Hi folks
Rehearsal went well yesterday.
New Play Reading Series hits the lounge stage of The Black Hart of Saint Paul next Saturday.
Today I’m going to try and get a little ahead of the daily challenges, so I’m not throwing them together so much the day of. We’ll see how much progress I make.
So let’s get you that writing prompt…
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Challenge #14 - Snowflakes and Other Totems
Due: Tuesday, November 15th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)
There’s not supposed to be any kind of serious snowfall here in Minneapolis for another day or so. But when I was out this morning early for my run, there was the occasional snowflake following me around.
My mother loved snow.
Seeing snowfall of any kind reminds me of her, and makes me smile rather than makes me sad.
I still don’t know how to do the holidays without her, but snowfall I can manage.
I have her Bible.
My goddaughter’s mother is the pastor of a church out in Montana. They started live-streaming their services during the beginning of the pandemic and then posting them to YouTube afterward. They still do it. As a preacher, she’s quite gifted. Her sermons are amazing - and growing up the son of two ministers, I’ve had to sit through my share of sermons.
I download the church bulletin and follow along with the service. I have Mom’s Bible handy for the scripture readings.
I also have an old portfolio of my mother’s.
I discovered it in the cleaning out of the house after she died. It’s a nice portfolio, so I’ve taken to keeping a current draft of whatever script I’m working on in it. I take it with me pretty much everywhere I go when I leave the house for one of the day jobs. I also take it with me to the theater or the movies. I tell myself it’s so I always have the script with me and when I’m sitting around waiting for something to start or at intermission, I can work on something to pass the time.
I also know I’m partly doing it because going to the theater or the movies was something we frequently did together, Mom and I, and I’m taking a little part of her along with me.
It doesn’t make logical sense.
It’s just a symbol of a person who used to be there but isn’t anymore.
Like the Bible.
Or snowflakes.
What things remind you of other people? People who are dead or absent or just not part of your daily life anymore? What conjures them up again, bidden or unbidden?
Are they helpful reminders or painful ones?
What symbol or totem of a person could you use as a jumping off point for writing?
Play around with that.
Or don’t.
Up to you.
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If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can try 2021’s challenge #14:
Magic
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 :)
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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 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 Thanksgiving
Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”
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How to submit your work for Challenge #14
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 #14
(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 very challenge on the writing
challenge blog below
Again, this is: Due: Tuesday, November 15th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)
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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 16 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.
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And that something can be:
Lights up.
Light shines through a stained glass window.
Snow falls onstage somehow.
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.
Matthew A. Everett
Literary Director
Threshold Theater
(he/him/his)
Coming Up:
Threshold Theater’s New Play Reading Series
A reading of “Leviathan” by Bethany Dickens Assaf
Saturday, November 19, 2022 - 7pm
The Black Hart of Saint Paul - 1415 University Avenue West in St. Paul
Our video recording of our third live play reading in the New Play Reading series, Sam Walsh's "The Visible," is up on our YouTube channel (available to stream through the end of November) -
Support Threshold Theater on Give to the Max Day, November 17th
(Or feel free to give early, any time between November 1st through 16th)
Here's the link: https://www.givemn.org/story/Kssucf
"Write. Find a way to keep alive and write. There is nothing else to say."
- James Baldwin
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