Improv [Writing] Tip #4: Who, What, Where, How?

April 12, 2011

(#4 in a series of tips from my improv class that struck me as applying to writing.) Improv [Writing] Tip #4: Who, What, Where, How? Define instantly relationship, action, place, and how you feel. Before you all jump on me, in improv, the “when” is given—it’s always now. So in writing, of course, we’d have […]

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What to Ask Your Beta Readers

April 7, 2011

My beta readers—I love them. They run the range of family (Hi, Mom!) to professional writers to former colleagues to teenagers to people I met at church. Mom always finishes first. The woman, bless her, loves every word I write—so I got that going for me. At least I can hear her “I loved it!” […]

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Improv/Writing Tip #3: “Yes, And”

April 5, 2011

(#3 in a series of tips from my improv class that struck me as applying to writing.) Improv/Writing Tip #3: “Yes, And” Accept what your scene [i.e., writing] partner gives you without judgment and build on it. “Yes, and” in improv comedy refers to the moment on stage where you have a choice—do you support […]

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How to “Write” off Your Vacation

March 31, 2011

We writers have to walk in the footsteps of our characters and place them in locations that move the story forward. You know, that element of story we learned in high school—setting. Without vivid setting, our characters might as well be in a white room with no furniture. When I was writing the final chapters […]

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Improv/Writing Tip #2: Avoid denial

March 29, 2011

(#2 in a series of tips from my improv comedy class that struck me as applying to writing.) Improv/Writing Tip #2: Avoid denial If your scene partner says you’re a doctor, you’re a doctor. If they say you’re scared, be petrified. The “avoiding denial” tip from improv has to do with not standing up on […]

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Twitter Tai Chi

March 24, 2011

Just started Week #2 of learning tai chi. It’s stretching me both physically and mentally, while teaching me the value of flow. And weirdly, it seems to parallel how I use Twitter. Tai chi, as I understand it so far, is a Chinese martial art in which you flow through a series of elegant movements […]

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What Improv Taught Me about Writing—Tip #1 Listen Hard

March 22, 2011

Some of the best advice I’ve heard for screenwriting is that writers should study acting. So when the Groupon came along for six sessions at my local improv comedy school, I jumped on it. Writing, as you may know if you’ve run that fearsome gauntlet, is acting. Except writers have to be every character. In […]

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Indie:4; Old School:1

March 17, 2011

Crazy news out of Netflix-land this week. Netflix To Enter Original Programming With Mega Deal For David Fincher-Kevin Spacey Series ‘House Of Cards’ (NELLIE ANDREEVA, courtesy @NikkiFinke, Deadline Hollywood) Andreeva writes: Negotiations are still going on, but I hear Netflix landed the drama project by offering a staggering commitment of two seasons, or 26 episodes. […]

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