Challenge #6 - Bigfoot By Moonlight

Hi folks

There’s been a question about Thanksgiving so I thought I’d let everyone in on the response to that:

Yes, there will still be a writing prompt.

However, the plan that week is to send you several writing prompts in advance for the holiday weekend, so you can write ahead and bank them if you want.

And, as always, there will be an escape hatch prompt that you can copy, paste and embellish as your submission for the day, such as…

“Lights up

A turkey runs for its life across the stage.

Lights down”

So don’t stress the holiday.  There’s ways around it.




Let’s get you that writing prompt…


Challenge #6 - Bigfoot By Moonlight

Due: Sunday, November 7th, 8am
(whenever 8am arrives in your time zone; we’ll do the math here in the Central Time zone, no worries :)

One of the weirdest and most delightful calls for scripts I have seen in recent years came from The Spartan Theatre at Spokane Falls Community College in Washington state. They were looking for short plays for their “Bigfoot By Moonlight” festival.

“Bigfoot by Moonlight Play Festival Contest Rules:

Plays should incorporate Bigfoot either directly or indirectly. We will also accept plays dealing with Sasquatch, Sésquac, Yeti, Abominable Snowman, Yowie, Almas, Skunk Ape, Grassman, Wendigo, Orang Pendek, Mapingauri, or Yeren.

Play must not exceed 30 minutes - shorter works are preferred.
 
Plays may be on any subject and written in any style.

Plays should incorporate Bigfoot in some meaningful way for consideration.

Time will be strictly enforced.

Plays will be judged as to style, content, concept, and relationship to Bigfoot.

Both the playwright’s use of Bigfoot and the overall “theatricality” of the piece will be judged.

About the Festival:

Stemming from traditional legends and myths and adapting to a multicultural world, the Bigfoot by Moonlight Play Festival is a call to our audiences and artists to celebrate and share stories from our own back yard that define and challenge the essence and perceptions of who we are as a diverse community of storytellers and theatre-makers sharing the future together.

The structure of the festival will mirror stories, plays, and legends that have been performed for the audience throughout the course of human existence: sitting around a campfire watching a narrative being presented and sharing in the communal act of performance.”
 

Personally, I wish all plays were judged as to style, content, concept, and relationship to Bigfoot.


For the purposes of this challenge, you may insert another elusive monster of modern times if you wish - if you’re more partial to, say, the Loch Ness monster, or the Hodag, etc.

But honestly, who doesn’t love Bigfoot?





How to submit your work for Challenge #6

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 #6
(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 7th, 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 on the first few days.  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 24 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.

Bigfoot appears and does a little song and dance for the audience.

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.