I appreciate your generous words! I'm happy to find people who are interested in what I'm interested in. Makes the swings around the sun more meaningful. Nina
Yes, I am getting so much out of your posts, and some other Substack posts as well. Very helpful as I attempt to write again, in new and possibly more artful ways. Thank you!!
I got so much from this! With a background in theater and performance, the concept of vocal registers to convey meaning was familiar to me — but I'd never thought of it as applied to writing. An epiphany!
It turns out there is — both in knowing that a character is coming from somewhere into a scene and has somewhere to go after it, whether or not that's written, and in handling rejection.
A professional actor, unless they've reached star status, auditions for many more roles than they get, both for stage and screen work. So rejection is baked in, and it's much more in your face than writing rejections. There's the standard, "Thanks for coming in," kiss-off, or the harsher, "Thanks, you can go," or the dreaded, "Thanks — next!" And this is immediately after performing in front of strangers with nothing but your own face, body, voice, and skills to offer, which means that at least one of those features didn't cut it. I once booked a job that I almost didn't get because, as the assistant director told me, they were concerned that my eyebrows had too much arch. You can't go through much of this without either giving up or developing a thick skin — as with submitting your writing, you've got to give yourself props for showing up and doing your best because that is all you can control.
And you have to grapple with whether 1) the submission (or you, as in the case for acting) wasn't the right fit OR 2) more work has to be done in terms of the story or the writing (or in the case for acting, getting into character, inhabiting the character). You have to be really honest with yourself and forge ahead.
All true — but with acting auditions, you don't get the opportunity to revise and resubmit, although you try to learn what you can. Being honest with yourself applies big time to both acting and writing, as you point out!
I so love this. In the South, Every Sunday after mass, fried chicken dinner, sadness and remorse over the dead week. Uphill til Monday…
It resonated with me too!
Such a great way to parse this awesome sentence! Love it.
Thank you for putting so much into these. So inspiring. Must read Cusk and Nims! Your posts feel like foundation work for a literary cathedral.
David,
I appreciate your generous words! I'm happy to find people who are interested in what I'm interested in. Makes the swings around the sun more meaningful. Nina
PS: Cusk's essays are fantastic!
Can’t wait to read them!
Yes, I am getting so much out of your posts, and some other Substack posts as well. Very helpful as I attempt to write again, in new and possibly more artful ways. Thank you!!
I got so much from this! With a background in theater and performance, the concept of vocal registers to convey meaning was familiar to me — but I'd never thought of it as applied to writing. An epiphany!
I'm so glad! It's a great way to create a more complex and richer character. There must be so much overlap between theater and writing fiction!
It turns out there is — both in knowing that a character is coming from somewhere into a scene and has somewhere to go after it, whether or not that's written, and in handling rejection.
Interesting. Can you say more about handling rejection?
A professional actor, unless they've reached star status, auditions for many more roles than they get, both for stage and screen work. So rejection is baked in, and it's much more in your face than writing rejections. There's the standard, "Thanks for coming in," kiss-off, or the harsher, "Thanks, you can go," or the dreaded, "Thanks — next!" And this is immediately after performing in front of strangers with nothing but your own face, body, voice, and skills to offer, which means that at least one of those features didn't cut it. I once booked a job that I almost didn't get because, as the assistant director told me, they were concerned that my eyebrows had too much arch. You can't go through much of this without either giving up or developing a thick skin — as with submitting your writing, you've got to give yourself props for showing up and doing your best because that is all you can control.
And you have to grapple with whether 1) the submission (or you, as in the case for acting) wasn't the right fit OR 2) more work has to be done in terms of the story or the writing (or in the case for acting, getting into character, inhabiting the character). You have to be really honest with yourself and forge ahead.
All true — but with acting auditions, you don't get the opportunity to revise and resubmit, although you try to learn what you can. Being honest with yourself applies big time to both acting and writing, as you point out!