Writing Challenge #25 - Power (Write Nov. 25)

Hi folks

24 writing challenges down.

Only 6 to go!

Keep up the good work :)

Heads up - tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday, you’ll be getting two prompts each day in order to give you enough material so if you want to submit material early and bank it for the holiday this week, you can, so you’re not writing on Thanksgiving Day, for instance, if you don’t want to :) Each challenge will be marked with what day it’s for, when you should write, if not earlier, and when you should turn it in, if not earlier.

This year the holiday is odd because it’s falling in the last week of the month, and the month actually ends in the middle of the weekend, so you’ll be turning in that very last challenge, that you’re writing on Saturday, November 30th, by 12noon Central Time on Sunday, December 1st. (Normally we get at least a partial post holiday week inside of the month of November, but the calendar’s just a weird one this year.)

But for now, let’s get you that writing prompt for the day today…


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Challenge #25 - Power

Write Nov. 25th - or earlier if you like
Due: Tuesday, November 26th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



I’ve recently received a weird call for a potential new script that I find myself struggling with but I wasn't entirely sure why at first, so I thought it might be an interesting thing to share with the group.

Someone from a theater company which shall remain nameless reached out about their latest call for short scripts.

They do this pretty much annually, putting together a production of a collection of new short scripts centered on a common theme.

Friends of mine have participated in this process in the past and enjoyed the results.

I actually previously submitted to them for a previous year’s theme, but then never heard anything - even though they laid out a process that indicated when and how playwrights would be contacted.

The process at that time was about getting proposals for scripts, rather than completed first drafts.  The new guidelines are focused on jump-starting the process and getting that first draft up front, which they’ll use to make decisions on what they do or don’t want to do.

And now the guidelines also indicate they’ll just be announcing the selected scripts on a given date, rather than promising to contact all playwrights.  I’m assuming they’ll contact the playwrights of the scripts they want to do, just to be sure the writers are still interested in working with them to develop the scripts.

Here’s the thing - the theater company has a very particular way they want to work.
The theater has… interesting ideas about the concept of new play development.

Theater is a collaborative process (agreed) and the theater company in question takes this to mean that “everyone working on a production brings something valuable to enhance the story being told.”

And… ok…I’m a big proponent of playwrights and directors collaborating and making sure that the message the playwright wants to convey with their script is actually the message getting through.  Another set of eyes on a script is a welcome thing if the collaborators are a good fit.  

And I’m a huge proponent of the script not being set until after at least the first week of rehearsal, because in every new play production process I’ve been involved in, I’ve learned so many things from the actors even in the first read through that I hadn’t noticed before, and incorporating their questions and insights has always made my scripts better.

In this case, the theater will engage a panel to review blind copies of the scripts.
The panel’s feedback on the scripts will be shared with the playwrights and then the playwrights have roughly two weeks to deliver the next draft of the script - and the playwrights “will be expected to consider the feedback and incorporate as appropriate.”  The phrase "incorporate as appropriate" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, and you'll see it resurface several times.

Then directors will be assigned to the scripts, and the directors will provide more feedback on this second draft of the script within two weeks’ time.
And then the playwrights have another two weeks “to consider the feedback, consult with directors, and incorporate it as appropriate,” delivering a third draft of the script.

Then during the first week of rehearsals, immediately after delivery of the third draft, the script will be workshopped with the director and the actors, with the playwright in attendance. And I’m sure you can see where this is going - the playwright is expected to listen to the discussion of the script including “any feedback and suggestions. Writers are then expected to incorporate the feedback as appropriate…” and turn in yet another, this time final, draft of the script in a little less than two weeks.

After which the production team has a little less than a month to get the whole thing rehearsed, designed and up on its feet, ready for an audience.

So the script needs to be good enough to be selected,
but not so good that it’s actually finished,
because they expect you to change it not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times before they’re willing to declare it complete for the purposes of their theater company.

“To this end, playwrights should be open to receiving and incorporating feedback at each stage, knowing that the intention is always to support the playwright’s vision and help them improve the way they tell their story. Playwrights who do not wish to participate in this process should not submit their script for this production.”

If it wasn’t clear, the playwrights obviously have no input into who sits on the panel evaluating and choosing the scripts, the playwrights have no input into who the company selects to direct their scripts, and though there’s a nod to “welcoming input” from the playwrights in regard to casting, the theater’s going to make all the final decisions on that as well.

So the playwrights will have zero say in who their collaborators are, but they’ll be expected to incorporate feedback from all these other parties into their script.

Plays should be roughly 15 minutes long.
Plays should have no more than five characters, speaking or non-speaking.
Plays should have simple technical requirements and require minimal props.
Plays should be comedies
(they’re a theater whose mission is comedy so that’s understandably part of the deal)

Ready for the punch line?

The theme this year is

Power

“The play should comment on how power exists in today’s society.
The play does not have to take place in the present day,
or even in the real world,
but it must present a message about power in modern day society.”

Now, I could write a satire about an enforced creative process…
But I’m not sure they’d appreciate reading it.

Setting aside the guidelines for a second, I find that power as a subject matter doesn’t really interest me.

And it was weird for me to come to that conclusion because… well, shouldn’t power interest me?

I’m willing at admit that I may be thinking about the concept of power incorrectly - or not realizing that in some way all stories are about power dynamics between people or institutions (or people AND institutions) and thus not fully seeing the story and/or comedic potential in the idea of power.

The nonsense right now about who gets to use what restroom at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C. is certainly about power.  
But I don’t think it’s funny.  
And I don’t think I’m the appropriate person to write it.  
And I certainly don’t think you could write a good comedy about it by committee.

Most meditations on power right now that come to mind I don’t find funny at all.

But what about you?

Anything about any of this which you find funny, or enraging?

Don’t limit yourself to comedy.

Don’t limit yourself to five characters or 15 minutes.

Don’t limit yourself, period.

What’s power got to do with anything?

(And don’t worry, we won’t be submitting it to three rounds of review which you’re required to incorporate into your subsequent rewrites and new drafts)

And yes, I will be reaching out to the theater in question in return and sharing, as politely as possible, my suggestions for rewrites to their collaboration rules for playwrights.

Because they want to work with local playwrights because they want to involve them in the process, and I’m assuming potentially develop ongoing working relationships with them.  But this is not how you start a healthy creative relationship.

Can playwrights sometimes be unreasonably stubborn like any other human beings and refuse to listen to even good suggestions?  Sure.  But you can’t write a set of rules to litigate your way around that.

And do playwrights have to deal with situations where they’re sending their plays out into the world and trusting them to theaters that for reasons of time, cost and distance, can’t actively collaborate with them on creating the final production?  Sure. But that’s not this process.  This is a theater actively wanting to get everyone in the room together to create something.

I’d just argue that this isn’t the way to do it.  Not if you respect the playwright as an equal creator in the process.  This set of guidelines is, in my opinion, both condescending to and infantilizing the playwright.

And as always, feel free to just ignore me (and this rant/writing prompt), write whatever you want, and turn it in by the deadline.

Just writing something :)


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

try 2021’s challenge #25: Unstageable

Or try 2022’s challenge #25: Fun With Homophones

Or try 2023’s Challenge #25: Mood Music

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 #25

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 #25
(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. 25th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Tuesday, November 26th, 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 5 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 playwright is surrounded.

PANELIST:  Take my advice on how to rewrite your play!

DIRECTOR: And take my advice on how to rewrite your play!

FIVE ACTORS (in unison): AND take my advice on how to rewrite your play!

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.