GUY RAZ, host: The writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the bestselling author of "Purple Hibiscus" and "Half of a Yellow Sun," and she's also judging our current round of Three-Minute Fiction here on Weekends on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.</s>GUY RAZ, host: And we're here to remind you that today is the last day to get your stories in this round. We're asking for original short fiction that can be read in under three minutes, so no more than 600 words. But Chimamanda, what's the catch?</s>CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE: Well, Guy, this round, we're all about emotions. So at some point in the story, one of the characters must tell a joke. Also, one of the characters must cry.</s>GUY RAZ, host: And to clarify, the joke and crying can be done by the same character or by different characters, as long as both happen in the story. And, as usual, we have to stick to the deadline.</s>CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE: So you have to get your stories in by 11:59 Eastern Time.</s>GUY RAZ, host: That's 11:59 p.m. tonight. Remember, Eastern Time. To read the full rules and to submit your story, go to our website, npr.org/threeminutefiction. That's threeminutefiction all spelled out, no spaces.
The clock is ticking and there's only a few hours remaining before the Three Minute Fiction contest ends. All stories must be received by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. For this round, one character must cry and one character must tell a joke. For the full rules, visit npr.org/threeminutefiction.