In Noggin by John Corey Whaley, Travis is diagnosed with terminal cancer. In an extreme leap of faith, Travis gets his head chopped off … and five years later, wakes up with it reattached to some other guy’s body. Travis is still 16 years old, and it feels like no time has passed. But in truth, five years have gone by. Five years in which his parents grieved, his friends grew up, and his girlfriend got engaged to another guy.
Can you imagine what that must be like? That’s the idea behind this month’s contest …
The Contest
Imagine you went to sleep and woke up five years later. You’re exactly the same – but everyone else around you has aged five years; experienced five years that you missed in the blink of an eye.
Now what?
That’s the premise for this month’s writing contest, inspired by Noggin by John Corey Whaley.
Your entry should be 250-500 words in length, using proper spelling and grammar. Submit your entry using the Novel Novice + Noggin Contest Entry Form.
The Prize
One winner will receive a copy of Noggin by John Corey Whaley
The Rules
- One entry per person
- U.S. only
- Use proper grammar & spelling
- Entries must be 250-500 words in length
- Use the entry form
The Deadline
All entries are due by midnight (PT) on Wednesday, April 30th.
Questions? Leave ’em in the comments & we’ll reply!

