Hi folks
Lucky 13! We’re nearly two weeks into November.
Well done! Keep at it!
Meanwhile, if I get these next couple of days’ worth of emails I’m working on all caught up, I should have a summary of the first week of writing soon. We shall see. You all are hard to keep up with this year, but it’s a good problem to have so keep those pages of dialogue coming :)
Let’s get you that writing prompt…
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Challenge #13 - License Plates and Bumper Stickers
Write Nov. 13th - or earlier if you like
Due: Thursday, November 14th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)
Since the pandemic, the commute into the physical office for the main day job a couple of days a week feels very performative. One way to pass the time in traffic, however, is to find amusement in unlikely places - like license plates.
A certain car must have the same route and schedule I do because a couple of days in a row I saw a car that had a license plate with the letters GNU
Great Scrabble word for a tight space with unusual letters, as my late Grandma would attest to (Dorothy a delightfully competitive Scrabble game player - she hated to lose, but she’d be madder at you if she felt like you were holding back.)
I couldn’t picture a gnu at the time, but I realized it would be weird to see one driving a car. This was confirmed when I pulled up pictures later.
This put me in mind of the insurance commercials featuring a team of a human and an emu - EMU also easily would fit on a license plate next to the three numbers.
Later, I saw FDR - on a license plate - it would also be very strange to see FDR driving a car at this point.
Other three letter combos I saw on recent commutes include
PAD
REM - the band or the dream state, either would be fun
ANT
FXT - fixed or fix-it
GYM
KAW - any birds in there?
CUL - what exactly are we culling here, and why?
DZN - a dozen of what?
On a recent trip to the optometrist/eyeglass store, an older guy had left his dog in the car just outside the front door, and everyone on staff was enchanted by the animal because he was large, and sitting in the driver’s seat behind the wheel for his owner to return.
Pulling away later, the man’s van had a bumper that said “Dog is my co-pilot” - and there he was in the passenger seat so… accurate.
What might the license plate or bumper sticker on a car reveal about the occupants or contents of the vehicle, or offer ironic counterpoint to?
Can you confine a scene (or a whole play) to a car in various states of use or motion?
Let that set of random jumping off points do for you what they will.
Or don’t.
Write whatever you like.
Just write something.
Keep that dialogue flowing :)
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If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can
try 2021’s challenge #13: Your Favorite Song
Or try 2022’s challenge #13: Abscission
Or try 2023’s Challenge #13 - Box of Doorknobs
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 #13
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 #13
(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. 13th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Thursday, November 14th, 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 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 17 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 gnu drives a car across the stage.
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.
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