Writing Challenge #3 - Clown Family

Hi folks

The first collections of electronic pages are already coming in.

So exciting to see you all so productive.

Hope you're having fun.

Let’s get you the next writing prompt…

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Challenge #3 - Clown Family

Due: Friday, November 4th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones) 

I had a co-worker at one of the day jobs who ascended to management status because he was unflappable.  In fact, he wasn't really that much of a talker.  It was rare to catch him smiling, much less laughing.  Such things were interpersonal events of magnitude.  Good guy but kept his own counsel.  Very useful for situations where customers were excited and de-escalation and solutions were necessary.

In recent years he got married and during the beginning of the pandemic he and his wife had a child.  He smiles a lot now.  That baby has really changed him.

Back in the day, pre-management promotion, he went through a phase where his hair and beard grew quite long.  He played guitar in a local band.  Another co-worker called him Rock Star Jesus.

One day yet another co-worker blew my mind by sharing the following:

"He comes from a family of clowns."

"How do they embarrass him publicly?"

"No, they're professional, trained circus clowns.  It's the family business.  He even went through some training and created his own clown persona when he was younger.  I've seen pictures.  He also has pictures of clown family gatherings.  They're amazing."

"But he decided to go into music."

"I don't think he's the black sheep of the family or anything, but he doesn't do the clown act anymore."

So, what kind of unusual family business or work environment can you think of that has crossed your path?  Something that might be an out of the ordinary world to set a story in.

Feel free to use the clown family if you want but you don't have to.  I just thought it was a fun example.

One of these days I might play with it myself.   I know a few clowns.  They're fascinating people.

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If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can try 2021’s challenge #3:

Start With A Title

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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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 Forget To Vote: Tuesday, November 8th (or If You Can, By All Means Vote Early) 

Don’t Stress About Format

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 #3

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 #3
(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: Friday, November 4th, 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.

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 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 27 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.

A clown walks onstage.

Their red nose malfunctions.

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