Improv Games for Authors
By Amy
Hi Tribe. I’d like to talk today about the voices in my
head. I’m sure you have them, too. Most
writers do. They’re the characters we’ve created (and the ones still lurking in
the shadows), murmuring to us while our busy mind is occupied. They whisper the
most amazing words…words that would surely earn us a Newbery or a Caldecott if
only we could get those voices to speak WHEN WE WANT THEM TO!
Patience, young Grassmonkey. There’s a way to make them talk
and it’s called IMPROV! I did some Improv in college, while pursuing a minor in
theater, and just recently started taking classes from a graduate of The SecondCity Training Center. Almost immediately after starting classes again, I
noticed a difference in my writing. Words came faster. Dialogue nearly wrote itself. I wasn’t
terrified of putting the wrong words on the page, because I knew how easily I
could erase them and go in a different direction! Sweet -- like bananas!
Improv is taught through acting games which require you to
think on your feet…and think quickly! In Two-Headed
Expert, for example, two actors are given a subject about which they are
supposed to be very knowledgeable. Then, speaking one word each, they proceed
to explain how to do something. Let’s say the topic is ‘How to Ride a Bike.’ Two-headed expert might go something
like this:
Person B:
ride
Person A: a
Person B:
bike,
Person
A: you
Person B:
must
Person A:
first
Person B:
buy
Person A: a
Person B:
helmet.
Things
usually start off pretty easy, but the longer the game goes on, the harder it
becomes. You have a clear idea of what you want to say, but your partner has
different ideas. Inevitably, they’ll come out with a word that makes no sense
with where you thought the monologue was headed. Two-headed Expert teaches us to think fast and keep an open mind. It’s great for writing dialogue, since our
characters often have their own ideas about what they want to say.
Here are a
couple other Improv games you might try. FYI, little monkeys love these games
and they’re great for car ride entertainment. So you can work on your writing,
play with your kids and fulfill your carpool duties all at the same time!
Yes, but…
This is one
of my favorite games. Two actors are given a setting and a relationship, such
as employees in a coffee shop. The rule of the game is the actors must respond
to each other, with one sentence, always beginning with “Yes, but…” The goal of
the game is to keep the conversation going as long as possible.
Example:
A: You ate my bananas!
B: Yes, but you
ate mine last week.
A: Yes, but you
said I could.
B: Yes, but I thought we were sharing.
B: Yes, but I thought we were sharing.
A: Yes, but you’ve
eaten everyone’s bananas for a whole year.
B: Yes, but I’m
a growing monkey.
A: Yes, but
you’re growing sideways.
B: Yes, but bananas
taste good.
…etc
Yes, but… is especially good training
for first drafts, because it teaches us to build on actions and keep the story
going. It’s also great practice for brainstorming. You can take one possible
direction for a Yes, but… scene, run with it as far as
you can, then start over with a different direction. Try playing it with your
characters, when you’re not sure what they’ll do next.
Hitchhiker
This one requires
three or four people. It would be an awesome opener for a critique group meeting.
Two actors sit in chairs, side by side, facing the same way…like in the front
seat of a car. One is the driver. The third actor stands ‘outside’ the car and
thumbs for lift. The hitchhiker has in mind a ‘persona’ which s/he makes known
once they sit down in the 'backseat.' The other actors then adopt the same persona and ad lib a
conversation. For example…
Driver: No worries, man. We’re headed down coast to pick up some Emmas and catch the next tide.
Hitchhiker: Right on, Bro. I’m with ya’.
Passenger: Dude, did you see the epic waves hitting Kaui? They were, like, totally bodacious.
Driver: Yeah, man. I totally wanted to eat that surf!
Being funny is generally a goal in Improv games (despite my lame-o examples above), but being funny isn’t mandatory. Serious scenes pop up sometimes, and that’s fine. Also, the No. 1 rule of Improv is, if someone asks you a question during a game, the answer is always yes. It keeps the scene moving forward.
