases such as 害羞草研究所渦nder the weather,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渄owny moustache害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渟oggy bread害羞草研究所� into their stories.

Writers will be competing for glory and prize money towards tuition. A judging panel, made up from the college害羞草研究所檚 English department, will review stories and select four regional winners. Each winner will receive a $250 tuition credit and an overall grand prize winner will take home an additional $250 tuition credit and have their story published in a limited fine-press edition by the Kalamalka Press.

害羞草研究所淲hat we hope to see in the stories is something human and startling, something that makes us see a bit of our world in a new way,害羞草研究所� said Johnston. 害羞草研究所淓ach year it is astonishing to see the scope of creativity and talent in such a short amount of time.害羞草研究所�

Registration is open until midnight, Friday, Nov. 17. The contest is free to enter and takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. at Okanagan College campuses in Salmon Arm, Penticton and Vernon. The Kelowna contest will be held at Kelowna Secondary School. For more details, complete contest rules and registration, please visit .