Writing Challenge #18 - The Ending Is The Beginning (Write Nov. 18)

Hi folks

Apologies for the delay on this one - I had a Literary Team meeting for Threshold Theater at 11am this morning, and then a publicity meeting for Threshold's upcoming production of "Spellbound" at 1pm (just finished :)

You all are so prolific, you are (thus far) impossible to keep up with, as you might have noticed by the fact that my response rate is still a week (yikes) behind you all.  

Not only are there significantly more of you this year, there is also a much higher percentage that greater number of you still clipping along with cranking out daily submissions every single day so far this month.  Which is great!

I’m very happy to see it, I just can’t quite process your output fast enough to draw anywhere close to you this year :)

(Obviously, we need to make this more than a one-person job next year. I was kinda wondering when we were going to hit the limits of what I could efficiently do by myself, and I think this year we are definitely brushing up against it if not blowing completely past it. Not sure yet what that means for next year’s challenge team, but I also don’t have time to plot that out at the moment - much to plan for the future… :)

To be clear, this is a problem we WANT to have on the challenge, so keep those pages coming!

I’m just gonna get right to today’s writing prompt so I can get back to the email inbox and keep clearing it out.

We’re over two weeks in, and over halfway completed overall, so keep on writing!

Let’s get you that writing prompt…

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Challenge #18 - The Ending Is The Beginning

Write Nov. 18th - or earlier if you like
Due: Tuesday, November 19th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



This one’s another offering from the clever brain of Threshold Theater Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove:

“Write a scene that ends at the same point it started.”

Now, you could interpret that any number of ways.

It could be a literal time loop.

Or it could just be a scene (or longer play) that ends up at the same time of day that it started.

Or the same season of the year that it started.

Or in the same place that it started.

Or the same set of characters gather together again as they did at the beginning, but the context is different.

Or a person could be doing the same task at the end as they were at the beginning, but it’s a different iteration of the same thing:

speed dating with a different date, or that same date from earlier coming back for a second chance in the rotation

a surgeon scrubbing in for another surgery

a parent yet again reading the same bedtime story because the kid is not at all sleepy yet

a couple that really meant to get dressed for work collapse back into bed for another tumble and then are once again trying to get dressed for work, now with no hope of getting there on time, but they don’t mind

Or maybe just a couple of hapless characters who can’t break out of their cycle of behavior - like Amanda and Laura in “The Glass Menagerie” or Vladimir and Estragon in “Waiting for Godot” (which spellcheck helpfully wanted to make Vladimir and Estrogen, which is a WHOLE other play…)

“Well, shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
(They do not move.)

Take Kate’s instruction as literally, figuratively or metaphorically as you wish.

And again, you could just have the beginning (which you know you want to be the ending) and not get to the end/beginning in a single day’s writing.  That’s absolutely fine.  Just get started and turn in whatever you have by the deadline.

Take any one or all of these and conjure up some pages for a potential play you can work on after November is past.

Or if any of them bring a completely different idea to mind, go with that instead.

Just write something.

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

try 2021’s challenge #18: Words With No English Equivalent

Or try 2022’s challenge #18: Games

Or try 2023’s Challenge #18: Snapshots 3 (from Threshold Theater’s 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 :)


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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 #18

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 #18
(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. 18th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Tuesday, November 19th, 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 12 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.

Lights down.

Lights up.

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.