Act It All The Way Through

Writers can learn from actors because acting is inherently linked to writing. I know this because I have always felt drawn to the actors and their minds─like Charles Dickens, I am an ENFP who likes to act because it drives her mad with pleasure. When some writers are thinking of fun things to say or different ways of conveying the same message, they mumble sentences to themselves. Others prefer to close their eyes, zone out, and think. Aggressive writers like me use brute forcing to create characters and dialogues by acting in front of a mirror.

I have been acting in front of the mirror or playing make-believe games ever since I was a child. Because I wasn’t formally introduced to any professional writers as a child, I did not knew what this need to act meant. In one game, I used to hold my hands up after twisting them at my back and then circle the room for like an hour or so. Mom used to feel puzzled at this game; so I would tell her, “I am the penguin.” I used to feel somewhat puzzled at myself when I was able to act during my teenage years as well. While I was attending high school, I would secretly enjoy acting as a teacher and writing on walls while teaching imaginary children. Only as an adult, I realized that this acting was actually assisting me in designing dialogues while interacting with imaginary characters. But as an adult, I do not use this technique often because I can get tired this way; and, I take plenty of rest if I have recently acted things out. A better alternative is to just sit down and write something.

As you tap into your in-built secrets that will allow you to become more versed in writing, remember to record yourself every time you are acting things out. You will feel very surprised at the variation in speech and style that occurs during these moments. Read “5 Secrets Writers Can Learn from Actors” to learn all the savvy details of this issue.