Playwright-Talking-to-Self Lines
'The reason I write, is my need to find out what I think and feel. Writing what I see, in a way that incorporates my reaction to what I see, helps me to live life.'
-- Amlin Gray
Deep in your subconscious, somewhere this side of the Id, lurks a voice that often tries to set you straight about what you've written. Since this beast can't talk directly to you -- maybe because you won't pay any attention to it -- it speaks through your characters. Listen: most times this critter knows more about playwriting than you do.
There's a simple way to spot the lines where characters suddenly become a mouthpiece for your subconscious Literary Manager. When they do, they're often pointing out some playwriting transgression you'd instantly spot in someone else's play.
Usually these lines . . .
- Are not related to the character's Subtext.
- Have no prior preparation: they come out of the blue, as they say.
- Express dissatisfaction with what's happened prior to the line.
Some Playwright-Talking-to-Self Lines . . .
- Why are you telling me all this?
- What a lot of drivel.
- How did we get off on this tangent?
- You said that before.
- Can we get back to the subject now?
- I can't believe you said that.
- This is really boring.
- How many times do we have to go through this?
- Before we got distracted, you were telling me about ...
- Nothing's happening here.
- I'm getting confused.
Cut these lines, but don't kill the messenger. Follow the directions. They're nearly always right.
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