And I thought NaNoWriMo was a crazy idea?

When I first heard of NaNoWriMo, I thought it was crazy. I mean, how could anyone possibly write a 50,000 word novel in only thirty days?

Years later, I know it's not only possibly, but very doable (1667 words a day; a lot of published writers write 2000+ words per day).

Then I heard about "book in a week" competitions. Never tried it, but I imagine it could be possible to accomplish, with intense focus. I know it would certainly be easier to get everyone to leave you alone for a single week and to take a break from regular life for only a week than it is to get everyone to leave you alone for a whole month (though the advantage to having a whole month is that on good days you can write ahead to make up for the bad days).

Today, the insanity went up another notch: I found out about the "International 3-day novel contest." The point is to write a novel in the three days over labor day weekend. The very idea makes me want to jump into bed and pull the covers over my head. I can't even imagine trying to crank out a novel in three days. I know I'd never be able to do it, because I'm not capable of constant, intense focus. I like to mull ideas over . . . and I love sleep.

So kudos to those who have done the 3-day challenge . . . you're nuts, but kudos to you!

What's the craziest writing deadline you've ever had (self-proclaimed deadline or official contest)?