tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post1139225756883387559..comments2023-10-30T08:00:54.059-04:00Comments on Laurel's Leaves: Motion and emotionLaurel Garverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-92065017333791425292010-10-19T10:08:56.235-04:002010-10-19T10:08:56.235-04:00I am going to start a movement journal today! Wha...I am going to start a movement journal today! What a terrific idea. Okay, that would be challanging to wear a body leotard for an acting class. You must need to be comfortable with your body shape!!! 'Course in my college days, it was a prettier shape.Mary Aalgaardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08051735579638637382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-1947631720780418422010-10-15T19:12:10.994-04:002010-10-15T19:12:10.994-04:00Emotions in the body - perfect, and a great remind...Emotions in the body - perfect, and a great reminder as I'm revising. Thanks! :)Susan Kaye Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348197999397141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-64666113621922715392010-10-14T10:38:09.181-04:002010-10-14T10:38:09.181-04:00Jemi: I hope you'll share what you observe! I&...Jemi: I hope you'll share what you observe! I'm mostly around the older teen set (18-21 yo), and they are a very expressive group.<br /><br />Stina: hope it proves useful to you.<br /><br />Saumya: How fascinating! I remember reading about some of these "bedside manner" tests being added to the boards for internal medicine, using actors to test doctors' body language smarts. I'd love to get my hands on some of those course materials! <br /><br />Welcome and thanks for the follow.<br /><br />Theresa: Observation will give you the most organic information--otherwise what you may end up with is cliche. Grab a notebook and do some watching. It's fun!Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-21460282476635803102010-10-13T21:20:36.087-04:002010-10-13T21:20:36.087-04:00What an interesting perspective. I try to add in ...What an interesting perspective. I try to add in hand gestures and movements, but I don't observe these in the real world like I do with dialogue. I'll make more of an effort from now on. Thanks for the tip!<br /><br />I haven't taken a theater course since HS and we didn't concentrate much on movement.Theresa Milsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477761307315565259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-89434068036856173042010-10-13T20:38:42.996-04:002010-10-13T20:38:42.996-04:00I JUST took a theater seminar because it was requi...I JUST took a theater seminar because it was required for the medical students. Yes, medical students! The drama students taught us how patients act in various situations and how we can read their body language. The entire time I kept thinking of how relevant this was to my novel.<br />Great post and I'm excited to be a new follower!!Saumyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08517289532769906489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-17353203946523138842010-10-13T19:02:17.182-04:002010-10-13T19:02:17.182-04:00Oh, this is such a cool idea.
I noticed I watch ...Oh, this is such a cool idea. <br /><br />I noticed I watch people more now than before . . . especially teens (since I write YA).Stinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11415189347501942340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-9194802808490093362010-10-13T09:26:08.466-04:002010-10-13T09:26:08.466-04:00Terrific post. I tend to watch body language insti...Terrific post. I tend to watch body language instinctively with my students in class. I'm pretty good at knowing what they're feeling, when they're lost, when something's wrong at home... I have to pay more attention to HOW I know it. Their bodies do relay so much information. :)Jemi Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02214408467456320167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-43208690781994255422010-10-13T09:13:30.768-04:002010-10-13T09:13:30.768-04:00Donna: Enjoy researching. It's rather addictiv...Donna: Enjoy researching. It's rather addictive. You might find yourself watching people at the supermarket and the park and standing in line at the movies, too. :-)<br /><br />Laura: You can tell so much just watching someone walk--he's happy or worried or depressed or angry. It's all in the posture and pace. <br /><br />Angela: Just another tool in your arsenal of awesome. Can't wait to see the posts you'll add to your thesaurus!Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-44971011412578394102010-10-13T09:08:12.800-04:002010-10-13T09:08:12.800-04:00Emy: Having facial expression taken off the table ...Emy: Having facial expression taken off the table in this class was painful at first, but it helped train us to see (and act) people as wholly embodied.<br /><br />Janet: Having a wide repetoire of motions is so, so helpful in making your writing dramatic. Have fun researching!Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-71354745739866207982010-10-13T09:03:27.283-04:002010-10-13T09:03:27.283-04:00VR: it wasn't until I took this class that I s...VR: it wasn't until I took this class that I started noticing how much posture communicates, for example. It's a powerful idea for making your work more dramatic. Have fun with it.<br /><br />Shelley: Good point about acting and objective. I might do a post on that sometime soon.<br /><br />Tessa: Cousins. Intersting idea. I do think acting training is why I like writing in first person--I can have that same in-the-skin-of- someone-else experience. I'm always hesitant to rely on movies for research, because actors copy and amplify natural motion. You'll get something more organic from real life, though you're right it's good to see HOW actors choose motions to express certain things.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-70157936676565594062010-10-13T08:55:48.465-04:002010-10-13T08:55:48.465-04:00Bethany: I'm realizing that being able to nail...Bethany: I'm realizing that being able to nail motion well can help me write more economically--I can say a lot in fewer words. Pretty important in YA, where word counts are usually under 70K.<br /><br />Yat-Yee: research is your best friend when you feel low on ideas. Have fun creating your journal!<br /><br />Shannon: in MG in particular, movement is SO important. Kids usually don't have the insight or vocabulary to verbalize what they feel, but their bodies sure show it!Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-78916267942339532962010-10-13T08:36:00.930-04:002010-10-13T08:36:00.930-04:00Another great post. I should definitely try to peo...Another great post. I should definitely try to people watch more. :)<br /><br />Angela @ The Bookshelf MuseAngela Ackermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808259088625142389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-79105193751381604192010-10-13T08:26:05.600-04:002010-10-13T08:26:05.600-04:00Great post! And I guess we do wear our hearts on o...Great post! And I guess we do wear our hearts on our sleeves or our emotions.Laura Paulinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06503090226508079501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-86504922079369696322010-10-12T21:20:38.670-04:002010-10-12T21:20:38.670-04:00No theater classes for me, but I think I might try...No theater classes for me, but I think I might try this the next time I'm at the mall. <br /><br />I love to people watch, but I don't think I really study body movements like this. A good experiment.<br /><br />......dholedolorahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715849844092553699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-20596273475353200952010-10-12T20:56:39.749-04:002010-10-12T20:56:39.749-04:00How interesting! I never would have thought of it,...How interesting! I never would have thought of it, but it makes so much sense. I am SO going to people watch tomorrow. :)Janet Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12688012956157161889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-64044874434199670862010-10-12T19:47:49.624-04:002010-10-12T19:47:49.624-04:00Thank you so much. You always write the most wonde...Thank you so much. You always write the most wonderful posts with very dead on advice.<br /><br />I personally depend too much on facial expressions to convey emotions, and there can only be so many "smiles" before the writing starts to sound ridiculous. I will definitely try to observe people on campus more, and perhaps also keep a movement journal. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://emy-shin.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Emy Shin</a> (my new blog)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-42655481051252936122010-10-12T17:42:15.963-04:002010-10-12T17:42:15.963-04:00I've always considered writing and acting sort...I've always considered writing and acting sort of as "cousins". I love acting also, and there's so much you can learn from writing that can help improve your acting - and there's so much from acting that can help improve your writing.<br /><br />The "movement journal" is a great idea. I also love watching movies to see how the actors respond to certain situations through their body movement and expressions.<br /><br />Great post!<br /><br />Tessa<br />www.christiswrite.blogspot.comTessa Emily Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08625256104634830104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-55282195193345901892010-10-12T17:32:27.499-04:002010-10-12T17:32:27.499-04:00This is really interesting! You're right, the...This is really interesting! You're right, there is so much to think about concerning our body movements, and each person has their own habits, so it's important to think about when creating characters.<br /><br />I took a few theatre/acting classes in college, and one of the most relevant pieces of advice I was given is to always know your objective in each scene. In acting, it helped to know my role better. In writing, knowing the objective can help determine if we really need this particular scene, or if it's just filler.Shelley Slyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07981620646634240160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-54789871286487784782010-10-12T15:06:52.649-04:002010-10-12T15:06:52.649-04:00A movement journal is an amazing idea! Like Yat-Ye...A movement journal is an amazing idea! Like Yat-Yee, I'm often at a loss to come up with variations in movement and end up repeating gestures ad nauseam rather than resort to talking heads.VR Barkowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04927993233682731113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-6285103406462318092010-10-12T12:30:08.180-04:002010-10-12T12:30:08.180-04:00Oh, great idea, Laurel! I am definitely going to ...Oh, great idea, Laurel! I am definitely going to start paying more attention to - and recording - people's movements. :-)Shannon O'Donnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17299313309059235876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-27620439951602783492010-10-12T12:20:57.763-04:002010-10-12T12:20:57.763-04:00I am usually frustrated by my lack of variations i...I am usually frustrated by my lack of variations in the ways I describe my characters' actions. This sounds like a great exercise. Thanks.Yat-Yeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-20163424858161337652010-10-12T10:42:27.235-04:002010-10-12T10:42:27.235-04:00That is awesome advice! I never really thought abo...That is awesome advice! I never really thought about watching how people moved, I generally just look for how they talk, or the inflections in their voice, or their style, when I people watch. I'm definitely going to give this a try though.BK Mattinglyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13758638245846622284noreply@blogger.com