Part Two

I should have known once I tackled the acting thing, I'd have trouble focusing on blogging . . .

OK, part two, what acting has taught me about writing: LAGS

Lags will kill a theatrical or a musical.  Something has to be happening.  Music, jokes, something.  But to quote Hemmingway, “Never mistake motion for action.”  Since all the author has to work with is words, this means that the author has to be constantly moving the story forward.

The more connected the action is to the central plot the better.  I have the attention span of a gnat.  It’s sad and true.  If Ritalin was marketed when I was a child, I would have been on it.  Counter-intuitive that I’d be a good editor.  In fact, because I have zero patience for drag, it makes me excellent at rooting it out.  And in case you haven’t detected it, I have some focus issues with this blog.  See, attention span of—and I’m now in love with Emun Elliott and am completely over Ian Somerhalder.  Well, almost . . .

I can rant about lag.  As much as I can scream, "DON'T DO IT!", the fact is, most of you don't know you're doing it.  That's where yet another thing I learned from acting has helped me with writing: have an audience review your work and have a committee that you can discuss your writing and notions with.

If you have no audience, you have no purpose in your writing.  But if you have an audience, even a small one, you can observe them with your work.  Study what they laugh at, when they're tilting their head like they're bored, slouching a bit, or sitting up straight, not blinking as much (not blinking is a good thing) . . . yes, you have to be a body language expert for this one, but being a body language expert will also help your writing.

A committee, well, this is your writing group.  See my other blogs for opinions on that.  Having a trusted, educated, honest committee will help you with lag.  Movies take a village.  Writing seems more solitary, but good writing is not.  Excellent writing can't be.

OK, again, I'm going to stop now.  I'm reading Pot Luck, by Emile Zola, which I love (because of Emun Elliott--but more on that later). This book will undoubtedly get its own blog entry.  Nevertheless, there are more important things in life than blogging.

HAPPY EASTER!!!