Writing Challenge #7 - Treat Yourself (Write Nov. 7th)

Hi folks

Since I don’t have a good answer to the question “What the hell just happened?” I’ll try answering a simpler question related to the November playwriting challenge.

There’s been some confusion, as there is every year, about when the challenges should be written and when they’re due.

The subject line of the email tells you when it’s due.
The due date and time are also listed just before the text of the day’s challenge itself, normally about a third of the way down the email and blog post.
The due date and time are also listed at the end of the section about how to submit your work, which is part of every challenge email about two thirds of the way down the email and blog post.

Again, if you ever get turned around, look at the date on the calendar:
It’s November 16th -
I should be writing Challenge #16,
which is due by noon Central Time on November 17th.

I’m sending you the emails a day ahead of schedule, to give you the opportunity to have more time to write.  I apologize that this also seems to cause confusion as the overlapping challenge messages pile up the further we get into the month.

To see if it helps, I’m going to start adding, as I did today, a suggestion for when to write the challenge, not just when it’s due.  This will be in the same three places in the email (including the subject line) and the same three places in the blog post on the challenge blog, as the deadline currently lives.

This is not to be prescriptive, telling you “you must write this day and only this day” - I’m sending it to you early, so feel free to write early. But I’m also not recommending that you wait until the morning of the day it’s due to start writing, unless that’s your thing :)

So let’s get you that writing prompt (which is one of my favorites, and needed more today perhaps than it was in previous years on the 6th and 7th and 8th of November)…


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Challenge #7 - Treat Yourself

Write Nov. 7th
Due: Friday, 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, our end of the first week tradition - authored by 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.  I wrote part of a scene that first day of the prompt, and then a couple of days later I thought, “Hey, I think I know what happens next on that scene I wrote the other day.”  

And I just kept writing, scenes in and out of order with the same set of characters for about two weeks until I ran out of gas.  And I looked up and I had over 120 pages, so I thought, “Well, I’m not sure exactly what this is yet, but I’ve got all the raw material for a two act play.  Wow.”

When developing this play in the following months after the challenge that year was over, a writer friend said to me that for quite a while as I was writing an early draft of the script and bringing it to 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.


************************************

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 my tradition, giving you all this prompt at the one week mark to encourage you to not forget to have fun):

Treat Yourself

If you really want some variety, you can peruse the full list of options from

Challenge List 2021

Challenge List 2022

Challenge List 2023

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 :)


****************************

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 Stress About FormatDon’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 “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


**********************************

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 noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog


Write Nov. 7th
Again, this is: Due: Friday, November 8th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



******************************

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 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.

******************************

 

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.

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.

Writing Challenge #6 - Skyway Buddha

Hi folks

This one’s going out a bit earlier because, well, it’s going out on the morning of Election Day.

I’ve said all the things in previous posts.

Deadline amnesty for time spent voting continues to apply yet today and tomorrow for that purpose.

So please get out and vote if you haven’t already done so.

Thanks!

Now, let’s get you that writing prompt…


*************************************

Challenge #6 - Skyway Buddha

Due: Thursday, November 7th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



As part of the primary day job, I have to take checks to the bank, and the most efficient way to get from my desk in the office over to the teller at the bank is to make my way through the twists and turns of the Saint Paul skyways.

There are some unusual corners.

And sometimes lurking in those corners are unexpected surprises.

One day as I was strolling along, just off in the corner, in a jog in the skyway path, in semi-shadow was…

Buddha?

No, it wasn't actually Buddha, of course - that’s just where my brain went.

It was a large African American man in one of those big motorized wheelchairs that also sometimes remind me of Davros or the Daleks from Doctor Who.

But on this particular day, this large smiling presence brought to mind the religious figure instead.

And it struck me as an odd idea - just Buddha hanging out where you least expect it.

Like running into a random figure from Greek or other mythologies at the bus stop or light rail station - or on the bus or train as a passenger.

People pray to Jesus and the Virgin Mary all the time but what if you actually crossed paths with them in the most mundane rather than grand of settings.

The bank, the local bar, an office cubicle.

(And now I’m thinking of Kevin Smith’s Dogma - that was weird film, but I have it in my DVD collection)

At any rate, it’s also hangover time from spooky season, so it could just as easily be any kind of supernatural creature or monster.

Take the everyday, and something or someone from an elevated plane of existence, throw them together and see what happens.

Or, as usual, ignore me and write whatever you want.

Just write something.


*************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #6: Bigfoot By Moonlight

Or try 2022’s challenge #6: Mascots

Or try 2023’s Challenge #6: Art Gallery Titles

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 :)


****************************

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 :)

Deadline Amnesty for Voting (and other handy challenge tips)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About FormatDon’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 “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


**********************************

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 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 #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 noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog


Again, this is: Due: Thursday, November 7th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


******************************

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 Thursday 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 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.

Moses, Buddha and Mohamed walk into a bar.

Jesus is the bartender, turning water into wine as usual
(show off, but he does have style)

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.

(After you vote, of course :)

Writing Challenge #5 - Dismantled Piano

Hi folks

Thanks again for your patience, as there’s a LOT of submissions to process.  But this is a challenge we like to have, SO many prolific playwrights.  Keep those emails coming, it’s just taking me a while to get through them.

I’m down to the end of the day on December 2nd so we have initial numbers on Challenge #1 - 87 of you turned in material for the first challenge, totaling 323 pages, which is enough for two full-length plays, plus another 83 pages for a long one-act - and that’s just your first day of output for the month.  Very impressive.  

Well done, everyone!  Keep up the good work.

Even a page or two or day definitely adds up.

You may think just having a page or two is nothing special, but any writing in a day is more progress than no writing.

And it doesn’t have to be perfect, that’s what rewriting later is for.

For now, just push through.

Thanks for prioritizing your own creativity, whether you’re responding to a prompt, or just writing your own thing and using the daily submission deadline to keep yourself moving forward on an existing script idea.

And if you aren’t feeling it one day here in November, remember that at the end of every one of these emails and challenge blog posts there’s an escape hatch option:

“Lights up
(Something happens)
Lights down.”

I change them every day to match the day’s challenge.  

So feel free to use something like that on a tough day if you need to.

(Over the past three years, playwrights have put their own spin on the mini-play option, often in very amusing ways, so feel free to have fun with that as well - I am.)

A BRIEF VOTING ASIDE…

The day I’m sending this out, Monday 11/4 is the last day for early voting here in Minnesota.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 11/5 is Election Day for everybody in the U.S.

One way I keep my head on straight is to find humor, even in politics.  One of my sanity podcasts for the past seven years has been “Lovett or Leave It” - this Saturday’s pod was “Last Call.”  Listen to the opening monologue if you need a laugh, or further inspiration to vote.

Again, to those who’ve already voted, thank you.

And if you haven’t voted already, please do vote.  Deadline amnesty due to time spent voting is still in effect.  Just let me know you were out voting, and you’ve got more wiggle room to get that latest submission in the door :)

And now, let’s get you that writing prompt for the day…


**********************************

Challenge #5 - Dismantled Piano

Due: Wednesday, November 6th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



On weekends, I head out early in the morning to run, to get some miles in before I have to work at the second job.  One summer morning, I was getting ready to back out of the garage when I noticed there was an obstacle I didn’t recognize showing up in the rear view camera. At first I was worried it might have been someone sleeping overnight in the alley, and thanked God I hadn’t started to back out without noticing, but the shape didn’t look human.  In fact, it didn’t look like anything I could make sense of.

Getting out of the car and walking around to the entry to the garage, I discovered a pile of - parts?

Piano parts.

And not “Someone took a sledgehammer to a piano and just left the shattered remains here.”

No.  Someone had very carefully taken an upright piano apart, and then very deliberately stacked each piece on top of the next in a neat and tidy little pile.

They took the black and white keys.  But left everything else.

At the very bottom of the pile was all the piano strings, then all the felt-tipped hammers that strike the strings, then the pedals, then each and every piece of wood of the body of the piano.

And they didn’t stack it all up right up against the garage door so it would fall over the minute the garage door raised, to to keep the door from raising.  They set it just off to the side, against the frame of the garage door.  So a car couldn’t get out without running into it, but it wouldn’t fall over when the door opened.

I have no idea why someone would do this.  Any of it.

Why would I take a piano apart carefully, piece by piece?
Why would I keep the keys?
Why would I stack it neatly just outside a stranger’s garage?
(I’m assuming it’s not anyone I know who did this, unless someone reads this and wants to take credit - but if it weren’t a stranger, that’s even stranger.)

You could apply this to the dismantling of any musical instrument, from a tuba to a drum set to a flute to a pair of maracas, and leave it in any unusual location.

What exactly is going on here?

Use whatever you find interesting as a jumping off point and get writing.

Or ignore me and write something completely different.


***********************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #5: Random Phrase Generator

Or try 2022’s challenge #5: “This Guy Told Me He Was A Centaur…”

Or try 2023’s Challenge #5: Snapshots 1 (from Threshold Theater co-founder and Managing Director David Schlosser)

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 :)


*********************************

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 :)

Deadline Amnesty for Voting (and other handy challenge tips)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

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 “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


*********************************

How to submit your work for Challenge #5

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 #5
(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 noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog


Again, this is: Due: Wednesday, November 6th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


*******************************

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 Wednesday 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 25 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.

Someone rolls a piano on stage.

With a hammer and a screw driver and a crowbar, they carefully take the whole piano apart.

They carefully stack all the parts one on top of the other in a neat and tidy pile.

They walk offstage again.

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.

(After you vote, of course :)

Writing Challenge #4 - Asteroid

Hi folks

Still playing catchup on the flurry of emails from all you very prolific playwrights.  I did at least get into December 2nd before turning in last night but there’s still a fair amount of that day, and all of December 3rd today to catch up on, after which I should have some fun initial number crunching to share about everyone’s collective output from the first two days of writing.  Keep up the good work, keep writing, keep loading up my inbox.

(I really appreciated that extra hour of sleep due to the Daylight Savings Time switch.  Now, back to work…)

SIDE NOTE, AGAIN, ABOUT VOTING…

The inevitable article popped up in my notifications about “the best places Americans can move to” should he who shall not be named wins the election for president.  To which I reply, No.  I’ve lived here all my life, I’m not moving, this is still my country, too.  I don’t need a contingency plan for him, he needs a contingency plan for me. And for those who ominously bring up the fact that said contingency plan for me is Project 2025, I reply, well then, we’ve got three days left to make sure that doesn’t happen, don’t we?

If you’ve voted already already, thank you.
If you haven’t, and you can vote early, please do.
If you haven’t and Election Day on Tuesday is your only option, make sure your phone is fully charged, you have a bottle of water and a snack to tide you over in case the lines are long.  And if you’re in line when the polls close on Tuesday, stay in line - they have to let you vote if you’re already there in line.

Minnesota playwrights, you have early voting yet today, Sunday 11/3, when I’m sending this challenge out, 9am to 3pm, and tomorrow, Monday 11/4, 7am to 5pm.
You can find early voting location information, and Election Day polling place information at the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website

And there’s still volunteer opportunities available wherever you live, including things like door knocking and helping transport people to the polls, or curing provisional ballots during the counting process.  You can find info on things like that at Vote Save America (I appreciate how on their map of the USA, they’ve highlighted ALL states as key states, not just the typical “battleground/swing states.” Wherever you live, there’s good you can go) - you can also find polling place, ballot and registration information and links on VoteSaveAmerica.com as well.

Down ballot voting is also important, since your city and state officials often have a lot more sway over your day to day life than the federal government. Make sure those people are serving your interests and solving problems in your backyard as well.

Deadline amnesty for taking time out to vote is still in effect for the next several days. Full details on that in this post.

Thank you all in advance in giving me something other than politics to occupy my mental space this coming week. (Remember, last time it took until Saturday to know the final result of the presidential election, and it look longer for California to finish counting all its many votes to determine who controlled Congress. Patience, and healthy coping mechanisms (everything from exercise to art to prayer), will be our friends. Processing all your messages will be a welcome task while we’re waiting.)

Happy writing to you all!

Let’s get you that writing prompt…


************************************

Challenge #4 - Asteroid

Due: Tuesday, November 5th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


My singer-songwriter friend Chris Koza has a new album dropping on November 13th called “Last Car In The Parking Lot” and I got early access so I’ve been listening to it on repeat for the last few weeks.  One of the tracks called “Graveyard Shift” has this great couplet at the end of the second verse that I can’t stop thinking about:

“If this old town caught an asteroid,
I’d be saved from what I can’t avoid.”

This put me in mind of a lot of things.

Natural disasters of all kinds do put things in perspective.  The importance of everyday annoyances does tend to pale in comparison to large traumatic events (floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, building collapses, pandemics, etc.)

For instance, ever since COVID-19 forced a lot of us to work from home for a year, the inevitable return of at least a hybrid workplace has me regularly ruminating about how performative the whole “commute to the office” thing is.

And also, ever since my mother died, traffic bothers me a lot less.  “Am I trying to rush to the bedside of my mom who is slowly dying of a brain tumor to spend more quality time with her because that always cheers her up?”  No?  OK, then, I’ll get there when I get there.

As to things I can’t, and yet am, avoiding - I don’t want to leave a house behind me to clean up the way my mother did (totally not her doing, she wasn’t planning on having a brain tumor). My friend Victoria’s mother was very deliberate to engage in what she called “Swedish death cleaning” - making sure she was tidying things up as much as possible after her cancer diagnosis so she didn’t leave a mess behind her.  And yet, I’ve still got a basement guest room full of boxes from both my mother and my father’s homes that I am avoiding opening and sorting though, mostly because opening a box feels like therapy, the kind of therapy that hurts.  Still, it’s been five years.  And a lot of other indicators in my life seem to be telling me I could handle it.  I just need to do it.

The chorus of “Graveyard Shift” goes…

“I’m working the graveyard shift,
Trying to get back to the other side of it,
Keeping the hours spent.
If I’m on empty then maybe I’ll forget
What I’m missing
And how time keeps slipping on
And on…”

What are your characters avoiding?

What large life or natural events could shift their perspective (or make them think, “Well, at least now I don’t have to take out the trash”)?

Play around with any or all of that.

Or the exact opposite of it.

Or ignore it entirely and do whatever you like on the page.

Just write something.

 

************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #4: Science Fiction and Fantasy

Or try 2022’s challenge #4: Smackdown

Or try 2023’s Challenge #4: Wonderland (from Threshold Theater co-founder and Technical Director Nick Mrozek)

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 :)


************************************

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 :)

Deadline Amnesty for Voting (and other handy challenge tips)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

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 “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


************************************

How to submit your work for Challenge #4

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 #4
(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 noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog

Again, this is: Due: Tuesday, November 5th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


*******************************

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 26 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.

Stan walks into a cluttered room he knows he needs to clean.

He sighs.

There is a bright flash in the sky.

Stan looks out the window and sees a plane plummeting out of the sky toward his neighborhood.

Stan looks back at the cluttered room.

STAN - Well, I suppose I don’t really need to clean this up now.

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.

(After you vote, of course :)

 

 

Writing Challenge #3 - Nazi Dildo Lady

Hi folks

Just a reminder, there’s 101 of you, and only 1 of me, so I appreciate your patience as we get this thing up and running in the early days.  

I’ll get to any questions as I quickly I can make my way through all the emails which, with 101 of you, are numerous - but that’s good, it means you’re writing, which is the whole point of this thing :)

In addition to my standard 8am to 5pm weekday day job, I have a second part time job some evenings and most weekends so… I’m still working out the juggling act with 44 more playwrights this year than last year.  We’ll get there :)

QUESTION ABOUT HOW TO SUBMIT WORK

There is a section of every email and blog post about 2/3rds of the way down that lists all the different ways you can submit your work each day by the 12 noon Central Time deadline.  Most folks are using some version of the emailing option - either replying to the original challenge email or sending an email labeled Challenge #(whatever it is) with the work attached as a doc or pdf, or just copy/pasted directly into the body of the email.  Part of the reason I send you all your own individual challenge email is so we don’t have to worrying about an accidental group Reply All situation :). Any of the other listed options (Google docs, blogs, links, etc.) are all fine as well.  Just make sure I have permission to access, and if I have problems getting in I’ll let you know.

CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT CHALLENGE TO DO WHAT DAY, ETC.

Since I’m trying to send things a day early to give you all more time to write, it can get confusing so here’s an easy way to figure out what to do.
Look at the calendar.
Whatever the number of the date is, that’s the number of the challenge you should be working on that day.
So if it’s November 3rd,
you’re writing challenge 3,
and turning it in no later than 12 noon Central Time on November 4th.
You can always work ahead and turn things in early but you don’t have to.
And if you’re ever lost in the flurry of different challenge emails you receive, just check the date on the calendar.
And if you have questions about what you’ve turned in and what you haven’t, you can always check in with me.
I’m tracking it all on a spreadsheet day by day - what gets turned in when and how many pages it is, so I can track general statistics about the overall output of the group, and who’s written all 30 days.

QUESTION ABOUT FORMAT

People were concerned about format.

Don’t worry about format.  As long as it’s legible and in English, we’re very flexible.

Just like voting, we don’t want format to get in the way of writing :)

We have a whole post about that :). It’s part of a list of handy tips about half way down every email and blog post.


VOTING

If you haven’t already voted, please do.
Vote early if you have the option.
And if it’s long lines on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th or nothing, then we do have deadline amnesty for whenever you vote, be it that day or the days prior.
We don’t want writing to get in the way of voting, or vice versa.

If you’re looking for information on how and where to vote, your Secretary of State’s website is a good resource - Minnesota, here’s yours
If you want to work off some nervous energy, volunteer opportunities can be found here, among other places.

And if you’re looking for reasons to vote, I posted my top three, two of which are theater-related.

For My Goddaughter

1 Million People Are Dead Who Didn’t Need To Be

I’m A Queer Theater Artist


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…

*************************************

Challenge #3 - Nazi Dildo Lady

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


Mostly, I use my phone to play music.  But I do still get random news alerts.

Some are more random than others.

Once, when I was checking my phone right before writing group started, to see if anyone was trying to call or text that they were on their way, a news alert popped up with the headline:

“A locally hated dyslexic hair stylist battles the Christian Right in a Texas town”

Which just sounds like a weird hybrid of the films “Steel Magnolias” and “Footloose”

The writing group attendees insist I write the headline down to use later.



Sometimes the news alerts have quotes as headlines, so it feels like the phone is trying to admonish me.  One day it was:

“Stop kink shaming people”

Another day it was:

“Love doesn’t have to be unconditional”

Both of these were also from TIME magazine, so I was wondering if perhaps the concept of time, or Father/Mother Time was trying to speak to me.



When looking through my random inspiration folder for writing challenges, I found a file labeled

“Nazi dildo lady”

(What the heck is that? I wondered)

I opened it to discover an old Huff Post headline news alert, saying

“The woman behind a Neo-Nazi network has been exposed - and her past work experience involves dildos”



What strange things have popped up on your phone?  
Any of them, or any of the above, inspire you to write something ridiculous?  Or deadly serious?

Totally up to you.  Go with that thread of inspiration, or write something completely different.

Just write.



***********************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #3: Start With A Title

Or try 2022’s challenge #3: Clown Family

Or try 2023’s challenge #2: Place Names for People

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 :)


*******************************

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 :)

Deadline Amnesty for Voting (and other handy challenge tips)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

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 “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)


***********************************

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 noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog.



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



*********************************

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 Monday 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.


******************************


And that something can be:



Lights up.

[Stage direction - A hair stylist attends to the hair of a woman dressed in a Nazi uniform.]

[The woman has a box of dildos in her lap.]

STYLIST: Love doesn’t have to be unconditional

[Stage direction - The woman in the Nazi uniform holds her box of dildos aloft with pride.]

NAZI: Stop kink shaming people!

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.

(After you vote, of course :)

 

Writing Challenge #2 - RIP: HUGE improv theater

Hi folks

A quick reminder to start - for those who have early voting or mail-in voting options available to them in the U.S., please avail yourselves of them if you haven’t already

(for instance, in Threshold Theater’s home of Minneapolis there’s three standard early vote locations, plus a pop-up location available until 6pm tonight.  The three early vote locations are also available Saturday, Sunday and Monday.)  

Then Tuesday’s Election Day.
Make your voice heard.

And if voting impacts your ability to write and make the deadline for one of these first few days of writing, amnesty is availability for the deadline - just let me know you were out voting (we’re not gonna penalize anyone for something that important)



And now, back to playwriting…

As of this morning, there are 101 playwrights signed on for the challenge!

(For comparison, last year’s total was 57 - and we thought at the time THAT was a lot - a new record a year ago compared to the two years prior, but you all blew right past that this year :)

It was back and forth all day yesterday between Minnesota and New York for the highest number of participants but a flurry of last minute entrants at the end pushed Minnesota back into the lead:

Minnesota ended up with 17 playwrights
New York bumped its total writers up to lucky 13

Other locales added on as well yesterday.  We ended up with the following:

7 from California, 7 from Georgia,
5 from Massachusetts, 5 from Ohio,
4 from Colorado,
3 from Arizona, 3 from Florida, 3 from Maryland, 3 from Texas, 3 from Washington state
2 each from Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
There’s also a single representative hailing from each of the following:
Alaska, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin.

We picked up another Canadian participant in Victoria, to go with our three folks from Ontario already in the mix.  And last but certainly not least, hail to our friend in Glasgow, Scotland.

Welcome, one and all!  Thanks for joining us in this little daily exercise in flexing your writing muscles for a month.

I am going to continue to endeavor to get you all the challenges a day early, so you have plenty of time to write, but you’ll also have the option that way to move on to the next one if you finish a challenge early.

And so…


********************************

Challenge #2 - RIP, HUGE improv theater

Due: Sunday, November 3rd, 12pm noon Central Time
Oh, and just to complicate things - daylight savings time is also in the mix that day :)
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


Sending this out on the Day of the Dead, so let’s ponder the passing of a local theater, shall we?

HUGE improv theater sadly closed its doors for the last time on October 31st.  They had an impressive 15 year run offering a stage for new and veteran improvisors alike, serving also as a summer stage for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and creating a hub of community (and classes) for long form improv comedy in the Twin Cities.  HUGE spawned so many performers and improv groups and concept shows that its influence around town will continue for a great many years, but HUGE itself has ceased to exist as of yesterday, with its last night of performances the day before.

Coincidentally, Threshold Theater just held auditions for my play “Spellbound” and will be rehearsing and performing in the spring of 2025 at the Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis

The Phoenix Theater used to be the home of the long running sketch comedy ensemble the Brave New Workshop, where I first saw Improv-A-Go-Go, the weekly entry level improv showcase that provided some of the impetus for the creation of HUGE.  A weekly showcase that continued for 15 years at HUGE theater every Sunday.  And starting in 2025, Improv-A-Go-Go kicks back into gear at its new home Strike Theater - a space dedicated to storytelling, sketch comedy and spoken word that came into existence in the wake of HUGE first opening its doors. In fact, Strike is proving to be a new refuge for improv classes and performances in general.

Circle of life.

Theater spaces, like nearly all spaces, have a history - so many artists, so many audience members, so many stories, crammed into a single space.  Memories, ghosts, think of it all what you will.

Write something about the past life of a space (whatever space you like, a performance space, a home, a church, a store, a TV/movie set, etc.) manifesting somehow in the present, and have fun with the overlap.

Or, as always, just write whatever you like.

Just write something.


And I’ll leave you some parting words from the folks at HUGE improv theater:

TO THE IMPROVISORS
OF HUGE NO MORE
from your buddy Jill Bernard
(one of HUGE’s founders, there from the beginning til the very final night of performances on Wednesday)

I HOPE
…you absolutely demand that your improv teachers authentically create a space where students have agency over how they will be treated and what subjects are fair game, and model for them how to do it if they don’t know.
…you notice when you see an all-white improv team or an all-men improv team. What you do with that observation is up to you, but I want you to be tuned to observe it and not accept it as a default setting.
…you learn how to make an online form and book a space and contract a teacher and make a class happen.
…you continue the spirit of ‘cooperatition’, which is a gross fake word for cooperation + competition wherein we help other improv groups and theaters and never see ourselves as adversaries.
…you never confuse creativity and irresponsibility; you show up on time, do what you said you would do, and clean up after yourself. Maybe change the toilet paper even.
…you rent spaces and stages that can be accessed without stairs.
…you are more than queer-friendly, you’re queer-best-friendly or beyond.
…you hone the eyes through which to see your own improv style, unique to you, and polish it up.
…you’re brave about speaking the truth, kindly but surely.
…you find a way to avoid loud dull people.
…you are utterly unprecious about any one school of improv thought and try on them all.
…you recognize the fragility and loveliness of improv itself, the people who do it and watch it; and the places where it happens.
…you prank the Star Tribune newspaper however you can.
…you take your water bottle with you when you leave.

HUGE Improv Theater. 2011-2024
"Find the others.
Find the people in the same place as you who want to build the same things.
Ask them what they're interested in, ask them what they're making, and ask them if you can help. Put it together...
It's not too late for you.
It's not too late for the future.
Start talking. Start building it.
Make it calmly, and make it complex and inclusive.
Make it real.
Make it human.
Make it weird and wonderful."
- Warren Ellis


*************************************

If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can

try 2021’s challenge #2: Fire Escape

Or try 2022’s challenge #2: What Haunts You?

Or try 2023’s challenge #2: Fox and Rabbit (from Threshold Theater Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove)

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 :)

*********************************

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 :)

Deadline Amnesty for Voting (and other handy challenge tips)

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

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 “Succeeding” or “Failing”

Don’t Stress About What You’re Turning In Each Day

Don’t Stress About November 28th (however you recognize the holiday weekend)

**************************************

How to submit your work for Challenge #2

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 #2
(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 noted above in the comments section below on this very blog post for today's challenge on our writing challenge blog



Again, this is: Due: Sunday, November 3rd, 12pm noon Central Time
Oh, and just to complicate things - daylight savings time is also in the mix that day :)
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


****************************

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 Sunday 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 28 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.

A person sweeps an empty stage, in front and behind a couple of painted black flats that form a doorway.

Someone stacks up the chairs in the auditorium.

Some turns the lights off and locks the doors for the last time.

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.

(After you vote, of course :)