This was a hang up for some folks last year so I’ll say it again:
You can ignore the prompts.
You can do part and not all of a prompt if you want.
Whatever you write is fine, as long as you’re writing.
About halfway through the month of November last year, a writer shared that they somehow got the idea in their head that the writing prompts I was laying out were intended as a map to create a play - that one prompt would follow the next in such a way that if the writer followed all the prompts day by day they would come out on the other end of November with a play created in chronological order.
Wow. Uh… no. I’m not that clever.
This is a random series of prompts.
They are unrelated to one another - other than that they’re part of this overall month-long writing challenge exercise.
No one is expected to take the challenge from day 1, and then for day 2 take that day’s challenge and write something that builds on everything you wrote the day before.
This isn’t a puzzle that will magically lead you to a complete play at the end based on the puzzle pieces of each day’s writing prompt. Would that it were.
If I had a secret blueprint which I could build all my plays from which worked with all ideas at all times, I would have written a lot more plays by now.
If someone actually does manage to create a single play tying all of these challenges together in order, I will either be very impressed, or concerned for your mental health, perhaps both.
To be clear, I only have the prompts very roughly mapped out as of this evening through the first few weeks of November. Even I don’t know the end yet.
There is no overall narrative plan to these, they’re just a bunch of exercises.
Don’t contort your writing to fit the challenge.
Just write.
Several writers last year used the daily deadline as a drive to push through creating a first draft of a new play they’re working on that had nothing to do with any of the prompts.
That’s great.
Some people got an idea with one challenge and decided to run with it, ignoring the other writing challenges each day in order to keep developing their first idea instead.
That’s great, too.
Don’t make this harder on yourself than it actually is.
All you have to do is write,
something,
every day.
And then turn it in by 12 noon Central Time the following day.
That’s it.
There’s even an escape hatch option of a short one line play at the end of every one of these posts. If you’re dry one day, stressed out, unable to write anything, just email me the mini play at the bottom of the challenge and you get a pass for that day.
And, as has happened, if you have a personal issue related to your own health or the health of your loved ones, that takes precedence, of course. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Writing is not the most important thing in life. Life is. If you need a special dispensation because of a sudden emergency, absolutely deal with that, and let me know as you’re able. I like to think we’re very understanding. We won’t be mad or disappointed in you for circumstances beyond your control. Just keep us in the loop.
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