Transformation - A Writer's Greatest Act of Magic
Beginning Writer's Answer Book
Canadian Markets for Writers and Photographers
The Canadian Writer's Market
Career Opportunities for Writers
Handbook of Magazine Article Writing
Nonfiction Book Proposals
Writing for Children and Teenagers
How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books
Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market
Writing for Story
The Handbook of Short Story Writing
Poetry Markets for Canadians
The Biographer's Craft
As writers we need to keep playing with the form of things -Art is mimesis
- an imitation of life. The first transformation happens when we reshape
our reality into art by turning experiences into a book, a play, a poem.
I learned this best when I joined a theatre group and we were given drama
exercises. Mime was the most personal form of "mimesis". Then there was
improvisation - constantly creating new characters, new situations, new
worlds without end. It was all great training for writing.
I had to learn the art of transformation in a new way when I was commissioned
to turn my illustrated children's story into a script for the stage. I'd
written "The Always Prayer Shawl" as a children's storybook to express
the Jewish immigrant experience. Adam receives a prayer shawl from his
grandfather as a boy. It changes just as he does until he eventually passes
it on to his own grandson. Based on my grandfather's life, the story described
a life cycle and the transmission and transformation of tradition.
Turning the thousand word book into fifty pages of dramatic action and
dialogue - well, that was, as they say, another story altogether.
So try this "trick" at home - dramatise a story or a narrative poem
you've written. Remove yourself so that you are no longer translating or
interpreting or explaining the story and the people in it. Cut everything
away but the characters' words and actions.
The set is minimal, a mere suggestion will do - let your imagined director take care of it. The atmosphere can be arranged with some clever lighting, a bit of music and sound effects so don't be concerned about that either. Let the characters loose to express themselves by themselves. And if you have to be in the story, then make yourself a character as well.
The voices and actions may seem quite weak and awkward at first but
they will become stronger and more vital with time and exercise. Try a
single scene for a start. Just for the new perspective.
For my part, I had to write many new scenes. I only had two scenes that had any dialogue or detailed action in my original story - when Adam receives his shawl as a boy and when he passes it on as an old man. His long life between childhood and old age had been described in simple and broad strokes. I needed to develop Adam's life on the farm, his relationships with his grandfather and his parents, the crisis that sends him from Russia to Canada, further crises with new opposing characters, the shock of immigration, the Depression and the war. Most of all I needed a second character as a balance and contrast - that turned out to be Miriam, a firebrand social activist. She challenged him and also loved and married him. She continued to challenge him throughout their life together. And there was the central "prop" with its symbolism and transformative power - the prayer shawl. Most of this was only briefly indicated in the original story. Much of it was completely new.
In other words, to turn a simple storyline into a play one needs many,
many other words and other actions. This does not have to be done alone.
In my case, once I was commissioned to write the play by a local community
theatre, a playwrights organization set me up with a mentor. The mentor
was terrific as were others who I approached for advice and support. A
year down the line, I had a working script and a week long workshop with
five professional actors, a director and a technical person. I did rewrites
every night until my play was performed to a small invited audience.
Criticism? Of course and it's direct -- not read in an impersonal review
months down the line. It came to me as the actors stumbled over my lines
or the director pulled me aside between scenes, or as my heart sank to
my knees as I heard how silly a speech sounded that seemed immortal just
the night before. Then there was the subtler kind of criticism during the
single test performance - a read through before thirty people - the wordless
criticism of bums shifting on the seats or coughs and restless glances
when the audience or the actors simply lost their focus, when they didn't
know for that moment what was going on and may not have even known that
they were lost. There's lots of criticism but it's was never personal.
When it was working best it was thrilling and constructive. I owe a great
deal to the actors who suddenly knew what my/their characters needed to
do, needed to feel. And to the director and mentor who kindly walked me
through some simple ABC's of drama all the while still believing the play
was wonderful and would be even more wonderful if just a certain line was
added or dropped or altered... or maybe a scene.
Then came another six months with my mentor before the "real" rehearsals
arrived with more nightly rewrites. The play was finally performed last
March at the Warehouse Theatre and toured Manitoba schools. Scary stuff.
And exhilarating. When those words and actions were actually acted out
with the full art and full heart of the actors with the musicians and technicians
and everyone else backing them up in front of a full house of people who
had come out as they do for every play because they want it to work and
want it to take them away its fantasy and its truth - then all those pages
and all those words did become something else - something like a magnificent
craft taking flight for the first time or a set of wooden puppets awakening
as living people - find your own metaphor but I'll never forget it.
Turning one's story into a film or a radio play can be a similar experience. It's a lot of work but it can be a tremendous thrill and there is a great deal of support available. It can help you grow you as a writer. It can give you a fresh start and a new form for your ideas and talents.
Was the play version more or less "true", "difficult", "valid" than the children's book version? Each had its own unique qualities and value. If I had originally written the story as a play I'd have been just as challenged to turn it into an effective children's book. I learned a great deal about drama during the months of writing but most of all I relearned something about this "work" we are all in. We may separate ourselves into specialties such as poetry or prose or scriptwriting but first of all we are "at play" as artists.
And if we are playing - we can play at any game we want.
THE END
Describe a place which is vivid in your memory such as;