THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WRITING
HEY! I’m talking “real” writing, which means recording whatever interests the writer in any written, enduring format. It’s the first step towards authoring, which means writing for a target audience rather than oneself. I’ve been a writer, author and poet for over four decades, and it’s only recently, when I was given the opportunity of being the lead actor in The STATIC Movie (https://kspllc.media/the-static-movie) that I began to realize just how privileged I am to be part of the world of writing and authoring.
First, I’m finding that acting is in the constant here and now. Whether it’s memorizing lines, rehearsing, blocking or filming, it’s all in the now. Wild. Eclectic. Always changing. Totally demanding. Writing and authoring, true, is in the now, but in a much quieter, reflective, organized way. True, what’s authored always goes through editing, but editing is done discretely and in a minimalistic manner, and one can take a break, even desist for a time, returning when it better suits.
Second, acting requires high-performance midterm memory. Not short or long term as writers and authors typically tap. And not in, again, the writer/author’s reflective or purely creative manner.
Third, acting involves — at least for me — the total interleaving of content and emotion in a manner uncalled for in writing and authoring. That is, as a writer or author, I don’t have to “relive” emotions in present time in order to effectively convey them.
Finally, acting is about integrated speaking and movement, while writing and authoring are almost entirely about word choice. And I’m not talking here about saying whatever comes to mind (though ad libbing can sometimes prove a poignant and powerfully creative part of acting. No, I’m talking the whole speaking Monty! And it’s about nuance: voice inflection, the slightest facial change, a finger movement here or there. All that in one package. It’s about BEING the character for the viewer, rather than choosing words that let the reader recreate the character in his or her mind. I think of authoring as creating a word basket into which the reader places experiences from their own life, but only those that fit in the basket.
My current observation is that, while acting and writing/authoring are quite different, acting is making me a better writer/author, and writing and authoring makes me a better actor, the two seemingly opposing forces amplifying each other when combined. And the the “secret,” at least from my perspective, is in the combining. I find it far too easy to lose my writer/author “self” — the “inner writer/author” — when involved in both acting and authoring. But that’s another topic, yes?
What’s The STATIC Movie group up to right now?
https://youtu.be/E07uqo3dCec
Raymond Gaynor is on of several pen names for Daniel S. Janik, a reclusive, multi-award-winning author, actor, artist, photographer, videographer who “lives and breathes San Francisco.” His latest book is THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859). Available in book, ebook and audiobook format (read by the incomparable Peter Pollock), it has recently become an Amazon Genre Bestseller. Purchased by K. Simmons Productions for manga, animation and cinematic treatments.
First, I’m finding that acting is in the constant here and now. Whether it’s memorizing lines, rehearsing, blocking or filming, it’s all in the now. Wild. Eclectic. Always changing. Totally demanding. Writing and authoring, true, is in the now, but in a much quieter, reflective, organized way. True, what’s authored always goes through editing, but editing is done discretely and in a minimalistic manner, and one can take a break, even desist for a time, returning when it better suits.
Second, acting requires high-performance midterm memory. Not short or long term as writers and authors typically tap. And not in, again, the writer/author’s reflective or purely creative manner.
Third, acting involves — at least for me — the total interleaving of content and emotion in a manner uncalled for in writing and authoring. That is, as a writer or author, I don’t have to “relive” emotions in present time in order to effectively convey them.
Finally, acting is about integrated speaking and movement, while writing and authoring are almost entirely about word choice. And I’m not talking here about saying whatever comes to mind (though ad libbing can sometimes prove a poignant and powerfully creative part of acting. No, I’m talking the whole speaking Monty! And it’s about nuance: voice inflection, the slightest facial change, a finger movement here or there. All that in one package. It’s about BEING the character for the viewer, rather than choosing words that let the reader recreate the character in his or her mind. I think of authoring as creating a word basket into which the reader places experiences from their own life, but only those that fit in the basket.
My current observation is that, while acting and writing/authoring are quite different, acting is making me a better writer/author, and writing and authoring makes me a better actor, the two seemingly opposing forces amplifying each other when combined. And the the “secret,” at least from my perspective, is in the combining. I find it far too easy to lose my writer/author “self” — the “inner writer/author” — when involved in both acting and authoring. But that’s another topic, yes?
What’s The STATIC Movie group up to right now?
https://youtu.be/E07uqo3dCec
Raymond Gaynor is on of several pen names for Daniel S. Janik, a reclusive, multi-award-winning author, actor, artist, photographer, videographer who “lives and breathes San Francisco.” His latest book is THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859). Available in book, ebook and audiobook format (read by the incomparable Peter Pollock), it has recently become an Amazon Genre Bestseller. Purchased by K. Simmons Productions for manga, animation and cinematic treatments.
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