Three Ways Theater Elevates Your Writing

By Tisha Martin

We’re familiar with the Shakespeare quote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

For six years, I worked in college theater, behind the scenes as costume production assistant. What a thrill assembling costumes, makeup, and hairstyles to fit a character’s persona and then to watch the actor become that character on the big stage.

Theater stage with red velvet curtain

Like an actor assuming the role of the character, writers have the pleasure of getting inside our character’s skin and trying on the story for size. When we write, the “stage” is a backdrop for what our characters experience and what our readers get to enjoy.

And now as a writer, I work with a different type of “stage”: the backdrop of ink splashes on paper during a brainstorming session or the dance of typed letters across the screen. My characters are the actors and I’m the director. Or at least I try to be. Sometimes my character takes over and writes their own story, which turns into a delightful surprise.

Has that ever happened to you? Does it bring a light smile as you reflect on what you wrote? Or maybe your editor gave a glowing comment because the scene propelled the plot forward or your character chose to brave a challenge in some way.

When I think of the elements involved with theater and writing, the two crafts are wonderfully similar. And without further ado, may I present three ways theater elevates your writing:

1. Creative
   The director discovers creative ways to direct the cast to produce just the right emotion or action to connect with the audience. The writer crafts transformative characters, engaging plot, or a strong message that encourages and informs readers.
2. Concise
   The script includes actions, cues, and dialogue to tell a tight story with a truth or concept. The writing conveys a well-developed plot that presents only the details to enhance the story’s theme, the character’s desire/goal, or the author’s intended message.
3. Clever
   Every great play has that twist, that sudden “What? No way! That happened out of nowhere!” which sets the viewer on the edge of their seat. Likewise, a great story has that delightful factor that invites the reader on an adventure or helps them connect with the character, and thereby compels the reader to read just one more chapter until they’ve reached the last page.

My dear writer friends, can you picture your book’s stage? What do your characters do in their world that will delight your readers? Seek to craft a work that is creative, concise, and clever, for in doing so, your readers will have a wonderful reading experience.

Award-winning editor, Tisha Martin edits transformative stories: memoir, fiction, prescriptive nonfiction. Contributor: The Horse of My Dreams: True Stories of the Horses We Love (Revell, 2019). Writer: historical fiction and self-editing blogs for writers. Joy and peace are her superpowers; relationships her jam. Visit www.tishamartin.com or follow Substack, https://tishamartin.substack.com/.