26. The Actor's Craft and Writing: Character Traits that Impact the Audience

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:     The 4th and final episode of this four-part miniseries on the 12 Don’ts that actors should not do, and how these apply to the craft of writing. This episode discusses the final three don’ts. 10. DON'T LET YOUR CHARACTER THROW A PITY PARTY. One sure way of alienating your audience as an actor or a writer is if you give into the temptation to allow your character to feel sorry for him or herself. Either the character cries or your audience does. Makes sure you know when and how to use tears. Generally speaking, if you associate the tears with giving up, you will lose the audience’s empathy and interest. 11. SHOW, DON’T TELL. An actor’s job is to show what the character is thinking or feeling through their bodies (reactions, behaviors, and actions). Writers often cheat on this because it’s hard work to think in these terms. A good rule of thumb is to avoid ever telling your audience what a character is thinking or feeling. SHOW, DON’T TELL, means finding visual ways of revealing anything that is happening inside of the character’s mind, body, or spirit. Become a master of human psychology and learn what sorts of behaviors might be exhibited given a character’s internal emotional state.12. DON'T DESPISE YOUR CHARACTERS. Instead, you must love them. All too often, there are characters that actors and writers don’t like. When you don’t love your characters, you are unlikely to play them well. Even the most hateful character can be loved if you try to understand the world from their point of view. Love ALL of your characters – even your villains – and your story will be that much deeper and richer.   UP NEXTNext week, we will discuss one of the greatest enemies to creative production – PROCRASTINATION. Why do we, as artists, procrastinate? What’s more, how to we defeat this great, seemingly unbeatable enemy? Join Zena again next week for an insightful and powerful look at the artist’s tendency to procrastinate, and discover once and for all how to turn this foe into a friend.  QUESTIONS OR TOPIC REQUESTS? If you have a question or a specific writing related topic that you would like Zena to consider addressing in a future podcast, click on the link below to leave a voicemail recording with your problem, question, or issue.https://www.speakpipe.com/ZenaDellLowe SPECIAL THANKSThe Mission with Zena Dell Lowe would like to thank composer Carla Patullo for the original music she graciously permits us to use in the intro and outro of this podcast. To find out more about this amazing talent, go to  www.carlapatullo.com  Tags: Acting, Actors, Acting tips, Writing tips, Story, Storytelling, Storytellers, Writers, Zena Dell Lowe, Mission Ranch Films, The Storytellers MissionSend us Fan MailSupport the show