Quirky Monday: Visualize This

The other day I had my roommate sit with her feet flat on the floor and then try to stand up without leaning forward.

For research.

I said in my post lat week that Theatre Artists rehearse all the time. We also research. A lot. When I'm talking to myself, I am doing it either because I have lines to memorize, or I'm writing dialogue.

Out loud.

I am a very visual person--for the most part. There are somethings that still don't make sense to me even if they're drawn up in helpful little pictures and explained to me like I'm two years old (*cough* algebra *cough*); but there are other things, like my writing, that look good in my head. And sometimes I will reach a point where I need to see something--really see it in front of me, to make sure that it makes sense.

So I act it out.

You've heard of the "awkward walk-in" right? Happens when roommates are in relationships and you want walk in a a time you probably shouldn't.

Yeah, I've had those.

Only with me, it's been when I'm in Writing Mode.

Sometimes they walk in while I'm in the middle of "walking out" one of my scenes. And I mean that literally. There have been times when my roommates, friends, family members have walked into a room in time to find yours truly jumping around like a crazy person, so I can get the fight--or whatever else is going on in the scene I'm writing--just right.

Either that, or they walk in on me when I'm having one of my "schizophrenic dialogue" episodes--that is, when I'm having a conversation with myself as three or four different people just to get the dialogue right.

And then once I get it right, I have to make sure that it makes sense to everyone else. So what do I do? I either ask people to read it, or I--if they are very kind and enterprising and ok with the fact that I'm a little weird--I'll ask them to act it out. Like my roommate and the chair(Laurel, I love you. I really want you to know that!!!!).

So yes. I'm a very visual person and and very visual writer. Now, if I ever ask you to act out something, or you walk in on my acting like a weirdo, y'all know why.