It's probably because I started as an actor, but I hear the words and often I speak the words as I type them. Yesterday I had to do that, because I was writing a character unlike myself, so I after I wrote what I heard in my head, I had to read the words aloud to see if it tracked. This really ties into character for me, because I do hear voices in my head (no, I am not crazy) and what I hear is the voices of my characters. When the character is not as clear in my head, the words are more practical and less organic, but often I will hear a specific voice with a specific way of speaking.I love when it becomes a scene with urgency, either a fight or excitement, because I find that affects the dialogue - short, fast, choppy, louder, this word, that one. I like playing with how much one character says compared to another - what does that say about how each of them feels about the situation (it's not about counting lines, that's for sure...). I like it when I can hear the "ums" and the "ers" and I put those in. They feel important.
The proof comes in the reading. I am looking forward to next week, because I will hear someone else say the words and I will see how closely it matches up to the voices in my head. I am nervous, too, because I know this play is nowhere near done... a skeleton, really. But I am looking forward to putting the flesh on it's bones.
* submitted by Kristen Finlay
Yes, yes, yes… I understand what you are saying about voices and how they are in your head. No, you are not mad……it is really an organic process and you are very good about verbalizing it. I read everything aloud nowadays. It helps me to get unstuck from virus worm words--like the 'n' word in Jacqui's piece or the 'a' word (which I don't even think was there) in Scott's. Nervous is normal under the circs, I reckon. Reading aloud helps to work out the pace. Thanks for your insight
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