Hi folks
Hope you all enjoyed an extra hour of sleep as we set the clocks back for the dark winter months ahead
(I guess it could also be an extra hour of writing, but please give yourselves a break :)
Here’s a quick overview of some fun statistics from of our first four days
Participants turning in writing:
Day 1 - 33
Day 2 - 32
Day 3 - 30
Day 4 - 30
And of course there are some folks who are writing and just not turning something in. That’s fine. Write, whether I get to see it and tally it up or not :) Your writing is the most important thing, not any number crunching I do on this end.
A standard formatted full-length play runs about 120 pages.
Day 1, writers turned in a total of 131 pages
Day 2, 122 pages
Day 3, 101 pages
Day 4, 111 pages
That’s mighty impressive turnout, everybody. Well done!
Let’s get you that writing prompt…
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Challenge #7 - Treat Yourself
Due: Tuesday, November 8th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)
Because it’s my favorite, I’m offering up this challenge again - from Aaron Sawyer from Red Theater in Chicago back in November 2015 (my first writing challenge as a participant):
“Write something that only you understand and that probably only you enjoy.
If you're not giggling to yourself or blushing you're doing it wrong.
Listen to your Id.
Be naughty!
Be coded.
Be fun.
Comment on your work as you do it.
Break and forget any and every rule except that writing can be FUN.
F-U-N!
Crack yourself up.
Fall in love with yourself again.
Masturbatory writing can unleash some wonderful creative energies.
Treat yourself.”
I got a very unexpected full-length play out of responding to this prompt. When developing it, a writer friend said to me that for about a year while I was developing an early draft of the script in our writing group, they thought, because of the play, that I was actually involved in a secret relationship with (celebrity name redacted) in real life. This is still, on a number of levels, one of the nicest compliments about my writing which I ever received. The script also remains one of the plays I have the most fun working on. I’m also constantly surprised by the number of other people who enjoy it - because when I began writing it, I was only doing it for myself.
And none of it would have happened if I’d restrained myself in responding to this first prompt.
What would you write if no one was looking or expecting you to take writing “seriously”?
I hope you’re always having fun with these writing challenges. But for this one, really have fun with it, whatever that means to you.
Read over Aaron’s words again, and go for it.
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If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can try 2021’s challenge #7
(in this case, however, it’s just a slightly different version of the same post - this is kind of my new tradition, giving you all this prompt at the one week mark to encourage you to not forget to have fun):
Treat Yourself
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 Forget To Vote: Tuesday, November 8th (or If You Can, By All Means Vote Early)
Don’t Stress About Thanksgiving
Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”
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How to submit your work for Challenge #7
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 #7
(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 8th, 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 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 23 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.
Someone you have a crush on turns out to be crushing on you, too.
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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