Challenge #20 - Your Favorite Story

Hi folks

Just because I may forget to thank people personally in the flurry of emails each day, I just wanted to say a quick blanket thank you to any of you who may have given yesterday to Threshold Theater as part of Give to the Max Day.  We really appreciate it.

In case you were wondering, "Hey, is he doing any writing like we are right now?" an update on this side of the blog for you.  In addition to conjuring up writing prompts this month for all of you, I’ve been working on a recording of a song I wrote for one of my plays.  The basic tracks have been laid down and now I’m polishing it with some effects, so we have it as a tool for actors in the upcoming production.  Basically, “this is what it sounds like, have fun with it.”  After that’s completed, my guitar teacher and I will work on a full arrangement version, so maybe we can use the song for post-show music.  Not playwriting, but playwriting-adjacent work at least. (Honestly, I envy you writing daily.  I miss being on the other side of these prompts.  I enjoyed the crush of random November writing in the past quite a lot.)




Let’s get you that writing prompt…


Challenge #20 - Your Favorite Story

Due: Sunday, November 21st, 8am
(whenever 8am arrives in your time zone; we’ll do the math here in the Central Time zone, no worries :)

We all have them (if we’re lucky).  Stories we go back to again and again and never get tired of - a favorite novel, play, TV show, or movie.  A story that speaks to us, often in ways we can’t articulate.  We just keep reading or watching.  It’s an old friend.  It’s comfort food.  It inspires us to be better writers - so maybe one of these days we can write a story that could be somebody else’s favorite thing to revisit over and over again.

If you asked me about books, the first two things that leap to mind are any of the novels of Michael Cunningham (The Hours, Flesh and Blood, etc.) or the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series from the late great Douglas Adams.

If you asked me about movies, that’s Casablanca.

And as a playwright I have often been asked the question, what are your favorite plays?  And after way too many times where I just stared blankly back, like an interviewee being asked as question he should have been prepared for and was not, only to think much later of any number of scripts I should have mentioned, I came up a while ago with a basic list of go to titles:

Both parts of Angels in America by Tony Kushner (though I’m more partial to part 2)
As You Like It, and Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Uncle Vanya, and The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
Landscape of the Body by John Guare
Falsettos by William Finn

I realize as I type it now, it includes no plays by writers I’ve been reading and loving more recently, so it needs a refresh.  This will likely include titles from the following:

Annie Baker, Lynn Nottage, Sara Ruhl, Paula Vogel, and Naomi Wallace


So, what’s your favorite story?

Pull it out and break it down.

Study its structure and component parts.

Is there something you can write using the same tools and ingredients?

Play around and see what you find.




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 past 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 above in the comments section on this very blog post for this challenge on our writing challenge blog.


Again, this is: Due: Sunday, November 21st, 8am
(whenever 8am arrives in your time zone; we’ll do the math here in the Central Time zone, no worries :)

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.

We will be VERY understanding about technical difficulties and how they can screw up making the deadline.  No need to fret about anything except the writing (and hopefully that’s not something causing you to fret too much either :)

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 8am on Sunday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

A friendly reminder - you don’t have to write to the prompts if they don’t inspire you.  You can ignore them and just write whatever you want, just as long as you’re writing (that’s the main thing, not what you write)

Someone had a good question about the overall goal of the month, are we supposed to write a full-length play, or two one-act plays, etc.?  The short answer is no (unless you want to).  The longer answer is here if you’re curious.

For those concerned about format, we’re pretty liberal about that, too - just as long as it’s legible and in English.  More on that here.

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.

A couple of misfits find 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 (and a half).

Just write.