Acting The Scenes Before Writing

Yzabel / October 2, 2005

Am I weird or not, this is the question. I find that it’s easier for me to write certain scenes—especially the ones containing lots of dialogue—if I “act” them first. I know it may feel, read and sound very weird, yet it helps me to get the feeling of the scene, of the atmosphere, and even to create the dialogue itself without having to struggle with the words to make them sound like what real people would say. Nevertheless, I know that were anyone to see me do that through my window, with a pencil and notebook in hand and pacing around acting, they’d probably think I’m a weirdo. Or repeating for a play, with some luck!Evidently, I don’t do that for every scene. I’d have a hard time trying to act a swordfight or a spaceship attack without breaking the furniture by accident in the process, and I know where to stop and where to pick the pen or keyboard again to let only my mind and fingers work, instead of my whole body. Sometimes, I wonder if this tendency hasn’t been enhanced by the few years I’ve spent taking part in theater plays, back in high school, although I know I was doing this whole acting part way before that already.Perhaps I’m a performance person who isn’t fully aware of this yet.acting, scenes, writing

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  • Jennifer

    You know I do that ALL the time. As I write I play the emotion out. When I get stuck I go through multiple scenes played out by me and my imaginary friends. I don’t know if this is why I write dialogue well, if it’s why I love dialogue…but I act.I’ve always been of the mind that writing is similar to acting. We have to be able to feel, display the emotions we’re writing, and whether it’s consciously or not, we do play out those emotions, feeling.Maybe it’s my way of being an actor. I’m fascinated by acting, but am too shy to ever get up in front of anyone and act.One thing I’ve always told people who have difficulty writing dialogue is act it out. Especially outloud.I’m all for ‘acting out’.

  • melly

    ummmm, er, yeah, weird … :)No, I don’t this at all, but you’re right, it probably has to do with your acting lessons.Actually, it’s not one hundred percent true. When I have a dialogue scene, I do say it in different voices – that counts as acting, doesn’t it?So maybe not so weird after all or maybe I’m joining the weirdoes 🙂

  • Yzabel

    Okay, so I won’t be the only “weird” one… that’s good to know! :)Someone once told me that I was writing with feelings rather than with words… I don’t know if it’s still the case today (I sure don’t write about the same things anymore), but perhaps acting my scenes had something to do with it, in which case I suppose it’s not a bad thing.

  • Eric Mutta

    Actually, I think that’s pretty normal if you ask me (but see disclaimer at the end). I tend to do the same, but *after* the piece is written (i.e during editing), to make sure the “voice” is right. Might have something to do with the fact that I’m a very animated person (know anyone else who can tell you a story complete with DOLBY surround sound effects? LOL).DISCLAIMER: The man who wrote this is sometimes thought to be para-abnormal.

  • Yzabel

    Thanks for your input, Eric. DOLBY surround sound effects? Now this must be interesting :DI also read the dialogues out loud sometimes after they’re written, just to check that they sound right. Probably I should do that more often. If after this, they still don’t sound right, then I have a problem * lol *

  • Eric Mutta

    *Yzabel*:> Now this must be interesting :DOh you should see how the crowd goes wild! My theater can accomodate 3 people, and for reasons I can’t yet explain, they always call themselves “me”, “myself”, and “I”. But hey, they pay, so I put on a play ;-)*Yzabel*:>…If after this, they still don’t sound right, then I have a problem * lol *LOL, when all else fails you know it’s time for the magic M maneuver: close the curtains, make sure no one is watching, then run around screaming M for mummyyyyy!

  • N. Mallory

    I do this all the time…and I can’t even blame all those years of playing RPGs…I was doing it at least a decade before then. 😉

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