Writing Challenge #11 - SISU (Write Nov. 11)

Hi folks

Another milestone behind us - 10 days in - we’re a third of the way there!  

Well done, everybody!

Hang in there and keep going.

As much as anything, we’re just trying to establish a new habit of writing, even if it’s just a little bit, every day.

If you miss a day, no worries.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Just write the next day.

Now let’s get you that writing prompt…


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Challenge #11 - Sisu

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



One morning when I was out running, I crossed paths with a guy running in the other direction and his T-shirt read, “I run on SISU.”

And I’m thinking, “What’s SISU?  Southern Iowa State University or some other college abbreviation?”

So, like many mornings when I see something I don’t fully understand while out running, I hit the computer when I get home because as I was fond of saying to my mom, “That’s what the internet’s for.”

SISU in this case wasn’t intended to be an abbreviation, it’s a Finnish word that has no direct English translation but it can mean, among other things:

a person’s inner strength or strength of will
stoic determination
perseverance
tenacity of purpose
grit
bravery
resilience
hardiness
acting rationally in the face of adversity
(and perhaps my favorite variation on a theme…)
not momentary courage but the ability to sustain that courage

It literally translates as “to the guts.”

The self-help approach to Sisu sees it as an “action-oriented mindset” with applications to various aspects of life such as:

Confronting obstacles
Physical and mental wellbeing
Communicating with others
Progressing toward goals
Finding happiness
Leading an active, healthy life

(Some lists also throw “fighting a war” in there because, well, that’s the world we live in.)

When I was sifting through my bits of random inspiration for possible prompts, this one seemed apropos this week.

So what characters or situations in your writing might manifest some SISU?

See what that might conjure up for you.

Or don’t.

Just write something.



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

try 2021’s challenge #11: Punk Monkey, Film Noir and Ride The Pink Horse

Or try 2022’s challenge #11: Background Music

Or try 2023’s Challenge #11: Fake Tour Guide

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 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)


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How to submit your work for Challenge #11

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 #11
(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. 11th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Tuesday, November 12th, 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 19 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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Lights up.

A hill.

A person runs on, sweaty, exhausted.

They see the hill in front of them.

They wipe their face with their T-shirt.

They see the words “I run on SISU” on the T-shirt.

They take a deep breath and start running up the hill and out of sight.

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.