Write Your Own Christie - The home of Agatha Christie

Write Your Own Christie Competition Pack “All you need is a chair and a table and a typewriter and a bit of peace.” Agatha Christie on writing

A bit of history In 1931, in a literary game of Consequences, Agatha Christie and thirteen other members of the Detection Club 1 contributed a chapter (and a proposed solution) to a collaborative detective novel ultimately called The Floating Admiral.

About our competition In 2013, we are inviting all comers, wherever they live, whether they have read a Christie novel or not and whether they are a published author or not, to contribute a chapter, and an end solution, to a similar (and we hope equally enjoyable) concept: Write your own Christie. Our novel will take ten months to complete so there will be ten chances to enter a chapter and win. Entries will be judged by Mathew Prichard, Christie’s grandson, David Brawn, Christie’s British publisher for the past 18 years and her American publisher and Christie aficionado, Daniel Mallory. They’re looking for originality, plenty of plot twists and perhaps a little gentle humour.

What you can win Apart from the fun of testing your little grey cells and taking part, if your chapter wins, you will receive an invitation to an exclusive winners’ dinner hosted by our judges. The authors of highly commended chapters will receive a copy of a Christie novel of their choice, signed by Mathew. Once the novel is completed and published on our website, there will be a final call for a title— the short list will be decided by the judges in consultation with the ten winners and Christie fans worldwide will have the casting vote. For the winning writers there will be one last opportunity to be crowned a worthy King or Queen of Crime: the chance to pen the prologue.

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The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British detective novelists including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Anthony Berkeley and G.K. Chesterton. The members of the club agreed to adhere to a code of ethics in their writing to give the reader a fair chance at guessing the guilty party. Write Your Own Competition Pack October 2013

How to take part When you’re ready to submit your chapter, complete the entry form on the last page, sign it, and email it, along with your chapter to [email protected] or post back to Write Your Own, Agatha Christie Limited, 67-68 Long Acre, London WC2E 9JD. We’ll be discussing the competition on Facebook— or you can join us in the community forum where our creative team are at hand to answer any questions. You may even find some advice from Christie’s own fictional crime novelist Ariadne Oliver.

The rules of the game If you choose to enter the writing competition now (October 2013), your starting point is the opening scenes from the Christie classic, A Murder is Announced. From there the storyline for your Chapter One is up to you. If you choose to submit an entry for a later chapter once the story has collaboratively evolved, then you should read and digest the preceding chapters published on the website so that you can incorporate the pre-existing plot points and characters into your work and your solution. The only constraint is that you use the appropriate chapter heading from Christie’s original. In addition: •

Entries should be written in English and be between 1,500 and 3,000 words (about 4 pages of A4/Letter). Entries over 4,000 words will not be accepted

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You must have a clear denouement in mind. When submitting your chapter, also add one or two sentences describing the identity of the murderer and (most importantly) their motive and how they committed the murder given all the clues revealed to date

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The murderer must be one of the characters introduced in Chapters One, Two or Three

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The solution/murderer mustn’t be revealed until Chapter Ten

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Entries can be submitted by either e-mail or post and must include a completed signed, entry form. If sending by e-mail, please send to [email protected] and include your full name and chapter number in the subject line

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Writers may only submit one entry for each chapter/theme. Submitting for every chapter/theme is encouraged!

Write Your Own Competition Pack October 2013

Timetable You will have approximately three weeks to write each chapter. The deadline for submissions will be midnight on the last Monday of each month. The winning chapter will be published on agathachristie.com the following Thursday, accompanied by a short critique from the judges. The next day the brief for the following chapter will be uploaded. The following dates are indicative – we reserve the right to change them – advance notice will be posted on the website. Chapter no Chapter title Chapter 1 A Murder is Announced Chapter 2 At 6.30pm Chapter 3 Enter the detective Chapter 4 A mysterious stranger Chapter 5 A body is found Chapter 6 Someone is missing Chapter 7 An object is found Chapter 8 The suspects assemble Chapter 9 Reconstruction of the crime Chapter 10 The truth

Theme Announcing the murder To be revealed To be revealed To be revealed To be revealed To be revealed To be revealed To be revealed To be revealed

Deadline for submission th 28 October 2013 th 25 November 2013 th 30 December 2013 th 27 January 2014 th 24 February 2014 st 31 March 2014 th 28 April 2014 th 26 May 2014 th 30 June 2014

To be revealed

28 July 2014

Brief revealed th 8 November 2013 th 6 December 2013 th 10 January 2014 th 7 February 2014 th 7 March 2014 th 11 April 2014 th 6 May 2014 th 6 June 2014 th 11 July 2014

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Entry Form (to be completed and attached to your chapter) FOR OFFICE USE ONLY REFERENCE NUMBER:

CHAPTER CORRECT LENGTH?

SOLUTION PROVIDED?

First Name Surname Age

(13-18)(19-25)(26-35)(36-45)(46-55)(56-65)(66+)

Address

Email address Contact telephone number Word count Chapter number Title of chapter Have you read an Agatha Christie novel? Have you read Agatha Christie’s novel A Murder is Announced? How did you hear about this game? By signing below I confirm that I have read the Terms and Conditions (included in this Competition Pack and as appear on ACL’s website: LINK) and agree to be bound by them. I also hereby grant the necessary rights for ACL to publish my entry pursuant to those Terms and Conditions: ENTRANT’S SIGNATURE ………………………………………………… PRINT NAME ……………………………………………… DATE …………………..

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For those under 18 years old on 28 October 2013, a Parent/Guardian’s signature is also required below. I confirm that I have read the Terms and Conditions and agree to be bound by these

PARENT/GUARDIAN’S SIGNATURE ………………………………………………… PRINT NAME ……………………………………………… RELATIONSHIP TO ENTRANT …………………………………………………………… DATE …………………..


Terms and Conditions These are the terms and conditions governing entries to the Write Your Own Christie competition (the “Competition”) and its conduct. Please read them carefully before submitting your entry. How to Enter: 1. 2.

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Download a copy of the Competition Pack which shall contain the Entry Form from our website here Entries may be only submitted by email ([email protected]) or post (Agatha Christie Limited, 4th Floor, 67 - 68 Long Acre, London, WC2E 9JD, UK) and in either must case be accompanied by a completed and signed Entry Form. If sending by email, please include “WYO”, your name and chapter number in the subject line. No other routes of entry shall be accepted. Entries to be received by midnight, 28th October 2013 for first chapter. Entries received after this time will not be accepted. For each subsequent chapter(s), the deadline(s) shall be no later than midnight on the dates set out in the Competition Pack and on our website here. Any entries received after such times on such dates will not be accepted.

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Eligibility and Publicity: 1. 2.

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Must be a UK citizen and resident, or, if resident or a citizen of any other country, may only enter if legally permitted to do so under all applicable laws and regulations. Any entrants under 18 may only enter if legally permitted to do so under all applicable laws and regulations and subject always to first obtaining the express agreement from their parent(s) or legal guardian to abide by these Terms and Conditions by also signing the Entry Form. Entrants need not be published authors or professional writers. Entry is free. There is no requirement to purchase any Agatha Christie (or other) items, works or good to enter. The names of all selected entrants and any entrant whose entry is published will be made public. Any selected entrants must agree to take part in any post-competition publicity as required. All entrants agree to not publish their entries in any form and anywhere in the world until after September 15th 2014 without ACL’s express written permission. By entering this Competition, entrants warrant that they have legal capacity to enter and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. Any personal data relating to entrants will be used solely to process their application, and as necessary to identify them as a winner and / or publish details of their entry to the Competition and / or authorship on all media and in all cases in strict accordance with current UK data protection legislation. Not open to anyone employed by Agatha Christie Limited or any person connected to the Competition, or in a financial relationship with them or their close relative.

Rules for Entries: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The Competition is promoted by Agatha Christie Limited (“ACL”), 4th Floor, 67 – 68 Long Acre, London, WC2E 9JD, UK. The Competition is dictated by skill and no other factor which the entrant expressly acknowledges by entering. By entering the Competition you warrant that all information submitted by you is true, current and complete. Entrants must follow the guidance notes contained in the Competition Pack and on our website here. Entries must not contain defamatory, obscene, offensive or any other unsuitable material to be judged at ACL’s sole discretion. All entries must be the work of the entrant, created as an original work as result of their own skill, effort and judgement, and must not infringe the rights of any other party.

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All entries must be in English and be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Entries between 3,000 and 4,000 to be considered at ACL’s sole discretion. Entries over 4,000 words will not be accepted. Entries will not be returned so please keep a copy. ACL shall not enter into any correspondence with unsuccessful entrants about their entries. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are lost or delayed, or which are not received for any reason. ACL accepts no liability if entrants ignore the competition rules and by entering and signing the Entry Form, entrants agree that they do fully indemnify ACL against any claims by any third party arising from any breach of these Terms and Conditions. ACL cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the competition or as a result of accepting any prize. Entrants acknowledge and agree that they are only granted a revocable non-exclusive licence to use the characters created by Agatha Christie and related intellectual property solely to the extent necessary to write their entry for the Competition and for no other purpose. By entering the Competition and submitting your entry, you hereby grant to ACL the unrestricted right to publish your entry across all media worldwide for promotional purposes only. If selected as a chapter winner or otherwise commended, you hereby grant to ACL an exclusive royalty free worldwide licence in perpetuity to use or publish your entry in any manner or medium.

Judging and Prizes 1. 2. 3.

Valid entries shall be considered on their creative merits by judges chosen by ACL. In all cases, the judges’ decision shall be final. The competition prizes are as stated in the Competition Pack and on our website here. There will be no cash alternatives and no guarantee is given as to the quality of any prizes. The costs of any travel or expenses to any prize dinners shall be met by the winning entrants themselves and not ACL. ACL shall not be responsible if any winning entrants are unable to attend such events for whatever reason.

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ACL reserves the right to disqualify any entry which breaches any of these Terms and Conditions. ACL reserves the right to cancel or alter the Competition, or amend these Terms and Conditions, if deemed necessary in its sole opinion, and if circumstances arise outside its control. In such event, notice shall be posted on our website here. The Competition Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute relating to these Terms and Conditions and/or the Competition (including but not limited to the submission and judging or any entry) shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.


Don’t forget to make sure you’ve included your proposed solution: My murderer is …. Their motive is …. How they did it ….
