Writing Challenge #15 - Reunions (Write Nov. 15)

Hi folks

We have reached the midpoint of the month - day and challenge 15 of 30!

No matter how much writing you've done or haven't done over the past two weeks, well done, everyone!

Every day you write something (no matter how good or bad you think it might be in the moment) is a better day than a day where you don't write.  These are just first drafts, you can go back and fix whatever you want later.  For now, just let the pages flow.

Happy writing to all!

And also remember, you can ignore this prompt and write whatever you like.

Just write some pages and turn them in before Saturday, 12 noon Central Time.  That's enough to satisfy the challenge.

(Or that escape hatch play at the end of this message/post is always an option)

Apologies for the slight delay in getting out the prompt today - day job duties intervened.  That’s in part why the Tuesday/Wednesday challenge emails went out in the morning - I have to report to the office rather than work remotely from home on those days, so I thought it better to get them out early rather than risk have something come up midday. Otherwise, I’d wait until the noon deadline had passed in order to try and make things less confusing.

Remember, if you ever find that you haven’t received the day’s email, or perhaps Gmail is hiding it from you, you can always find the challenges posted on the blog - https://thresholdwritingchallenge.blogspot.com/

Let’s get you that writing prompt…

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


Challenge #15 - Reunions

Write Nov. 15th - or earlier if you like
Due: Saturday, November 16th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Let's talk reunions.

Last fall, despite all the best efforts of the officers of my graduating class doing some pretty impressive detective work, I ended up not attending my 40th high school reunion.

This was mostly because the last time I was back home for any extended period of time, my mother was dying of a brain tumor.

It took two solid years of grief therapy and support group meetings just to stop the constant replay film in my head of those one and a half months I was there daily while she was sick, driving on all those same roads I would have to travel down yet again for this reunion event.

Even around reunion time, four years on from putting her ashes in the ground, the thought of returning there was like returning to the scene of a horror movie, or the place a bomb went off.

Responding to the class president, who reached out to me on Facebook, I regretfully said, “As much as part of me wishes I had the fortitude to face all those familiar locations, I have to admit that I still just don’t have it in me.  I need a bit more distance.”

And to be honest, there also wasn't really anyone there I wanted to see (at least not badly enough to want to deal with the previous reason not to go).

And I was raised in Pennsylvania, so I probably don't want to know how most of my former classmates still living there voted in the last three presidential elections.

But it did get me thinking,
what people would I want to see again
(high school,
college,
grad school,
life in general),
and under what conditions?

Beyond high school,
who all would you want to be reunited with and why and how?  

This applies to both the living and the dead.

If that sounds like a fun thing to play around with, go for it.

Or ignore me and write whatever you want - either way, we’re halfway there!


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

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

try 2021’s challenge #15: Endings

Or try 2022’s challenge #15: Fake Adaptations

Or try 2023’s Challenge #15: Pictures That Haunt You

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 :)


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

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)


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

How to submit your work for Challenge #15

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 #15
(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. 15th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Saturday, November 16th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


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

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 Saturday 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 15 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.


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


And that something can be:

Lights up.

A banner hangs across part of the stage saying “40 Year Reunion - Phoenixville Area Senior High School”

Two people appear on opposite sides of the stage.

They haven’t seen each other since high school graduation, or was it the five year reunion?

Either way, it’s been awhile.

They see one another.

They lock eyes.

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.

Writing Challenge #14 - Every Line A Question (Write Nov. 14)

Hi folks

14 days, 14 challenges, two weeks into the challenge!

You folks are crushing it!

Keep those random bits of plays coming.

Let’s gather some raw material that we can keep playing around with beyond November to get us through the rest of the winter into spring again, what do you say?

Onward to today’s writing prompt…


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


Challenge #14 - Every Line A Question

Write Nov. 14th - or earlier if you like
Due: Friday, November 15th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



This one also comes from Threshold Theater Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove:

“Write a scene where every line is a question.

(Inspired by the infamous 2012 Pete Wells New York Times review of Guy Fieri's Times Square restaurant "Guy's American Kitchen and Bar," which was one of the first articles my journalism professor made us all read my freshman year of college)”

I’m not going to make you Google search that one. Here’s the text of Wells’ review and, I must say, it’s delightfully vicious:

“GUY FIERI, have you eaten at your new restaurant in Times Square? Have you pulled up one of the 500 seats at Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar and ordered a meal? Did you eat the food? Did it live up to your expectations?
 
Did panic grip your soul as you stared into the whirling hypno wheel of the menu, where adjectives and nouns spin in a crazy vortex? When you saw the burger described as “Guy’s Pat LaFrieda custom blend, all-natural Creekstone Farm Black Angus beef patty, LTOP (lettuce, tomato, onion + pickle), SMC (super-melty-cheese) and a slathering of Donkey Sauce on garlic-buttered brioche,” did your mind touch the void for a minute?
 
Did you notice that the menu was an unreliable predictor of what actually came to the table? Were the “bourbon butter crunch chips” missing from your Almond Joy cocktail, too? Was your deep-fried “boulder” of ice cream the size of a standard scoop?
 
What exactly about a small salad with four or five miniature croutons makes Guy’s Famous Big Bite Caesar (a) big (b) famous or (c) Guy’s, in any meaningful sense?
 
Were you struck by how very far from awesome the Awesome Pretzel Chicken Tenders are? If you hadn’t come up with the recipe yourself, would you ever guess that the shiny tissue of breading that exudes grease onto the plate contains either pretzels or smoked almonds? Did you discern any buttermilk or brine in the white meat, or did you think it tasted like chewy air?
 
Why is one of the few things on your menu that can be eaten without fear or regret — a lunch-only sandwich of chopped soy-glazed pork with coleslaw and cucumbers — called a Roasted Pork Bahn Mi, when it resembles that item about as much as you resemble Emily Dickinson?
 
When you have a second, Mr. Fieri, would you see what happened to the black bean and roasted squash soup we ordered?
 
Hey, did you try that blue drink, the one that glows like nuclear waste? The watermelon margarita? Any idea why it tastes like some combination of radiator fluid and formaldehyde?
 
At your five Johnny Garlic’s restaurants in California, if servers arrive with main courses and find that the appetizers haven’t been cleared yet, do they try to find space for the new plates next to the dirty ones? Or does that just happen in Times Square, where people are used to crowding?
 
If a customer shows up with a reservation at one of your two Tex Wasabi’s outlets, and the rest of the party has already been seated, does the host say, “Why don’t you have a look around and see if you can find them?” and point in the general direction of about 200 seats?
 
What is going on at this new restaurant of yours, really?
 
Has anyone ever told you that your high-wattage passion for no-collar American food makes you television’s answer to Calvin Trillin, if Mr. Trillin bleached his hair, drove a Camaro and drank Boozy Creamsicles? When you cruise around the country for your show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” rasping out slangy odes to the unfancy places where Americans like to get down and greasy, do you really mean it?
 
Or is it all an act? Is that why the kind of cooking you celebrate on television is treated with so little respect at Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar?
 
How, for example, did Rhode Island’s supremely unhealthy and awesomely good fried calamari — dressed with garlic butter and pickled hot peppers — end up in your restaurant as a plate of pale, unsalted squid rings next to a dish of sweet mayonnaise with a distant rumor of spice?
 
How did Louisiana’s blackened, Cajun-spiced treatment turn into the ghostly nubs of unblackened, unspiced white meat in your Cajun Chicken Alfredo?
 
How did nachos, one of the hardest dishes in the American canon to mess up, turn out so deeply unlovable? Why augment tortilla chips with fried lasagna noodles that taste like nothing except oil? Why not bury those chips under a properly hot and filling layer of melted cheese and jalapeños instead of dribbling them with thin needles of pepperoni and cold gray clots of ground turkey?
 
By the way, would you let our server know that when we asked for chai, he brought us a cup of hot water?
 
When you hung that sign by the entrance that says, WELCOME TO FLAVOR TOWN!, were you just messing with our heads?
 
Does this make it sound as if everything at Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar is inedible? I didn’t say that, did I?
 
Tell me, though, why does your kitchen sabotage even its more appealing main courses with ruinous sides and sauces? Why stifle a pretty good bison meatloaf in a sugary brown glaze with no undertow of acid or spice? Why send a serviceable herb-stuffed rotisserie chicken to the table in the company of your insipid Rice-a-Roni variant?
 
Why undermine a big fist of slow-roasted pork shank, which might fly in many downtown restaurants if the General Tso’s-style sauce were a notch less sweet, with randomly shaped scraps of carrot that combine a tough, nearly raw crunch with the deadened, overcooked taste of school cafeteria vegetables?
 
Is this how you roll in Flavor Town?
 
Somewhere within the yawning, three-level interior of Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar, is there a long refrigerated tunnel that servers have to pass through to make sure that the French fries, already limp and oil-sogged, are also served cold?
 
What accounts for the vast difference between the Donkey Sauce recipe you’ve published and the Donkey Sauce in your restaurant? Why has the hearty, rustic appeal of roasted-garlic mayonnaise been replaced by something that tastes like Miracle Whip with minced raw garlic?
 
And when we hear the words Donkey Sauce, which part of the donkey are we supposed to think about?
 
Is the entire restaurant a very expensive piece of conceptual art? Is the shapeless, structureless baked alaska that droops and slumps and collapses while you eat it, or don’t eat it, supposed to be a representation in sugar and eggs of the experience of going insane?
 
Why did the toasted marshmallow taste like fish?
 
Did you finish that blue drink?
 
Oh, and we never got our Vegas fries; would you mind telling the kitchen that we don’t need them?
 
Thanks.”



Play around with that kind of construction.

Or don’t.

Up to you.

Just write something.


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

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

try 2021’s challenge #14: Magic

Or try 2022’s challenge #14: Snowflakes and Other Totems

Or try 2023’s Challenge #14: The Worst Play You Can Possibly Imagine (from Threshold Theater Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove)

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 :)


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

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)


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

How to submit your work for Challenge #14

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 #14
(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. 14th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Friday, November 15th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


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

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 Friday 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 16 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.


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


And that something can be:

Lights up?

Something happens?

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.

Writing Challenge #13 - Licence Plates and Bumper Stickers (Write Nov. 13)

Hi folks

Lucky 13!   We’re nearly two weeks into November.

Well done!  Keep at it!

Meanwhile, if I get these next couple of days’ worth of emails I’m working on all caught up, I should have a summary of the first week of writing soon.  We shall see.  You all are hard to keep up with this year, but it’s a good problem to have so keep those pages of dialogue coming :)

Let’s get you that writing prompt…


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


Challenge #13 - License Plates and Bumper Stickers

Write Nov. 13th - or earlier if you like
Due: Thursday, November 14th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Since the pandemic, the commute into the physical office for the main day job a couple of days a week feels very performative.  One way to pass the time in traffic, however, is to find amusement in unlikely places - like license plates.

A certain car must have the same route and schedule I do because a couple of days in a row I saw a car that had a license plate with the letters GNU

Great Scrabble word for a tight space with unusual letters, as my late Grandma would attest to (Dorothy a delightfully competitive Scrabble game player - she hated to lose, but she’d be madder at you if she felt like you were holding back.)

I couldn’t picture a gnu at the time, but I realized it would be weird to see one driving a car.  This was confirmed when I pulled up pictures later.

This put me in mind of the insurance commercials featuring a team of a human and an emu - EMU also easily would fit on a license plate next to the three numbers.

Later, I saw FDR - on a license plate - it would also be very strange to see FDR driving a car at this point.

Other three letter combos I saw on recent commutes include

PAD

REM - the band or the dream state, either would be fun

ANT

FXT - fixed or fix-it

GYM

KAW - any birds in there?

CUL - what exactly are we culling here, and why?

DZN - a dozen of what?

On a recent trip to the optometrist/eyeglass store, an older guy had left his dog in the car just outside the front door, and everyone on staff was enchanted by the animal because he was large, and sitting in the driver’s seat behind the wheel for his owner to return.

Pulling away later, the man’s van had a bumper that said “Dog is my co-pilot” - and there he was in the passenger seat so… accurate.

What might the license plate or bumper sticker on a car reveal about the occupants or contents of the vehicle, or offer ironic counterpoint to?

Can you confine a scene (or a whole play) to a car in various states of use or motion?

Let that set of random jumping off points do for you what they will.

Or don’t.  

Write whatever you like.

Just write something.

Keep that dialogue flowing :)


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

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

try 2021’s challenge #13: Your Favorite Song

Or try 2022’s challenge #13: Abscission

Or try 2023’s Challenge #13 - Box of Doorknobs

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 :)


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

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)


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

How to submit your work for Challenge #13

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 #13
(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. 13th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Thursday, November 14th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



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

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 17 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.


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


And that something can be:

Lights up.

A gnu drives a car across the stage.

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.

Writing Challenge #12 - The Neon Sign, The Keys, The Door (Write Nov. 12)

Hi folks

Still playing catch-up with the email, but I wanted to thank you all for giving me something positive and productive to do, rather than just sitting around spiraling about election results, what they mean, etc.

Seeing all your creativity come flooding into the inbox is very gratifying.  It’s why we do the challenge, to encourage the practice of playwriting, however you choose to exercise it.

In one of my past lives, I hosted a local theater arts discussion show on cable access, and during one of the interviews, the guest said that he was reminded of an artist (he couldn’t remember the name), but during a time of unrest and uncertainty, this writer said, “In the future, people won’t ask about what the politicians did or didn’t do about a bad situation. They will ask why the artists were silent.”

So thank you all, for continuing to write.  And not being silent.

Let’s get you that writing prompt…


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

Challenge #12 - The Neon Sign, The Keys, The Door

Write Nov. 12th - or earlier if you like
Due: Wednesday, November 13th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



Today’s prompt comes out of a list of suggestions from Threshold Theater’s co-founder and Managing Director, David Schlosser.  David’s also a photographer, so he often thinks in terms of images, little snippets of ideas that you can conjure into whatever you like.  

He’s again given me a list of a variety of such bits and pieces.  So I’m going to gather a handful I think are related and offer them up for you to play around with.


Today’s sampler:

“As he/she/they held the keys in their hands…”

“He/she/they breathed in. OK. Here we go again.”

“He/she/they turned around and shut the door because…”

“The neon sign read…”


Take any or all of those if they inspire you, and spin a scene or two out of them.

Or if those don’t do it for you, but they make you think of something else you might like to write about instead, go with that.

Just write something.


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

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

try 2021’s challenge #12: Random Phrase Generator part 2

Or try 2022’s challenge #12: Omens

Or try 2023’s Challenge #12: Snapshots 2 (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 :)


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

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)


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

How to submit your work for Challenge #12

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 #12
(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. 12th - or earlier if you like
Again, this is: Due: Wednesday, November 13th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


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

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 18 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.


****************************
And that something can be:



Lights up.

She emerged from the shop.

The neon sign in the window read “Closed”

She turned around and shut the door behind her because it was time to move on.

As she held the keys in their hands, she breathed in.

“OK. Here we go again.”

She walked away from the store for the last time.

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.

Writing Challenge #11 - SISU (Write Nov. 11)

Hi folks

Another milestone behind us - 10 days in - we’re a third of the way there!  

Well done, everybody!

Hang in there and keep going.

As much as anything, we’re just trying to establish a new habit of writing, even if it’s just a little bit, every day.

If you miss a day, no worries.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Just write the next day.

Now let’s get you that writing prompt…


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

Challenge #11 - Sisu

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



One morning when I was out running, I crossed paths with a guy running in the other direction and his T-shirt read, “I run on SISU.”

And I’m thinking, “What’s SISU?  Southern Iowa State University or some other college abbreviation?”

So, like many mornings when I see something I don’t fully understand while out running, I hit the computer when I get home because as I was fond of saying to my mom, “That’s what the internet’s for.”

SISU in this case wasn’t intended to be an abbreviation, it’s a Finnish word that has no direct English translation but it can mean, among other things:

a person’s inner strength or strength of will
stoic determination
perseverance
tenacity of purpose
grit
bravery
resilience
hardiness
acting rationally in the face of adversity
(and perhaps my favorite variation on a theme…)
not momentary courage but the ability to sustain that courage

It literally translates as “to the guts.”

The self-help approach to Sisu sees it as an “action-oriented mindset” with applications to various aspects of life such as:

Confronting obstacles
Physical and mental wellbeing
Communicating with others
Progressing toward goals
Finding happiness
Leading an active, healthy life

(Some lists also throw “fighting a war” in there because, well, that’s the world we live in.)

When I was sifting through my bits of random inspiration for possible prompts, this one seemed apropos this week.

So what characters or situations in your writing might manifest some SISU?

See what that might conjure up for you.

Or don’t.

Just write something.



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

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

try 2021’s challenge #11: Punk Monkey, Film Noir and Ride The Pink Horse

Or try 2022’s challenge #11: Background Music

Or try 2023’s Challenge #11: Fake Tour Guide

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 :)


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

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)


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

How to submit your work for Challenge #11

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

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

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 19 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.


******************************
Lights up.

A hill.

A person runs on, sweaty, exhausted.

They see the hill in front of them.

They wipe their face with their T-shirt.

They see the words “I run on SISU” on the T-shirt.

They take a deep breath and start running up the hill and out of sight.

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.

Writing Challenge #10 - Nurse (Write Nov. 10)

Hi folks

The two day jobs currently still have me a bit behind on processing all your email submissions, but keep ‘em coming!  (I am definitely receiving them, even if I haven’t responded to your latest message yet.)

I had nearly completed processing all the last of the emails from November 5th when a project at the primary day job hijacked the rest of my evening yesterday.

And I’m off now to a split shift at the second job, which is with the Guthrie Theater Box Office. I’m hoping for some down time there to continue processing messages today but we’ve entered “Christmas Carol” season which is the busy season for the theater after two only half-attended productions prior to this so I may have less quiet moments than I’ve gotten used to.  We shall see.  At least Sunday is only an evening shift at the Guthrie, so there’s a part of my weekend that will be free of work demands before Monday and the primary day job roll around again.

Data on your first week of playwriting coming (I hope) in the not too distant future. (Because that will mean I’ve really caught up.)

For now, let’s get you that writing prompt…
(And I’ll get back to those emails…)


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

Challenge #10 - Nurse

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



This one comes from Threshold Theater’s Literary Associate Kate Cosgrove:

“Over the course of an evening, an ER lab nurse draws the blood of three different strangers.”

You can transplant that idea if you wish into any number of scenarios where a person in service to the general public crosses paths with a series of people from very different walks of life.

For instance,

A librarian checks out the same book to a series of three different people.

A waiter or waitress serves people having three very different kinds of evenings/afternoons/mornings/conversations in the course of a shift at the same restaurant or diner or coffee shop.

A stock person organizing the shelves in a toy store or grocery store or the racks of a clothing store crosses paths with three different customers shopping for the same thing for very different reasons, or completely different things on the same aisle.

A religious leader of some stripe finds three different people visiting the pews to pray in a church or mosque or temple for their own particular reasons
OR
A janitor or housekeeper who has a business cleaning up different places of worship sees similar types of hope or despair as they’re tidying up around the edges of a temple then a mosque then a church.

You get the idea.

We have fewer and fewer places that different sorts of people are gathered together or crossing paths.

People working in roles or industries that a whole cross section of the population passes through are still a bit of connective tissue that can witness or pull together (even by accident) the stories of people who might otherwise never deal with one another’s existence.

Anything variation on that (or one of your own that just sparked in your head) intrigue you enough to write about it?

Go forth and write.

Or, as always, just ignore me and go write something else.


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

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

try 2021’s challenge #10: Cars

Or try 2022’s challenge #10: Food Vs. Humans

Or try 2023’s Challenge #10: Inevitable (from Threshold Theater co-founder and Technical Director Nick Mrozek)

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 :)


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

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)


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

How to submit your work for Challenge #10

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


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

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 Monday 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 20 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.


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


And that something can be:


Lights up.

Over the course of an evening, an ER lab nurse draws the blood of three different strangers.

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.

Writing Challenge #9 - Site-Specific Theater in Anaconda, Montana (Write Nov. 9)

Hi folks

I know it’s been a bad week for a lot of people, myself included.  

But to find a tiny bright spot on the non-political front, guess what?  

The day this is going out to you, 11/8 - after you’ve turned in your writing for Challenge #7 - you’ve all officially made it through your first week of writing for the the challenge!

The first seven days are complete (though my sorting through all your many submissions as yet is not, but I shall get there with more fun numbers to report in the near future)

Congrats to all who’ve been cranking out the pages and prioritizing your own writing a little bit (or a lot) each day for a whole week.  Well done.

And, as always, if you miss a day, don’t waste any time beating yourself up about it.  Just write again the next day.

On with week two!

Let’s get you that writing prompt…


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

Challenge #9 - Site-Specific Theater in Anaconda, Montana

Write Nov. 9th - or earlier if you like
Due: Sunday, November 10th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)



The Anaconda Ensemble Theatre in Anaconda, Montana does an annual series of new play readings inspired by businesses around town that have applied to be used as settings for storytelling.  
In fact, I just discovered on the theater’s website that one of the writers participating in the challenge this year had her play read as part of a double bill there just last month (small world).
The theater’s most recent call for scripts explained:

“The shows will be performed in locations where "theatre typically isn't" such as
coffee shops,
hotels,
bed and breakfasts,
bars/breweries,
shops,
restaurants,
cafes, and more!

The plays will hopefully, but don't necessarily have to, fit into our location or categories listed below

Plays must only engage 1 to 4 actors
plus an actor to read stage directors
and be between 20 and 90 minutes in length.

[They also helpfully give potential genres for each location :) ]

Sweet Pea Bridal:
the location is a locally owned Bridal/Wedding Dress shop
Possible themes/types of theatre:
Weddings,
Brides,
Eloping,
Family Ties,
Plays about Dreams,
Plays about the Future,
Plays that take place in retail shops or dress shops.

Gunslinger Gulch
this location is an 1880's Old Western Ghost Town, Gunslinger Gulch Guest Ranch
Possible theme/types of theatre:
Western,
Horror Theatre,
Ghost stories,
Murder mystery,
Montana ranch life,
things that scare us, etc.

Forgotten Times Barbershop
This location is a locally owned Barbershop
Possible theme/types of theatre:
Barbershop,
Haircuts,
Forgotten Times,
Community Spaces,
Looking at the Past, etc.”

More info on the theater's website


In addition, just the town of Anaconda, Montana is kinda fascinating.  It’s not named after a snake (or a certain bawdy popular song, or the horror film series, though both of those would be quite the origin story), but a copper mining company (now shuttered). Back in the early 1900s, they built a copper smelting stack that has the distinction of being one of the tallest free-standing brick structures in the world (585 feet, which is 30 feet taller than the Washington monument in DC) - and now stands in the middle of a tiny state park.

(As a former mining town, there’s a rather colorful history of pollution that needed cleaning up as well.)

All of this could go in any number of directions, so play around with that.

Or ignore me and do your own thing.

Just write something.


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

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

try 2021’s challenge #9: The Bechdel Test

Or try 2022’s challenge #9: “Whose Meadow Is This?”

Or try 2023’s Challenge #9: Not My Blood

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 :)


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

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)


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

How to submit your work for Challenge #9

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 #9
(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


Again, this is: Due: Sunday, November 10th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)


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

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 Sunday 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 21 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.


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


And that something can be:



Lights up.

A person walks into a ghost town.

A person enters a bridal dress shop.

A person wanders into a barbershop.

Each is overwhelmed by a sense of history and possibility.

Something unexpected happens…

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.