6 Enchancment Guidelines for Authors: Methods to Discover “Sure” and Your Technique to Higher Scenes
Have you ever faced such problems? You have a scene goal in mind, you know the characters involved, where they are and what they want, but how does the scene play out? What exactly happens to move the characters in the story from point A to point B?
Then the power of improvisation could prove useful.
My own writing system has always relied heavily on improvisation, although I firmly believe in outlines. The outlines and goals for each scene are outlined in my outline, but I never know how the characters will achieve those goals until I write the scene. Then the director screams in my head: "Action!"
I have a background in the theater and use this experience to fill the gaps. But even if you've never stepped on the stage, you can do the same.
What is improv?
Improv is an improvisation technique that moves the creative juices and makes a scene flow. If you ever "Whose line is it at all?" Have seen. You saw a comic book version of it in motion.
Although its roots go back to the theater, the contemporary form began in the 1920s with a woman named Viola Sporin. She taught children to act and found that they were more receptive and more natural when she presented the exercises in the form of games.
Sporin's son Paul Sills continued his mother's work and helped found the Chicago group The Compass and its famous outgrowth Second City. The modern improvisation was born.
My own daughter writes fantasy and science fiction and uses a game group to spark ideas and dialogues for her books. A kind of offshoot of the improvisation concept.
The actor's studio technique
Of particular interest to writers is the actor's studio technique, which is used in the theater to create conflicts in improvisation. With this technique, the director sets the stage by whispering secret instructions to each of the actors and giving them conflicting goals and imperatives.
For example, the director might whisper to an actor: you are a company manager who is in love with the CEO's daughter. He orders you to fire a certain employee. Under no circumstances should you let the employee stay, otherwise the boss will ensure that you never see his daughter again.
The director whispers to the other actor: You are a company employee and your manager has just informed you that you have been fired. Your husband recently lost his job and your little son is seriously ill. The health insurance coverage from this job provides for its treatment. Under no circumstances can you lose this job.
And . . . "Action!"
How to start
Like history itself, improvisation has an underlying structure that offers form and cohesion, gives form to every scene and drives it forward. Let's look at these rules and see how they can apply to writing a scene.
In the theater, an improvisation exercise begins with an environment, the characters involved and an activity in which they are involved, which is also referred to as "stage business". For example, the director can say, "John, you are a medical student. Mary, you are an expectant mother. Susan, you are a famous cook. You three decorate the high school for your ten-year high school meeting. Action!"
In classical improvisation, there are no props, only basic "load-bearing" parts such as a table, chairs and blocks. The rest are mimicked by the actors. In this way, what the actors bring to the scene is only limited by their imagination. The key to moving the scene forward is to focus on the POC, the "focus point".
The POC is what the scene is about, the problem to be solved. In stage improvisation, it is often a device that the director passes on to complicate the scene and raise the bar for creativity. For example, he could instruct the actors to sing their lines, or to speak only in three-word sentences, or to give everyone a certain obsession.
The POC is similar in its history. This is what the scene is about and what counts is the effort solve a problem and achieve a goal.
"
Each scene in your story is about your characters' efforts to solve a problem and achieve a goal.
The rules of improvement
While the rules of improvisation apply to groups of actors in the theater, I've found that they can be adapted to myself at my desk. Here you are:
1. Agreement against rejection
When improvising, you always want to say "yes". It is a courtesy to the other players. It is considered bad etiquette to negate what your fellow actor has just suggested and throw the ball back into your pitch without adding anything of value. So you say "yes" and then add something. Here's an example:
Actor 1: You copied my homework.
Actor 2: Yes, and I sold the answers to Sharon for five dollars.
In your scenes, "no" can be an acceptable answer sufficient to create the desired conflict between your characters. If you say yes, don't make it easy for yourself.
Say "yes and" (as above) or "yes but" (I admit it – I copied your homework but your answers were wrong and I failed the task).
Perhaps the best option is "No and besides" (I certainly haven't copied your homework, and since you have the courage to accuse me, I'll beat you up after school).
2. Give and take
In the theater, putting someone on stage and stealing their limelight is a bad way. When improvising, give someone focus when driving the scene and take it when you need to add something to drive the scene.
This is a good rule to focus on when writing your own scenes.
3. Questions
In general, questions are frowned upon in improvisation. They are a way to escape the burden and let everyone else do the heavy lifting. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who only speaks on questions?
Questions are the lifeblood of the page in writing. Let your characters ask and answer them. But make sure that you work out some of these answers over time, which creates tension. And always make sure that you generate new questions page by page in your reader.
4. Don't talk about what you're doing
Do you remember the characters that decorate the high school? Readers don't want to hear them blow up balloons, hold up banners, staple streamers, lay out plates and napkins, etc. yawn.
Give your characters an action and keep them in action throughout the dialogue. Scatter beats of this action between the dialog lines.
Do not go into detail about the action unless it is relevant to the action, introduces a note, or performs another important function.
5. Problem solving
Conflicts, as in your writing, make the improvised scene interesting. The key to creating an effective scene is to focus on the "focus point": solving the problem, reaching the goal, and introducing obstacles to increase tension.
Scenes that are not satisfactory usually do not focus on solving the problem.
6. Be an expert
When improvising, the director often gives an actor the role of an expert, whereby the actor has to play along to invent facts and figures from the cuff. The goal is to expand the actor's ability to speak convincingly.
As writers, our characters sometimes have to be experts in something we don't know much about. Fortunately, we are not there for this. We can take the time to research and find out what we need to realistically represent this character.
Remember that one of the key factors in creating a personable character is that they are good at what they do. It pays to be an expert. At least on paper.
One last rule
It sometimes remains unspoken, but an important rule when improvising – and when writing – is to have fun! My mentor often reminds me that when I'm not having fun, I'm doing it wrong. It doesn't have to be a lot of fun, but writing should be pleasant and satisfying for you, though sometimes it is littered with difficulties and even tears.
To paraphrase Robert Frost: no joy in the writer, no joy in the reader.
In the end, we are entertainers with a human message. Improv – whether you're hiring a group of friends or doing it in your own mind – can help you find ways to get your message across.
If you want to learn more about improvisation, you should visit Improve Encyclopedia, LearnImprov.com and Viola Spolins own website.
Have you ever improvised? Have you ever used techniques like the ones above in your writing process? Tell us about it in the comments.
WORK OUT
Let's improvise! Choose one of the prompts you don't know about and write a few paragraphs as if you were an expert. If you can convince me, you can write convincingly for the readers. Of course, if you really do, you need accurate information. However, the language, the word jockeying, counts for this exercise. Have fun!
- Theories of Greek philosophers
- The use of leitmotifs among classical composers
- The function of a spark plug in a V-8 engine
- The process of DNA testing
- The role of a bloodstock agent in modern horse racing
Write for fifteen minutes. When you're done, post your work in the comments and give feedback to your co-authors.
Joslyn Chase
