“Show, don’t tell.”
We hear this all of the time. Yet, many writers struggle with this very idea.
Writers like to research. We travel to faraway places, we talk with people who live there. We look through old files and photographs. We mine our memories for tidbits and call upon our imagination to fill in the rest.
We stay cerebral.
But this is where we fail ourselves. This is where we fail our readers.
We all want to write books that make people feel, but in order to do that—we must feel first. We must cry. We must get angry. We must laugh. We must fall in love. We must face fear.
But to achieve true emotion with our words, we need to get out of our heads and tune into our guts.
To do this, I like to call upon the actor’s craft.
Here are 3 tips to get out of your writer’s head and write from the gut.
- Keep an Emotion Diary.
An actor knows that whatever happens to them in life is fodder for their craft. Even at a moment of extreme heartbreak, an actor knows, “I can use this.” Observe yourself on a daily basis. How are you feeling? Don’t detail the situations that are happening to you, but write down what an emotion feels like physically. Tune into your hands, your chest, your legs, and your jaw. These are places we hold emotion. - Be emotional.
An actor practices playing with emotion. They take the time to experiment in order to better know how to portray it when the time comes. Much like a yogi will hold a pose to build strength, actors practice holding emotion in their bodies to gain emotional fluency. Refer back to your Emotion Diary to remember how a certain emotion manifests in your body. Soak in it. Go about some daily tasks while in this emotional state. (Although keep these tasks solo. You are working on craft here, not ruining relationships and getting a reputation. Hint: scrubbing the tub while angry is amazing!) Observe how the emotion affects your movement and your actions. Of course, when play time is done, find ways to unwind…we don’t want you to end up a basket case. - Embrace the First Person.
An actor walks in the shoes of others to learn to live in their moments. They speak directly from the mouth, the heart, the gut of the very person they are performing. Spend some time pretending to be your character. You can go through the same emotional practice you did in the previous step, but this time with your character’s situation in mind.
Take your character to the most heightened moment in this emotion. How do they react? Write a letter or a diary entry as your character while holding this emotion. Or create audio or video as your character. Abandon flowery metaphor and other authorly devices for the time being and speak raw, from your character’s gut. You might be surprised what you learn.
It is so easy to fall into summarizing a scene instead of delving in and living each moment. Maybe as writers we prefer to play God and observe the tough situations from afar. It’s more pleasant to be omnipresent than personally absorbed.
But when we learn to write from the gut, our hands may tremble with each keystroke, a lump might form in our throat, tears might well. It’s not always comfortable. Yet it is essential that we learn to breathe life into each moment, so that the very DNA of our story can breathe on the page and fill the lungs of every reader it touches. This is the essence of “show, don’t tell.” In fact, it takes the idea one step further.
“Be, don’t show.”
Before Marcie Colleen was a picture book writer, she was a former actress, director and theatre educator. In her 15 year career, Marcie worked within the classroom, as well as on Regional, Off-Broadway and Broadway stages. Formerly the Director of Education for TADA! Youth Theater, she also worked for Syracuse Stage, Camp Broadway, the Metropolitan School for the Arts, and Tony Randall’s National Actors Theater. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and Theater from Oswego State University and a Masters degree in Educational Theater from NYU. She has taught theater workshops in the UK and throughout the US, including Alaska.
Marcie’s From the Gut: An Acting for Writers Workshop (being held on September 14th at NJ-SCBWI) helps writers get out of their heads. Her up-on-your-feet techniques feature acting and writing exercises to tap into raw emotion. Through guided practice, writers learn to breathe life into the voice of every character. Time is spent exploring, playing and simply “being” emotion while learning how to transfer the discoveries onto the page in a way that creates immediacy and authenticity for the reader. Participants are given tools to deepen their writing through voice and movement even when alone in their writing caves.
Visit Marcie at www.thisismarciecolleen.com.
45 comments
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September 5, 2014 at 8:05 am
rnewman504
Great advice, Marcie!
September 5, 2014 at 10:06 am
marciecolleen
Thanks, Robin!
September 5, 2014 at 8:33 am
Nancy Poydar
Hi Marcie, I see you on FB often and know you are a writer, involved with theater. In this post you mention Tada. I had the privilege of having a title on a Reading Rainbow, The Biggest Test in the Universe, where Tada was featured. I LOVED Tada! Thanks for your contribution to the rich mix of kid lit stuff I read. Best, Nancy
Sent from my iPad
>
September 5, 2014 at 10:07 am
marciecolleen
It’s a great company! I was privileged to work there. 🙂
September 5, 2014 at 9:01 am
Laura Sassi
Wonderful post! Thanks, Marcie and Tara… off to jump into the role of a hedgehog!
September 5, 2014 at 10:07 am
marciecolleen
Embrace your inner cute, Laura! Because hedgehogs are adorbs!
September 5, 2014 at 9:11 am
Wendy
Another great post, Marcie. 🙂
September 5, 2014 at 10:08 am
marciecolleen
Thanks, Wendy!
September 5, 2014 at 11:39 am
Beth Stilborn
What a fantastic post, Marcie! I have used the third technique and have found it excellent (and fun) and will certainly try the other two. Emotion can be a scary and tricky thing to portray in writing. It’s great to have some tools to use to help us delve beneath the surface. Oh how I wish I could attend your workshop on the 14th.
Thanks, Marcie!
September 5, 2014 at 11:52 am
marciecolleen
It is fun, Beth! Glad to know you already use similar techniques.
September 5, 2014 at 12:22 pm
teresamis
Here’s to going for the gut! Thanks for these techniques. It was very affirming to have you conceptualize and put in words number 3. Heading out “To Be.”
September 5, 2014 at 2:30 pm
marciecolleen
Yes! Go Be!
September 5, 2014 at 12:28 pm
julie rowan zoch
The basket cases form self-help (critique) groups! Great post, Marcie!
September 5, 2014 at 2:31 pm
marciecolleen
Thanks, fellow basket case! xo
September 5, 2014 at 2:59 pm
darlenebeckjacobson
Great tips, Thanks Marcie!
September 5, 2014 at 3:20 pm
marciecolleen
You are most welcome. 🙂
September 5, 2014 at 3:24 pm
Darshana
Great advice Marcie! I love this post. Will be bookmarking it. I so wish your course was in California so I could attend.
September 5, 2014 at 3:54 pm
marciecolleen
I’d totally travel to Cali to teach it! In fact, I’ll be out there in Dec and in March. Talk to your SCBWI chapter.
September 5, 2014 at 4:23 pm
Darshana
Excellent! Will bring it up with the assistant RA my chapter. Do you have a webpage advertising your class or a 1-page flyer?
September 5, 2014 at 6:14 pm
Carleen Tjader
I will try this–thank you!
Writing “from above” is easier…and boring!
September 6, 2014 at 12:56 pm
marciecolleen
It is easier, but stretch yourself! You can do it! 🙂
September 5, 2014 at 9:27 pm
tinamcho
Congrats on teaching this class! And thanks for the tips!
September 6, 2014 at 12:57 pm
marciecolleen
Thanks. And you are welcome, Tina. 🙂
September 6, 2014 at 11:32 pm
Lauri Meyers
Great suggestions. I need to start an emotion diary – it’s probably good therapy too… “Dear Emotion Diary, my brain is pushing on the sides of my skull threatening to explode because I’ve been asked for the 14th time if my 6yo can just wear flip flops to school even though there’s a rule, because everybody does it.”
September 8, 2014 at 12:48 pm
marciecolleen
LOL! You are well on your way, Lauri!
September 7, 2014 at 9:24 am
Suzanne Albers
Piboidmo notes
On Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 12:46 PM, Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)
September 8, 2014 at 12:49 pm
marciecolleen
I’m honored to be bookmarked. 🙂
September 7, 2014 at 12:01 pm
lauraboffa
I love this advice! I teach kids writing camps where we usually do some improv, so I may just borrow your “Be, don’t show” catchphrase for the kiddos… and myself. 🙂
September 9, 2014 at 1:42 pm
marciecolleen
Oooh! I have a catchphrase! 🙂 Feel free to use it.
September 7, 2014 at 3:49 pm
thiskidreviewsbooks
Great post! This is super helpful! 😀
September 8, 2014 at 12:50 pm
marciecolleen
Thanks, Erik! 🙂
September 8, 2014 at 12:07 am
Marcie Colleen — Interview with Teacher’s Guide Expert | By Word of Beth
[…] You’ll note from what Marcie says in the interview, and from the biographical material at the end of the chat, that theatre is an important facet of her life. She puts her knowledge and love of theatre to use in many ways, including an SCBWI workshop next Sunday in Princeton, New Jersey. Space is limited, and today’s the deadline for registration, but if there’s any chance you can attend, I know it will be an excellent event. (So wish I could be there, Marcie!) Check out this post at the SCBWI-NJ website: From the Gut: An Acting-for-Writers Workshop. Also, Marcie recently did a fabulous guest post with a taste of the way she uses acting techniques to enhance the writing process at Tara Lazar’s blog: Three Acting Tips for Writing with Emotion. […]
September 8, 2014 at 12:51 pm
marciecolleen
Thanks, Beth. I am willing to travel anywhere with this workshop…even Canada!
September 8, 2014 at 7:58 am
jessieheninger
pooh this made me excited to get back to my notebook. Also I see that my emotions can be a tool and not necessarily a distraction!
September 8, 2014 at 12:51 pm
marciecolleen
Yay! Everything can be a tool. Its how you view it and how you spin it. Get to that notebook and BE!
September 8, 2014 at 11:50 am
Allyn Stotz
What great advice! I have never thought of keeping an emotion book but think I’ll try it!
Tara, I’m a new follower and hope that you’ll check out my blog at http://www.allynstotz.blogspot.com. I write children’s picture books.
September 8, 2014 at 11:52 am
Tara Lazar
Hi Allyn and welcome! I’ll be glad to check out your site.
September 8, 2014 at 12:53 pm
marciecolleen
Its always fun to try new things, Allyn. Good luck! Keep following Tara, this blog is where its at. And be sure to join us for Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo) right here in November. I am sure Tara will be sharing info on how to enroll as the time draws nearer.
September 8, 2014 at 7:14 pm
Penny Parker Klostermann
Thanks for the tips, Marcie!
September 9, 2014 at 7:11 am
marciecolleen
You are welcome, Penny! 🙂
September 8, 2014 at 11:37 pm
Cindy Williams Schrauben
Loved this, Marcie. It all makes perfect sense. Kinda like… why didn’t I think of that! Thanks.
September 9, 2014 at 7:12 am
marciecolleen
Yup. It’s not rocket science. But so very useful.
September 11, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Top Picks Thursday 09-11-2014 | The Author Chronicles
[…] Wiggins explains the 3 secret functions of your book’s chapter titles, Marcie Colleen has 3 acting tips for writing with emotion, and Fiona Quinn gives us details of life in the Navy […]
September 15, 2014 at 8:03 am
Writing Links…8/15/14 | TraciKenworth's Blog
[…] https://taralazar.com/2014/09/05/three-acting-tips-for-writing-with-emotion-by-marcie-colleen/ […]
December 19, 2015 at 3:00 pm
Linda Carpenter
Great! Excellent info to work on and record!
Many thanks!