Writing Challenge #19 - Planning, Pride, Fright or Language (Write Nov. 19)

Hi folks

Day job is kicking off quick busy this Monday.

And I have the playwriting group meeting at my house tonight.

And I also haven’t written any of the pages I’ve been researching yet.

So let’s get you that writing prompt, and I’ll get back to all the rest of that…


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Challenge #19 - Planning, Pride, Fright, or Language

Write Nov. 19th - or earlier if you like
Due: Wednesday, November 20th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Today, it’s a choose your own adventure option among four different actual recent calls for very particular scripts from theaters

KDC Theatre in Central London was looking for
short scripts (6-7 pages)
with 2 to 8 characters (with doubling possible)
which all start with the same line of dialogue:
"It's not like we planned it."

Homegrown in Luton, England was looking for
ten minute plays to this year's theme of "Pride"
"We want pride to be a springboard for writers, not a limitation.
We are fascinated to see how writers interpret Pride,
this could be LGBTQAI+ pride,
pride in your hometown,
pride in yourself
or even the sin of being prideful."

Gather By The Ghost Light in Augusta, GA was looking for
radio dramas of 20 pages or less
for recording in front of a live audience
this time in the genre of Horror with their Stage Frights Submission Call
"We want scripts that allow for immersive sound fx -
chainsaws, monsters snarling, jump scares, gore, haunting ghosts, etc.
Creepy dialogue is fun and all
but we have a foley guy.
Make us use him."

The Alpine Fellowship Foundation in the UK was looking for
Scripts of 45 minutes or less
3 characters or less
The theme is - Language


If any of those give you an idea, great - go for it!

If not, as always, you can just write whatever you want, ignore the prompt.  Just keep on scribbling and typing.

Happy writing!

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

try 2021’s challenge #19: Random Phrase Generator part 3

Or try 2022’s challenge #19: Frogs

Or try 2023’s Challenge #19: Mystery Office or Newspaper Home

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 #19

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 #19
(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. 19th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Wednesday, November 20th, 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 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 11 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.

Sam and Suzy are perplexed.

SAM: It's not like we planned it.

The sound of a chainsaw is ominously close.

SUZY: I have to admit, I’m quite proud of the number of trees that saw takes out.

SAM: I only understand what you’re saying half the time, you know that, right?

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.