I had trouble sleeping last night so I listened to the radio for a while. It didn't help me to fall asleep, but I did tune in to a BBC arts program which had a section about a fascinating project that took place around the world yesterday. To celebrate World Book Day (1 March) a group of 24 writers from 4 different coutries worked together to write a novel in 24hrs. Here is an excerpt from the website:

On Wednesday 29 February 2012 Spread the Word is bringing together four teams of writers and editors in London, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur and Vancouver, to create a unique novel. The project is an experiment in collaborative writing, using digital technology. The book, which will be written by multiple authors, operating in different time zones and countries, will be launched at noon on World Book Day, Thursday 1 March 2012.

What an intriguing idea! I'm very interested to see the result of their efforts. But I don't think I would work well under those sort of time restraints. Sometimes the words I need when I'm meant to be writing seem to vanish in all directions and I end up spending most of the time trying to pin them to the page. And anyway, how come I've never heard of World Book Day before? It is an excellent chance to celebrate books, but how has it eluded me up until now?

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, its possible to catch some of the action. On Thursday 1st March you will be able to watch a selection of authors and illustrators, together live and online for the first time from the comfort of your computer screen!