Actors have found various mediums over the centuries, from voice acting on radio, theatre acting and cinema. From the Latin word ag're meaning “to do" (see Wikipedia), actors literally play a role, speaking written dialogue and physically performing in a way that the character would. In most acting, a director is present, whose job is to tell the other actors what to do and make sure that the whole act is going smoothly and as the writer of the scenario wanted.
Actors are required to possess many skills such as physical strength and dexterity, vocal imitation and charisma. The modern cinema industry employs thousands of actors to play the roles of characters in movie scripts, recording them for show on the silver screen. Acting in cinema is rarely done before an audience, but has the added pressure of being seen by millions on the later screen release.
Acting is a traditional art form and many actors learn by going to established academic institutions. Famous institutions include the London Academy of Film, Radio and TV and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Some actors train at a variety of different places, learning classical acting techniques and modern ones such as Method Acting. This is a style of acting in which the actor strives to be as realistic as possible, drawing on personal experience of emotional situations rather than dramatising.
The tradition of acting goes back to ancient times, with ancient Egyptians and Greeks performing either for religious purposes or more so in the case of the Greeks, for entertainment. A man named Thespis is acclaimed as being the first recognised actor way back in 560 BC, and his name inspired the term thespian as another word for actor (see New York Film Academy website). He is claimed by some to be among the first to personify a character for the purpose of story telling, using masks to discern between identities.
I'm not decrying narrative description, which is essential, but it's far better to show the reader what's happening through your character's dialogue, when it's acceptable to do so, than relying too much on descriptive passages.
Take this, for example:
Debbie got out of the car and stood frowning at the building beyond the privet hedge.
'I don't like the look of that', she said as Grant came round to join her. 'It looks like me mam's old tea pot.'
'That's because it's old and quaint, Debbie.' He put his arm around her and gave a comforting hug.
'But all that black wood and them tiny windows. And it needs a good paint.'
Grant smiled quietly. 'It was built back in Tudor times when they used lots of black beams on the outside. Yes, you're right it does need some maintenance. But it's got great character and it's really cosy inside'.
We could have spent some time describing the building that Debbie and Grant had gone to see, but in revealing it's appearance through their eyes we can sense instantly what it looks like, and additionally what each of them thinks of it, which is a bonus.
Don't forget that your readers have imagination. As a story teller you can make use of that to keep them interested, excited and informed about what's happening to your characters.
We can also add to the dialogue to indicate mood or character. Taking the example above we could have written:
'I don't like the look of that,' she said petulantly.
Immediately we know what Debbie's mood is and something of, perhaps, her hard to please nature.
Similarly we can intersperse phrases such as 'he gave a dissmissive wave of his hand', or 'Mary picked up the letter nervously and said...' to give an indication of the character's mood and how they feel.
Also, both of these example give the reader a visual picture of something happening: a wave of the hand and Mary picking up a letter. Just small gestures, but the mind can't help but picture the movements which helps to bring the whole scene to life.
Another thing that dialogue does for us is that it breaks up the page. Have you ever picked up a novel in the bookshop, flipped it open and felt a sinking feeling because the page was all narrative and no dialogue? Too many solid paragraphs can have a subconscious negative effect on a reader, so introduce dialogue to bring life and texture to the printed page.
There's no formula for this, just try to make sure there's at least some dialogue on every page.
One word of warning: Don't be so keen to stick dialogue into your story that your characters are just waffling on about the price of beef. Unless, of course, the price of beef is relevant to the storyline. What they say to one another should connect to the plot and thus move the story forward. The reader should be informed by what they say, or be let into some secret perhaps, or maybe get a glimpse of some aspect of a person's character that has not been seen before. All of which should have a bearing on the unfolding of the story.
Take a little time to think about all this and perhaps do a few exercises to experiment with any of the above ideas that you hadn't considered before. It will be well worth it.
Both John Gibb & Mervyn Love are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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