Writing Challenge #10 - Nurse (Write Nov. 10)

Hi folks

The two day jobs currently still have me a bit behind on processing all your email submissions, but keep ‘em coming!  (I am definitely receiving them, even if I haven’t responded to your latest message yet.)

I had nearly completed processing all the last of the emails from November 5th when a project at the primary day job hijacked the rest of my evening yesterday.

And I’m off now to a split shift at the second job, which is with the Guthrie Theater Box Office. I’m hoping for some down time there to continue processing messages today but we’ve entered “Christmas Carol” season which is the busy season for the theater after two only half-attended productions prior to this so I may have less quiet moments than I’ve gotten used to.  We shall see.  At least Sunday is only an evening shift at the Guthrie, so there’s a part of my weekend that will be free of work demands before Monday and the primary day job roll around again.

Data on your first week of playwriting coming (I hope) in the not too distant future. (Because that will mean I’ve really caught up.)

For now, let’s get you that writing prompt…
(And I’ll get back to those emails…)


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

Challenge #10 - Nurse

Write Nov. 10th - or earlier if you like
Due: Monday, November 11th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



This one comes from Threshold Theater’s Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove:

“Over the course of an evening, an ER lab nurse draws the blood of three different strangers.”

You can transplant that idea if you wish into any number of scenarios where a person in service to the general public crosses paths with a series of people from very different walks of life.

For instance,

A librarian checks out the same book to a series of three different people.

A waiter or waitress serves people having three very different kinds of evenings/afternoons/mornings/conversations in the course of a shift at the same restaurant or diner or coffee shop.

A stock person organizing the shelves in a toy store or grocery store or the racks of a clothing store crosses paths with three different customers shopping for the same thing for very different reasons, or completely different things on the same aisle.

A religious leader of some stripe finds three different people visiting the pews to pray in a church or mosque or temple for their own particular reasons
OR
A janitor or housekeeper who has a business cleaning up different places of worship sees similar types of hope or despair as they’re tidying up around the edges of a temple then a mosque then a church.

You get the idea.

We have fewer and fewer places that different sorts of people are gathered together or crossing paths.

People working in roles or industries that a whole cross section of the population passes through are still a bit of connective tissue that can witness or pull together (even by accident) the stories of people who might otherwise never deal with one another’s existence.

Anything variation on that (or one of your own that just sparked in your head) intrigue you enough to write about it?

Go forth and write.

Or, as always, just ignore me and go write something else.


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

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

try 2021’s challenge #10: Cars

Or try 2022’s challenge #10: Food Vs. Humans

Or try 2023’s Challenge #10: Inevitable (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 :)

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 #10

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 #10
(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. 10th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Monday, November 11th, 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.

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 20 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.

Over the course of an evening, an ER lab nurse draws the blood of three different strangers.

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.