Writing Challenge #26 - Kidnapping/Reunion (Write Nov. 26th)

Hello again!

(2 of 2)

This prompt is the one you would be writing Wednesday 11/26 to be turned in on Thursday 11/27 (however you choose to recognize or re-invent the national holiday) by noon Central Time, but just fill in the Google form and tag it for prompt 26 and you can turn it early and I’ll credit it ahead.

Now, I’m going to say this probably a couple of times over the course of the week, but you don’t have to do any of these challenges ahead of schedule.  

You can keep writing one day and submitting by noon central time the next day, just like you’ve been doing the rest of the month up until now.

I’m only giving you the prompts early so if you want to write some ahead of time and bank it for a later date so you can take a holiday date or two off, you can.

It’s not requiring a sprint to the finish several days ahead of time.

Keep doing whatever works for you.  We just didn’t want the holiday to trip anyone up in terms of submitting, so we’re giving you another option.

And of course, you can always use the mini-play at the bottom of the email and blog post as an escape hatch for the day’s writing.

Let’s get you that second writing prompt for today…

**************************

Challenge #26 - Kidnapping/Reunion

Write Wednesday, November 26th - or earlier if you like
Due: Thursday, November 27th, 12pm noon Central Time 
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


And we arrive at our last writing challenge suggestion from Threshold Theater Literary Associate Maren Findlay:


“Scenario: you kidnapped someone but they turn out to be someone you know from high school”



As usual, I have so many questions.

Why would you kidnap someone?

Why would you kidnap someone you thought you didn’t even know, and how did the name not come up?

Once you realize it’s someone you know from high school, what do you do?
I suppose it depends on whether or not it’s someone you knew well.
And if you liked them, or didn’t like them.
And if you might enjoy, or be horrified of being in a position of power and control over them.

And what happens when the other person realizes they know you?
Were you the person in high school voted most likely to turn to a life of crime and kidnap people?  Or is this very unlike you?

What exactly Is supposed to happen to resolve this kidnapping scenario?
And how does the fact that you knew this person in high school complicate that?

Do you have to call for ransom the parents of someone you knew in high school, and I assume you probably knew the parents, too?

Or is it the spouse of the person, who might have been their high school sweetheart, so you know them, too?
Think of all the many ways your relationship with the significant other, or the two of them as a couple back in the day, might complicate matters.
 

So take any or all of that as a jumping off point.

Or, as usual, just write whatever you like and turn it in by the deadline.  Up to you.

Just write something :)

**************************

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

try 2021’s challenge #26: Random Phrase Generator part 4

Or try 2022’s challenge #26: Visual Writing Prompt

Or try 2023’s Challenge #26: Impossible Set (from Threshold Theater Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove)

Or try 2024’s challenge #26: Chat GPT, Gmail AI, and Off Book

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 :)

***********************

How to submit your work for Challenge #26

We’re streamlining the process this year with a Google form, 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdy-wyjz-IITaNsOkXM1zVQu_yrt_o7E4Vp2eQnr-8VNnu49w/viewform?usp=header

but you still have multiple options for how you submit your playwriting output for the day.

After you enter the required fields of 
email, 
name, 
challenge number (for today, that’d be 26 :) 
and page count, 
you can submit your writing in one of four ways:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and upload that document to the Google form.

OR

Post your script online (on your personal website, as a blog post, or as a Google doc) and put a link to that online script in the Google form.

OR

Copy/paste your work from another source directly into the Google form

OR

Type directly into the Google form.

(Whichever option you choose, you can leave the other ones blank.)



Write Wednesday, November 26th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Thursday, November 27th, 12pm noon Central Time 
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)

*************************

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 November 27th (however you recognize the holiday weekend) - 2025 edition

Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play

Don’t Stress About Format

Don’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

*************************

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 4 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 makes sense to you.

It just needs to be something.

**************************

And that something can be:



Lights up.

KIDNAPPER, in a basic Halloween mask, pulls hood off the head of their HOSTAGE.

KIDNAPPER: Don’t worry, this’ll be over soon.

HOSTAGE: So why won’t you face me?

KIDNAPPER: The less you know the better.

HOSTAGE: Wait a minute.  Cooper?

KIDNAPPER: Nice try, buddy.

HOSTAGE: No.  Cooper Marshall?  From East Side High?

KIDNAPPER: The don’t sell “Cooper Marshall” costumes, weirdo.  Whoever that is.

HOSTAGE:  It’s not the mask.  I’m Stuart Draper.  I sat behind you in calculus class senior year.  I spent a lot of time staring blankly ahead of me not knowing what the hell I was doing.  I’d recognize the back of your neck anywhere.

KIDNAPPER turns to face HOSTAGE, still doesn’t take off his mask.

KIDNAPPER: Stuart Draper?

HOSTAGE: We’ve gotta stop meeting like this.

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.

Matthew A. Everett
Literary Director
Threshold Theater
(he/him/his)