Mail on Sunday Writing Comp

Create the opening lines of a novel - between 50 and 150 words - and introduce the word 'train'. The setting could be a gym or a railway station or you might use the word to mean a train of thought, the train of a wedding dress or whatever inspires your plot. Winner receives £400 in book tokens and a place on an Arvon writing course. 5 runners up receive book tokens £150 - £300. Judges are: Fay Weldon, James Buchan and Simon Brett. Send entry typed or clearly written with name, address, tel numbers and email address all on the same page, by Monday October 29th, to The Mail on Sunday Novel Competition, 84 Drayton Gardens, London SW10 9SB. Results announced next summer.