What is the registration deadline for The QUEST?

The deadline for registration and payment is Tuesday, September 30, 2003. The QUEST begins on Wednesday, October 1, 2003.

How do I know if I am qualified?

The QUEST is designed for "regular people", and no writing experience or credentials are required. We will guide you through all writing assignments. We hope to get a wide variety of backgrounds, ages, and levels of experience in this contest.

How do I join?

Click on the button on this page that says "Sign Up Now". You can also sign up from the main Quest page. If you are not logged in as a LitKicks member, you will be prompted to either login with an existing membername or create a new one (this is a simple and free process). Once you are logged in as a LitKicks member, you will be asked to answer some questions about yourself and your writing interests. The only required data is a valid email address. Once you finish answering these questions, you proceed to the payment page.

How much does it cost?

The full price is $20. This is the only cost.

How do I pay?

There are two ways: pay online with a credit card (using PayPal, a safe and secure payment method), or mail a check. The payment page contains detailed instructions.

How does PayPal work with international currency?

PayPal will automatically convert foreign currency into American currency for you. For more information about this, please see this page.

Do I have to use my regular LitKicks membername?

No. If you wish, you may create a new membername to use during The QUEST.

Do I have to reveal my real name or address?

We recommend that you provide your real name and the town/city, state/province and country where you live, but this is not required. If you win an award, your name and location will be announced and published in the book. If you choose not to reveal your name or location, we will identify you only by membername. We will not reveal your email address, and we will not ask for your street address or telephone number.

What happens once I join?

You will receive an email before October 1, telling you where to go on that date. On October 1, you will briefly introduce yourself. You will then be placed in a group with approximately four other entrants, and with this group you will complete three weekly writing assignments. Each member of a group will be expected to thoughtfully critique the work of the other members, and the contest guides may lead discussions in your group as needed. Along with the critique, members will award points to the writings they admire most each week.

How will the judging process work?

After each weekly assignment, each member of a group will award a number of points to one or more writers that they consider most successful within that group. This provides a score which will be compiled after three weeks to determine the overall winner for each group. Scores will not be revealed until the end of the third week. At that time, a winner will be chosen from each group to advance to the final round during the fourth week of The QUEST.

What if I want to compete as a writer, but I don't want to critique other people's work?

When you sign up for The QUEST, you have three options: to be a writer and a juror, only a writer or only a juror. You can choose to sign up only as a writer. You will still be allowed to optionally critique within your group, but this will not expected of you, and you will not be able to award points.

What if I want to be part of the jury process, but I don't want to write anything myself?

You can choose to sign up as a juror. If you choose this option, you will still be able to submit writings for each assignment (if you wish) but these writings will not be critiqued or scored by others.

Can I award all my points to myself? I think I'm a great writer.

We're sure you are. But, no, you cannot award points to yourself.

Do I have to write something for all of the assignments?

It's recommended that you write something for each of the assignments, so that you will gain the most you can from The QUEST experience. The assignments are designed to complement each other and provide an overall wide sweep over many different types of writing. It's sort of a triathlon of writing, and for this reason we hope you will respond to each of the three assignments.

Who writes the assignments?

The assignments and guides for The QUEST are produced by your friendly neighborhood LitKicks Staff who will also serve as guides and advisors throughout the process.

How much time will I have to spend on this?

We understand that many participants have jobs, children, college courses, etc. (probation). We will require all writings to be short, so that both the writing and the critiquing require no more than a total of two hours per week.

What kind of writing are you looking for?

We're looking for short, fresh, spontaneous work. You will have time to edit, but due to the fast nature of The QUEST, we expect that pieces might be a little rough around the edges. We're looking for writings that convey ideas powerfully, rather than the most perfectly polished, refined work.

How will the jurors choose the final six winners?

At the end of each assignment period, there will be time to rate the pieces produced within each group. Out of these, the highest-rated writers from each group will advance to the final round, where everyone will have the opportunity to cast a vote. In the event of a tie, the QUEST guides will act as tiebreakers.

If I score badly in the first or second week, am I out of the running?

No. Everybody remains in the contest until the final round.

What kind of book will the LitKicks book be?

The LitKicks book will be a professionally printed, perfect-bound paperback with an ISBN#. It will be available on Amazon.com and in other bookstores.

Do participants get a copy of the book, even if they are not selected as winners?

No, however, the top six finalists will receive a complimentary copy of the book.

Is the LitKicks book only going to feature writing from winners of The QUEST?

While the QUEST winners will be featured prominently both in the upcoming book and on LitKicks.com, we anticipate there will other exceptional writing produced in this experience and the LitKicks staff will also be selecting pieces for honorable mention status.

Why is there an entry fee?

The one-time $20 entry fee allows anyone who signs up to participate in this process -- either as a competitor, a juror or both. The purpose of this entry fee is to support the contest and book so that both can be as good as they can possibly be, and also to support the operation of the site in general. We feel strongly that anybody who pays this entry fee will get their money's worth, and in fact we are aiming to present the kind of intensive workshop experience that writers might pay $300 or $400 for elsewhere.