Writing Challenge #4 - Two Missed Calls at Midnight (Write Nov. 4th)

Hi folks

Still playing catch-up on the flurry of input from all you very prolific playwrights.  It’s fun to have so much content to play around with the different sorting options on the spreadsheet the Google form creates, and see the number of lines for each submission grow and grow and grow.

I’m hoping to have some fun statistics for you starting tomorrow, once I’m through all the initial sorting of the last couple of days.

Keep up the good work, keep writing, keep submitting your playwriting output through that Google form.




A BRIEF VOTING ASIDE…

The day I’m sending this out, Tuesday 11/3 is Election Day for everybody in the U.S.

Again, to those who’ve already voted, thank you.

And if you haven’t voted already, please do vote.  

Deadline amnesty due to time spent voting is still in effect.  Just let me know you were out voting, and you’ve got more wiggle room to get that latest submission in the door :) Details on that here:

https://thresholdwritingchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/10/deadline-amnesty-for-voting-and-other.html

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


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Challenge #4 - Two Missed Calls at Midnight

Write Wednesday, November 4th - or earlier if you like
Due: Thursday, November 5th, 12pm noon Central Time 
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


This challenge comes from Threshold Theater company member, and costume designer, Aella Rose-Hill.  It’s the simple phrase:


2 missed calls at midnight


Now, that could be your title.

That could be something that actually happens.

Are those two calls being seen from one side or the other or both.

Are those two calls coming from the same person or going to the same person, or are two different people involved in one case or the other.

Normally calls in the middle of the night are bad news.

Or someone needs help.

But if someone’s a real night owl, maybe calls at midnight, either making or receiving them, aren’t that big a deal.  But of course if one side or the other of the call isn’t a night owl, then things are out of balance.

Given the bedtime vigilance of smartphones these days, does a call at midnight even go through?

Is this something from another time entirely?

What does that phrase do for you?

Play around with any or all of that.

Or the exact opposite of it. 
(Two missed calls first thing in the morning, two missed calls in the middle of the day?)

Or ignore it entirely and do whatever you like on the page.

Just write something.



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

try 2021’s challenge #4: Science Fiction and Fantasy

Or try 2022’s challenge #4: Smackdown

Or try 2023’s Challenge #4: Wonderland (from Threshold Theater co-founder and Technical Director Nick Mrozek)

Or try 2024’s challenge #4: Asteroid

Or try 2025’s challenge #4: Mirrors, Discovery, Leaves and Lizards (from Threshold Theater company member and stage manager June Haider)

 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 :)

Deadline Amnesty for Voting (and other handy challenge tips) - 2026 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

Don’t Stress about November 26th (however you recognize the holiday weekend) - 2026 edition


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How to submit your work for Challenge #4

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 4 :) 
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 4th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Thursday, November 5th, 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.

We will be VERY understanding about technical difficulties and how they can screw up making the deadline on the first few days.  No need to fret about anything except the writing (and hopefully that’s not something causing you to fret too much either :)

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 26 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.


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And that something can be:



Lights up (just barely).

The phone rings in the dark.

A person fumbles around in bed.

Turns on the light.

Fumbles for the phone.

Too late, it stopped ringing.

The person looks at the time.

Turns off the light.

Slumps down in bed.

The phone rings again.

The person stares at it.

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.

(After you vote, of course :)

And take good care of yourselves, and each other.

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