Writing Challenge #21 - Lamp Posts, Crows and Colors (Write Nov. 21)

Hi folks

Once you’ve turned in your pages by the 12 noon Central Time deadline on 11/21 for challenge #20, you will have officially completed two-thirds of the November Playwriting Challenge.

20 challenges down.

Only 10 challenges to go!  

Today is #10 in our final countdown to the end of the month and the end of this year’s challenge!

Congratulations on getting this far, with the finish line in sight!

Well done, one and all :)

So let’s get you today’s prompt…


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Challenge #21 - Lamp Posts, Crows and Colors

Write Nov. 21st - or earlier if you like
Due: Friday, November 22nd, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Another pair of curious recent calls for scripts that I thought you might find amusing and/or inspiring:

There was a theater in Cork, Ireland soliciting new ten minute plays for their spring fundraiser which sounded fun

"We are now looking for submissions for our ‘Views from…’ short play event. The theme this year is ‘Views from a Lamp Post.’

The setting is a simple one – a bench in a park overlooked by a tall lamp post.
What stories has this lamp post been a witness to?
What funny, tragic, heart-warming or hair-raising conversations has it overheard?
Who are the characters who have sat under its light for a short while?

We are looking for 10 minute plays that are character driven and are complete stories in their own right. All entrants should bear the following in mind… the setting should be integral to the plot. Preference will be given to plays that achieve this.

It’s a challenge, we know, but one designed to inspire rather than discourage.

As always, in our short play events, please follow these few guidelines:

Plays should be no more than 10 minutes in duration.

Other than that, we are open to plays of all genres –
comedy, tragedy, farce, fantasy, horror, period pieces, etc."



The other call was from literary magazine looking for material:

"Crow Name magazine is Introducing their Rainbow Color series (but backwards)! 6th issue edition! Our current theme: Orange, Yellow.

(Or feel free, for our purposes, to grab inspiration from one of the other standard rainbow colors:
red, green, blue, indigo or violet.)

Submit funky, fantasy, sci-fi, realistic fiction, poetry, script, comics, podcasts/audio essays, nonfiction, eccentric, playful formatting, art, short film, animation, and anything weird and cool.

Submit 1-5 pieces at a time, up to 20 pages total"

(I am also fond of the way they describe their magazine: (you could play with that instead if you want)

"Bursting forth from an inside joke, Crow Name is the singular brain(cell) child of Gail Bello and Mel Jones. Its mission: be a fun, creative studio to help all the odds and ends of the world find their place.

Having both enjoyed co-editing their alma mater’s online literary journal, Gail and Mel were inspired to create their own space in their collective voice and via the symbolism of their favorite mess of an animal; crows.

Crows are known and beloved for bringing their human friends shiny gifts. We at Crow Name see your writing as the most gorgeous bric-a-brac glinting in the sun and we want to share its blinding glory with everyone!

In short, we’re a literary magazine, a studio, a blog, and an archive of shiny things. The only thing we have yet to do is actually manage to truly befriend a murder of crows.")



So give one or the other of those a go.

Or combine them somehow, if you like.

Or, as always, ignore those suggestions entirely and write whatever you want.

Just write.


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If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #21: Technology Gone Awry

Or try 2022’s challenge #21: Mystery Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Or try 2023’s Challenge #21: Flower People

Or, you know, just ignore the prompts altogether and write whatever you want - as long as you’re writing and turning it in by the deadline, that’s all that matters for the challenge :)


**************************************

And because we call can get in our own way so easily, here’s some words of reassurance on the basics of this month:

Friendly Reminders - Answers To Common Questions:
(Follow the links to read me expounding on these items :)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About FormatDon’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

No.  Really.  I Mean It.  Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

Don’t Stress About Finishing An Idea (You Can Add Later)

Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


*************************************

How to submit your work for Challenge #21

You have options.  They are:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Copy and paste your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)

When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #21
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)

OR

Post the link for the online document option noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog



Write Nov. 21st - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Friday, November 22nd, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


***************************************

And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.

Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 12 noon Central Time on Friday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)

Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later.

You have 9 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want.

Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.

It just needs to be something.


**************************************
 

And that something can be:



Lights up.

A bench and a lamp post.

A crow flies in with a shiny orange bauble in its mouth.

The crow lights on the back of the bench.

The crow leaves the bauble as an offering to the lamp post.

The lamp post brightens briefly in salutation to the crow.

The crow nods and flies off.

Lights down.

The End



That’s always your escape hatch, every day.

That’s your base line.

Build on it.

Have fun.

Don’t stress.

Make an impulsive decision and run with it.

Breathe.

You’ve got the day.

Just write.

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.

Writing Challenge #20 - Leaves, Lighter, Love (Write Nov. 20)

Hi folks

We have arrived at the two-thirds mark!

Challenge 20 out of 30.

Well done, everybody!

Let’s keep rolling into that final third.

So let’s get you this prompt so I can get back to the inbox and keep processing your many, many submissions :)



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Challenge #20 - Leaves, Lighter, Love

Write Nov. 20th - or earlier if you like
Due: Thursday, November 21st, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Here’s another trio of jumping-off points for potential writing from Threshold Theater’s Managing Director and co-founder David Schlosser:



“In the pitch dark the flicker of the lighter”

“The brown red yellow leaves crunched under their feet”

“He/she/they shouted oh for fuck sake. God damn it. Yes, I love you”



Take any or all of those and swirl them around and see what you come up with.

Or, as with any other day in this challenge, just write whatever idea comes to you, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with the day’s prompt.

Up to you, as always.

Just write something.

Have fun!


*******************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #20: Your Favorite Story

Or try 2022’s challenge #20: Regional Slang

Or try 2023’s Challenge #20: Reverse Order (from Threshold Theater Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove)

Or, you know, just ignore the prompts altogether and write whatever you want - as long as you’re writing and turning it in by the deadline, that’s all that matters for the challenge :)


****************************************

And because we call can get in our own way so easily, here’s some words of reassurance on the basics of this month:

Friendly Reminders - Answers To Common Questions:
(Follow the links to read me expounding on these items :)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About FormatDon’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

No.  Really.  I Mean It.  Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

Don’t Stress About Finishing An Idea (You Can Add Later)

Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)




***************************************

How to submit your work for Challenge #20

You have options.  They are:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Copy and paste your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)

When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #20
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)

OR

Post the link for the online document option noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog



Write Nov. 20th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Thursday, November 21st, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


**************************************

And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.

Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 12 noon Central Time on Thursday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)

Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later.

You have 10 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want.

Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.

It just needs to be something.


****************************************************
 

And that something can be:


Lights up halfway.

In the semidarkness, Pamela flicks her cigarette lighter repeatedly until the spark finally turns into a flame.

Autumn leaves crunch under her feet.

She leans down, ready to set the fallen leaves on fire - and who knows what else besides.

Sharon rushes onstage and faces Pamela down.

SHARON: Oh for fuck’s sake!  God damn it!  Yes, Iove you!

Pamela pauses, considering what do with her lighter, or what do to with Sharon.

Pamela flicks the lighter shut, extinguishing the flame.

Lights down.

The End





That’s always your escape hatch, every day.

That’s your base line.

Build on it.

Have fun.

Don’t stress.

Make an impulsive decision and run with it.

Breathe.

You’ve got the day.

Just write.

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.

Writing Challenge #19 - Planning, Pride, Fright or Language (Write Nov. 19)

Hi folks

Day job is kicking off quick busy this Monday.

And I have the playwriting group meeting at my house tonight.

And I also haven’t written any of the pages I’ve been researching yet.

So let’s get you that writing prompt, and I’ll get back to all the rest of that…


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Challenge #19 - Planning, Pride, Fright, or Language

Write Nov. 19th - or earlier if you like
Due: Wednesday, November 20th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Today, it’s a choose your own adventure option among four different actual recent calls for very particular scripts from theaters

KDC Theatre in Central London was looking for
short scripts (6-7 pages)
with 2 to 8 characters (with doubling possible)
which all start with the same line of dialogue:
"It's not like we planned it."

Homegrown in Luton, England was looking for
ten minute plays to this year's theme of "Pride"
"We want pride to be a springboard for writers, not a limitation.
We are fascinated to see how writers interpret Pride,
this could be LGBTQAI+ pride,
pride in your hometown,
pride in yourself
or even the sin of being prideful."

Gather By The Ghost Light in Augusta, GA was looking for
radio dramas of 20 pages or less
for recording in front of a live audience
this time in the genre of Horror with their Stage Frights Submission Call
"We want scripts that allow for immersive sound fx -
chainsaws, monsters snarling, jump scares, gore, haunting ghosts, etc.
Creepy dialogue is fun and all
but we have a foley guy.
Make us use him."

The Alpine Fellowship Foundation in the UK was looking for
Scripts of 45 minutes or less
3 characters or less
The theme is - Language


If any of those give you an idea, great - go for it!

If not, as always, you can just write whatever you want, ignore the prompt.  Just keep on scribbling and typing.

Happy writing!

**********************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #19: Random Phrase Generator part 3

Or try 2022’s challenge #19: Frogs

Or try 2023’s Challenge #19: Mystery Office or Newspaper Home

Or, you know, just ignore the prompts altogether and write whatever you want - as long as you’re writing and turning it in by the deadline, that’s all that matters for the challenge :)


***************************************

And because we call can get in our own way so easily, here’s some words of reassurance on the basics of this month:

Friendly Reminders - Answers To Common Questions:
(Follow the links to read me expounding on these items :)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About FormatDon’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

No.  Really.  I Mean It.  Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

Don’t Stress About Finishing An Idea (You Can Add Later)

Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


**************************************

How to submit your work for Challenge #19

You have options.  They are:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Copy and paste your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)

When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #19
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)

OR

Post the link for the online document option noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog



Write Nov. 19th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Wednesday, November 20th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


***************************************

And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.

Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 12 noon Central Time on Wednesday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)

Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later.

You have 11 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want.

Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.

It just needs to be something.


***************************************
 

And that something can be:



Lights up.

Sam and Suzy are perplexed.

SAM: It's not like we planned it.

The sound of a chainsaw is ominously close.

SUZY: I have to admit, I’m quite proud of the number of trees that saw takes out.

SAM: I only understand what you’re saying half the time, you know that, right?

Lights down.

The End



That’s always your escape hatch, every day.

That’s your base line.

Build on it.

Have fun.

Don’t stress.

Make an impulsive decision and run with it.

Breathe.

You’ve got the day.

Just write.

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.

Writing Challenge #18 - The Ending Is The Beginning (Write Nov. 18)

Hi folks

Apologies for the delay on this one - I had a Literary Team meeting for Threshold Theater at 11am this morning, and then a publicity meeting for Threshold's upcoming production of "Spellbound" at 1pm (just finished :)

You all are so prolific, you are (thus far) impossible to keep up with, as you might have noticed by the fact that my response rate is still a week (yikes) behind you all.  

Not only are there significantly more of you this year, there is also a much higher percentage that greater number of you still clipping along with cranking out daily submissions every single day so far this month.  Which is great!

I’m very happy to see it, I just can’t quite process your output fast enough to draw anywhere close to you this year :)

(Obviously, we need to make this more than a one-person job next year. I was kinda wondering when we were going to hit the limits of what I could efficiently do by myself, and I think this year we are definitely brushing up against it if not blowing completely past it. Not sure yet what that means for next year’s challenge team, but I also don’t have time to plot that out at the moment - much to plan for the future… :)

To be clear, this is a problem we WANT to have on the challenge, so keep those pages coming!

I’m just gonna get right to today’s writing prompt so I can get back to the email inbox and keep clearing it out.

We’re over two weeks in, and over halfway completed overall, so keep on writing!

Let’s get you that writing prompt…

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Challenge #18 - The Ending Is The Beginning

Write Nov. 18th - or earlier if you like
Due: Tuesday, November 19th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



This one’s another offering from the clever brain of Threshold Theater Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove:

“Write a scene that ends at the same point it started.”

Now, you could interpret that any number of ways.

It could be a literal time loop.

Or it could just be a scene (or longer play) that ends up at the same time of day that it started.

Or the same season of the year that it started.

Or in the same place that it started.

Or the same set of characters gather together again as they did at the beginning, but the context is different.

Or a person could be doing the same task at the end as they were at the beginning, but it’s a different iteration of the same thing:

speed dating with a different date, or that same date from earlier coming back for a second chance in the rotation

a surgeon scrubbing in for another surgery

a parent yet again reading the same bedtime story because the kid is not at all sleepy yet

a couple that really meant to get dressed for work collapse back into bed for another tumble and then are once again trying to get dressed for work, now with no hope of getting there on time, but they don’t mind

Or maybe just a couple of hapless characters who can’t break out of their cycle of behavior - like Amanda and Laura in “The Glass Menagerie” or Vladimir and Estragon in “Waiting for Godot” (which spellcheck helpfully wanted to make Vladimir and Estrogen, which is a WHOLE other play…)

“Well, shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
(They do not move.)

Take Kate’s instruction as literally, figuratively or metaphorically as you wish.

And again, you could just have the beginning (which you know you want to be the ending) and not get to the end/beginning in a single day’s writing.  That’s absolutely fine.  Just get started and turn in whatever you have by the deadline.

Take any one or all of these and conjure up some pages for a potential play you can work on after November is past.

Or if any of them bring a completely different idea to mind, go with that instead.

Just write something.

***********************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #18: Words With No English Equivalent

Or try 2022’s challenge #18: Games

Or try 2023’s Challenge #18: Snapshots 3 (from Threshold Theater’s co-founder and Managing Director David Schlosser)

Or, you know, just ignore the prompts altogether and write whatever you want - as long as you’re writing and turning it in by the deadline, that’s all that matters for the challenge :)


****************************************

And because we call can get in our own way so easily, here’s some words of reassurance on the basics of this month:

Friendly Reminders - Answers To Common Questions:
(Follow the links to read me expounding on these items :)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About FormatDon’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

No.  Really.  I Mean It.  Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

Don’t Stress About Finishing An Idea (You Can Add Later)

Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)

***************************************


How to submit your work for Challenge #18

You have options.  They are:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Copy and paste your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)

When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #18
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)

OR

Post the link for the online document option noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog



Write Nov. 18th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Tuesday, November 19th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


*******************************************

And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.

Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 12 noon Central Time on Tuesday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)

Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later.

You have 12 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want.

Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.

It just needs to be something.


****************************************


And that something can be:



Lights up.

Lights down.

Lights up.

The End



That’s always your escape hatch, every day.

That’s your base line.

Build on it.

Have fun.

Don’t stress.

Make an impulsive decision and run with it.

Breathe.

You’ve got the day.

Just write.

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.

Writing Challenge #17 - The Gilded Lily (Write Nov. 17)

Hi folks

Delayed today by a morning shift for the matinee showings at the second job at the Guthrie, and since it’s “Christmas Carol” season already, there wasn’t any downtime for anything else this shift.  We were quite full of a great many people who needed attentions and problems solved.  Against all odds, we didn’t ruin anyone’s Christmas today, but it was touch and go there for a while.

Now that I have dispensed with Christmas for the day, I can return again to November, and its many writing challenges.

So without further delay, let’s get you that writing prompt…


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Challenge #17 - The Gilded Lily

Write Nov. 17th - or earlier if you like
Due: Monday, November 18th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


Several weeks back, returning to my car after a morning run, I saw this intriguing two-story building - one of those boxy, stone/stucco numbers in Minneapolis that was built with the purpose not of being one home but rather of being split up into four apartments, two on the first floor, two on the second.  And as many such buildings here do, it had a name. Now, because of the faded and flaking orange and yellow trim, it was hard to make out the name of the building at first, but when I looked closer, I could finally see:

The Gilded Lily

Which, given its general sad state of disrepair, was kind of a delightful irony.

Also a number of weeks ago, someone spray painted on the running path (people are always spray painting on the running path, or the bridges and archways that cross over it - sometimes it’s as simple as putting little devil horns on the universal “walking person” icon the defines the running path, as opposed to the logo of a bicycle to designate the bike path).  This time it was a message, scrunched down so it just fit in the running path and didn’t cross over to the bicycle path (probably because runners and dog walkers are the only ones slow enough to catch a message as they pass over it or by it)

Every-
thing is
tempo
rary

(Except spray paint on blacktop, I guess - as the message is still there)

This put me in mind of a young man named Zach who put on a show in the Minnesota Fringe Festival a number of years ago, creating a whole world out of nothing more than cardboard.  He re-christened himself Leo when he moved away to Chicago.  When he died young, quite unexpectedly, his girlfriend at the time, who was also an artist, kept the artwork he created and then created her own artwork on top of and in conjunction with his works.  And then when she died, also unexpectedly, friends and family tried to reclaim the art - but whose art was whose?

The words on the running path put me in mind of a quote from Charlie Chaplin, but I got the quote wrong at first, because they edited it for a movie theater marquee, which is how I first encountered it.  During the pandemic, the local Riverview Theater (an old-school, big single screen movie house straight out of the 1950s) kept itself afloat by offering popcorn to go that people in the neighborhood could pick up and take away, since the theater itself wasn’t showing movies for a year or so.  And instead of movie titles on the marquee, they put up amusing or inspirational quotes. They took pictures and now show the quotes in between ads on the screen pre-show, like Batman saying “The mask isn’t to protect you, it’s to protect the people close to you” or Darth Vader saying “You are unwise to lower your defenses” or this Chaplin quote:

“Nothing is permanent, not even our troubles.”

But they edited it, perhaps for space, perhaps for content, because the actual quote is apparently

“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles.”

A reference to “this wicked world,” given Chaplin’s colorful and sometimes problematic life, seems apt.

If you want some of the spicy details of the life Chaplin and his moviemaking compatriots of the time, the podcast “You Must Remember This” has plenty of great material to offer, including:

Star Wars Episode XI: Charlie Chaplin (March 17, 2015)

Blacklist Flashback: Charlie Chaplin During World War II (March 21, 2016)

Monsieur Verdoux: Charlie Chaplin’s Road to Hollywood Exile (March 28, 2016)

Peggy Hopkins and Charlie Chaplin (Fake News: Fact-Checking “Hollywood Babylon”) (August 21, 2018)


And so…
The Gilded Lily
Everything is temporary
Messages you might want to spray paint on a wall or path for passersby to see
Messages on a movie theater marquee
Worlds made of cardboard
Art on Art on Art

If any of those amuse or intrigue you, or make you think of some other concept that you want to play around with, go forth and write something.

Or, as usual, ignore all this and just do whatever you want.

Just write something.

**********************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #17: Holidays

Or try 2022’s challenge #17: Writing For Someone Else

Or try 2023’s Challenge #17: Occam’s Raisin

Or, you know, just ignore the prompts altogether and write whatever you want - as long as you’re writing and turning it in by the deadline, that’s all that matters for the challenge :)


****************************************

And because we call can get in our own way so easily, here’s some words of reassurance on the basics of this month:

Friendly Reminders - Answers To Common Questions:
(Follow the links to read me expounding on these items :)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About FormatDon’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

No.  Really.  I Mean It.  Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

Don’t Stress About Finishing An Idea (You Can Add Later)

Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


*****************************************


How to submit your work for Challenge #17

You have options.  They are:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Copy and paste your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)

When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #17
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)

OR

Post the link for the online document option noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog



Again, this is: Due: Monday, November 18th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


*****************************************

And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.

Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 12 noon Central Time on Monday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)

Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later.

You have 13 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want.

Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.

It just needs to be something.


******************************************

And that something can be:



Lights up.

A man in a bowler hat and overly large tuxedo waddles across the stage swinging a walking cane.

Lights down.

The End





That’s always your escape hatch, every day.

That’s your base line.

Build on it.

Have fun.

Don’t stress.

Make an impulsive decision and run with it.

Breathe.

You’ve got the day.

Just write.

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.

Writing Challenge #16 - First Times and Regrets (Write Nov. 16)

Hi folks

With this prompt, we’re now officially over halfway there!

Once again, well done, everyone.

Whether you write every day or every other day or once a week, pat yourself on the back.

And if you don’t get to writing on a particular day, don’t beat yourself up about it.  
Life happens.  
Just try again to write the next day and keep on going.

As you can all see by my response rate, I’m still behind on the email, but I’m working to catch up - perhaps by this weekend I finally will.  We shall see… It would be nice at the halfway point to get a handle on the full scope of all the work you’ve been turning in.

But don’t wait for me :)  You all keep moving ahead!  
It’s nice for the challenge to be a different kind of challenge for me, too, this year.

Just write.

Let’s get you that writing prompt…


*******************************************


Challenge #16 - First Times and Regrets

Write Nov. 16th - or earlier if you like
Due: Sunday, November 17th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Here’s another offering of random ideas to peruse from Threshold Theater’s co-founder and Managing Director David Schlosser.

These four seemed to coalesce around the same type of prompt.

Think them over, and then dive in:


“The first time you saw them…”

“The thing you wish you could take back”

“The one you screwed up on”

“The biggest lie you told your parents”



See if any of that inspires you, even if it’s to do the exact opposite of the things the phrases are conjuring up.

As always, if that doesn’t do it for you, just write whatever you like.

Just write something.


*************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #16: Poetry

Or try 2022’s challenge #16: Brains

Or try 2023’s Challenge #16: “How did I get here?” (from Threshold Theater co-founder and Technical Director Nick Mrozek)

Or, you know, just ignore the prompts altogether and write whatever you want - as long as you’re writing and turning it in by the deadline, that’s all that matters for the challenge :)


**************************************

And because we call can get in our own way so easily, here’s some words of reassurance on the basics of this month:

Friendly Reminders - Answers To Common Questions:
(Follow the links to read me expounding on these items :)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About FormatDon’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

No.  Really.  I Mean It.  Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

Don’t Stress About Finishing An Idea (You Can Add Later)

Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


*****************************************


How to submit your work for Challenge #16

You have options.  They are:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Copy and paste your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)

When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #16
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)

OR

Post the link for the online document option noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog



Write Nov. 16th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Sunday, November 17th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


***************************************

And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.

Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 12 noon Central Time on Sunday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)

Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later.

You have 14 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want.

Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.

It just needs to be something.


************************************


And that something can be:

Lights up.

Two friends in high school stand close together.

Maybe too close.

Suddenly one turns around and smacks the eyeglasses of the other person’s face.

The eyeglass frame go skittering down the hall.

The two - now former(?) - friends stare at each other.

Lights down.

The End



That’s always your escape hatch, every day.

That’s your base line.

Build on it.

Have fun.

Don’t stress.

Make an impulsive decision and run with it.

Breathe.

You’ve got the day.

Just write.

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.

Writing Challenge #15 - Reunions (Write Nov. 15)

Hi folks

We have reached the midpoint of the month - day and challenge 15 of 30!

No matter how much writing you've done or haven't done over the past two weeks, well done, everyone!

Every day you write something (no matter how good or bad you think it might be in the moment) is a better day than a day where you don't write.  These are just first drafts, you can go back and fix whatever you want later.  For now, just let the pages flow.

Happy writing to all!

And also remember, you can ignore this prompt and write whatever you like.

Just write some pages and turn them in before Saturday, 12 noon Central Time.  That's enough to satisfy the challenge.

(Or that escape hatch play at the end of this message/post is always an option)

Apologies for the slight delay in getting out the prompt today - day job duties intervened.  That’s in part why the Tuesday/Wednesday challenge emails went out in the morning - I have to report to the office rather than work remotely from home on those days, so I thought it better to get them out early rather than risk have something come up midday. Otherwise, I’d wait until the noon deadline had passed in order to try and make things less confusing.

Remember, if you ever find that you haven’t received the day’s email, or perhaps Gmail is hiding it from you, you can always find the challenges posted on the blog - https://thresholdwritingchallenge.blogspot.com/

Let’s get you that writing prompt…

**********************************************


Challenge #15 - Reunions

Write Nov. 15th - or earlier if you like
Due: Saturday, November 16th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Let's talk reunions.

Last fall, despite all the best efforts of the officers of my graduating class doing some pretty impressive detective work, I ended up not attending my 40th high school reunion.

This was mostly because the last time I was back home for any extended period of time, my mother was dying of a brain tumor.

It took two solid years of grief therapy and support group meetings just to stop the constant replay film in my head of those one and a half months I was there daily while she was sick, driving on all those same roads I would have to travel down yet again for this reunion event.

Even around reunion time, four years on from putting her ashes in the ground, the thought of returning there was like returning to the scene of a horror movie, or the place a bomb went off.

Responding to the class president, who reached out to me on Facebook, I regretfully said, “As much as part of me wishes I had the fortitude to face all those familiar locations, I have to admit that I still just don’t have it in me.  I need a bit more distance.”

And to be honest, there also wasn't really anyone there I wanted to see (at least not badly enough to want to deal with the previous reason not to go).

And I was raised in Pennsylvania, so I probably don't want to know how most of my former classmates still living there voted in the last three presidential elections.

But it did get me thinking,
what people would I want to see again
(high school,
college,
grad school,
life in general),
and under what conditions?

Beyond high school,
who all would you want to be reunited with and why and how?  

This applies to both the living and the dead.

If that sounds like a fun thing to play around with, go for it.

Or ignore me and write whatever you want - either way, we’re halfway there!


*************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #15: Endings

Or try 2022’s challenge #15: Fake Adaptations

Or try 2023’s Challenge #15: Pictures That Haunt You

Or, you know, just ignore the prompts altogether and write whatever you want - as long as you’re writing and turning it in by the deadline, that’s all that matters for the challenge :)


****************************************

And because we call can get in our own way so easily, here’s some words of reassurance on the basics of this month:

Friendly Reminders - Answers To Common Questions:
(Follow the links to read me expounding on these items :)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About FormatDon’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

No.  Really.  I Mean It.  Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt

Don’t Stress About Finishing An Idea (You Can Add Later)

Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


************************************

How to submit your work for Challenge #15

You have options.  They are:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Copy and paste your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)

When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #15
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)

OR

Post the link for the online document option noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog



Write Nov. 15th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Saturday, November 16th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


**************************************

And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.

Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 12 noon Central Time on Saturday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)

Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later.

You have 15 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want.

Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.

It just needs to be something.


***********************************************


And that something can be:

Lights up.

A banner hangs across part of the stage saying “40 Year Reunion - Phoenixville Area Senior High School”

Two people appear on opposite sides of the stage.

They haven’t seen each other since high school graduation, or was it the five year reunion?

Either way, it’s been awhile.

They see one another.

They lock eyes.

Lights down.

The End




That’s always your escape hatch, every day.

That’s your base line.

Build on it.

Have fun.

Don’t stress.

Make an impulsive decision and run with it.

Breathe.

You’ve got the day.

Just write.

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.