Christmas Challenge: Join a Game of ‘Cadavre Exquis’ on Engage
Let’s craft Christmas magic in the French surrealists’ way
For the past three years, I’ve been playing a writing game every week with my sisters and brothers in digital ink from the Portuguese Creators Guild.
Long story short, instead of poker, we come together to play “Cadavre Exquis,” in English, “Exquisite Corpse.”
Don’t mind the fancy name; it all started with a group of friends who enjoyed playing Magic the Gathering and thought it was cool to organize poetic seances during COVID lockdown under the guise of “Dead Poets Society.”
Think of it as the poetic version of Telephone, our childhood message game (also known as Chinese Whispers), but instead of echoing the same sentence, I invite you to add a new line to the message.
Today, in the camaraderie spirit of Engage, I want to invite you all to play this game with everyone in our community.
This challenge, rooted in the tradition of the French surrealists’ game, aims to bring our digital family closer through the art of prose poetry.
The pandemic had forced us indoors, and everyone was feeling the humbug.
It was around this time in 2020 that the idea of channeling the essence of “Dead Poets Society” into our creative endeavors took hold.
We were all looking for the golden fleece of community behind closed doors. It was the dawn of the Great Age of Endless Solitude, and only the power of poetry could have saved us back then.
It was amidst the turmoil that a poetic game seemed like the perfect muse for our small venture.
A surrealist writing game
To understand the roots of our challenge, we need to go back to the early 20th century, when a group of avant-garde artists in France birthed the surrealist movement.
Among their innovative creations was the game known as “Cadavre Exquis,” meaning “Exquisite Corpse.”
This collaborative exercise involved multiple participants contributing to a piece of art, either drawing or writing, without knowledge of the preceding contributions.
The result was a harmonious, often surreal, fusion of disparate elements, showcasing the collective imagination at its finest.
Engage in our Christmas‘ cadavre exquis’
Drawing inspiration from the surrealist legacy, I am adapting the “Cadavre Exquis” game to the realm of digital prose poetry, so all of you, my friends in digital ink, may join and partake in this alchemic experience.
The challenge will run up to the 25th of December, a day when the spirit of togetherness is most palpable.
Here’s how it unfolds:
- The prompt: I am formally opening the game with this prompt. I’m not setting barriers. You are free to write what feels right in your response to this prompt. I only ask that your entry captures in some way the essence of the holiday season.
- The opening line: As I write these words, I still haven’t the finest clue as to what that line will be. That’s the point. The idea is to come up with a poetic snippet to set the tone. This line will serve as the starting point, the spark that will ignite the creativity of our community.
- Your contribution: This is where the magic happens. As fellow readers and authors, everyone reading this can join. You’re invited to respond to the story by adding your line to the unfolding prose poem. Each contribution builds on the previous, creating a collaborative narrative that weaves together the diverse voices within our community.
As you can see, participating in our special Christmas challenge is as simple as unwrapping a gift; you shouldn’t even think too much about it.
Just write down the first thing that pops into your mind.
You just need to put your thoughts into words as soon as you’ve read this. Later on, we’ll organize everything chronologically and get it published.
So don’t miss out on the creative urge, and respond to the story with your contribution (and if you feel the urge again after a while, please don’t hold back and add another snippet to the writing chain).
Your words will become an integral part of something greater than each of us in the true spirit of our Christmas writing chain.
The unveiling
By the time the clock strikes midnight on the 25th, we will have crafted a memento of collaborative alchemy in prose.
I will then unveil it by publishing our story on Engage. I’ll make sure to unmeter this piece for everyone to read and cherish beyond the paywall.
I’m hopeful that this can become a celebration of the holiday season and our shared passion for storytelling as readers and writers.
The magic of community
This challenge is open to everyone, readers and authors alike. Please join us as we reflect on the magic of Christmas with the strength of our creative community.
Together, we’ll craft a story that resonates with the season's spirit—a story that is as unique and diverse as our community.
I wish y’all a season filled with inspiration, creativity, and the joy of shared storytelling. Joy and blessings to you and your loved ones. Family is the best gift of all.
Pick up the thread and carry the torch. I’ll go first!
A.N. Please write your line below as a comment to my story, not as a reply to my initial line. Under "respond,” you can choose “most recent” to check the latest challenge entry. If you’d like to ask a question or provide feedback, please reply to my initial prompt or under the participant’s response.
Disclaimer: If you’ve been tagged, it’s because you are a writer with us, and we don’t want you to miss the chance to join the fun. Don’t worry, we don’t do it often! If you don’t wish to be tagged, please let us know via private note, and we’ll remove you from the list. The authors’ handles are hidden to ensure privacy.
