Episode 299 - What Writers Can Learn from Theater with Jean Burgess
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Jean Burgess discusses WHAT WRITERS CAN LEARN FROM THEATER, including how writers can use techniques like improvisation to overcome writer's block, the importance of visualization and spatial awareness in storytelling, how much detail is just enough and not too much in your writing, and the role of thematic consistency.
Jean Burgess is a writer, editor, playwright, and workshop presenter. As a former professional stage actor and director, many of her written works relate to the performing arts, including her debut novel, THAT SUMMER SHE FOUND HER VOICE: A RETRO NOVEL (Apprentice House, 2024). Her nonfiction, entitled COLLABORATIVE STAGE DIRECTING: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Positive Theatre Environment, was published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis in 2019. Before diving into a writing career, Jean taught theatre and speech communications on both the secondary and college levels for twenty-three years. She holds an M.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University.
Episode Links
https://www.jeanburgessauthor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jeanmburgess/
https://www.instagram.com/jeanburgessauthor/
Referenced in episode:
Episode 253 - Navigating the Worlds of Fiction and Film with Rene Gutteridge
Summary
In this episode of The Indy Author Podcast, Matty Dalrymple talks with Jean Burgess about how her background in theater has influenced her approach to writing. They explore various aspects of theater, including acting, directing, set design, and playwriting, and discuss how these elements can be integrated into the writing process to enhance storytelling.
Jean Burgess shares insights on how acting skills can open new avenues in writing. She conducts workshops encouraging writers to adopt the mindsets of theater professionals like actors and directors, to deepen their characters and storytelling. For instance, she uses improvisation techniques to ignite creativity, urging writers to use the "Yes, and..." strategy to explore different plot directions. This method helps both discovery writers and outliners find new ways to develop their stories.
Matty and Jean also delve into how acting influences dialogue and character development. Jean suggests that writers sometimes struggle with dialogue and can benefit from performing improvisational exercises to get comfortable with the spontaneity and realism it demands. She emphasizes the importance of stepping into the character's role to make dialogue more natural and engaging.
Directing skills, according to Jean, are valuable in structuring the spatial elements of a story. This extends to understanding how characters move through a setting, much like actors on a stage. She explains that a writer must visualize the entire setting, similar to how a director visualizes a stage, ensuring that every action and movement is plausible and coherent within the narrative. This planning is crucial for maintaining consistency and avoiding logistical errors that can disrupt the reader's immersion.
Set and costume design further illustrate the connection between theater and writing. Jean reveals how set designers research to create the world of the play, which parallels a writer's task of world-building. Her strategy involves creating vision boards filled with images and concepts relevant to her story's setting and characters, aiding in visualizing and grounding the narrative in a distinct world. This technique helps maintain a coherent atmosphere throughout a book, offering a tangible reference that keeps details consistent.
Through the lens of playwriting, Jean emphasizes the importance of effective dialogue, noting that playwriting only relies on dialogue to convey action and emotion. This experience helps her write dialogue that efficiently propels the story forward and reveals character dynamics. Newer writers, she notes, can fall into the trap of including unnecessary dialogue, which serves no purpose in advancing the plot or developing characters.
Jean also explores character development and how deeply understanding characters can shape their involvement in the story. She recalls how a minor character unexpectedly evolved into a protagonist's love interest, highlighting the fluid nature of storytelling and the need to adapt character roles as a narrative develops.
Matty and Jean discuss how writers should strive to balance vivid descriptions with the reader's imagination, allowing readers to visualize aspects like clothing or settings without excessive detail. They touch on the importance of choosing which elements to describe in detail and which to suggest, depending on the story's theme and the expectations of the readers. Through this, they advocate for a focus on details that enhance the story's concept and hook the audience, leaving room for readers' interpretations.
The discussion offers valuable guidance for writers aspiring to enrich their storytelling by incorporating theatrical elements, showing that skills from one creative discipline can significantly enhance another. The conversation serves as a resourceful guide for writers looking to deepen their approach to narrative construction, character development, and dialogue through insights drawn from theater.