Every Writer Deserves a Dash of Theater Kid Energy
Hear me out…
Theater kid energy is a kid named Ryan. Remember Ryan from High School Musical?
Then there’s the other Ryan, you know… This Ryan from La La Land.
How could we forget about Deadpool Ryan?
Never!
How do I best describe theater kid energy? Well, it’s a bit of a phenomenon, isn’t it? It’s kind of like if you had a shot of espresso followed by a brisk walk in the sun, but it’s also somehow raining. But you also have an umbrella and kinda feel like dancing in that sunny rain. And you just had the coffee too, remember. Then you need to do your vocal warmups and sing at random intervals about how mommy made me mash my M&Ms and carefully e-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-e as you recite how “To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark, dock, In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock, Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp, shock…” Or, my personal favorite, sirens. Which is just screaming, but somewhat in tune.
Now, good people, how does this extreme amount of theater-ific energy help the much more introverted species of writer?
Well, let me tell you…
Writing doesn’t only happen when you’re sitting down.
If you’ve ever been blessed by the writing gods to be able to work on a story while not at a computer, say daydreaming while on the train or waiting for food to cook… If you ever mull over a plot line, trying to perfect it as you’re going about your daily routine, well–
That’s writing.
It’s not always sitting at a laptop or crammed into a sunless room with a journal, pen, and adequate non-perishable food items.
Writing is getting out once in a while and just living life. Writing is telling a story to yourself before you tell it to anyone else. It’s running out and carpe-ing the diem.
And the vocal warmups? Well, it’s a way to be in the now. It’s like, if an actor isn’t present in the moment, how can they act? Their mind wanders. Instead of thinking of their line or how to react to the facial expressions of their acting partner, they’re thinking of lunch. You can imagine, it’s awfully hard to pretend you’re another person when you’re spaced out. It can be hard just being yourself when you’re spaced out.
That’s where all the random sirens and tuneful screaming come in. (I.e. vocal warmups). It’s rooting yourself in the present.
How can this benefit a writer? Well…
Writer’s. Block.
Blockages of the writing.
A stoppage of creativity.
A musing blockage.
An inspiration station has deserted its transportation.
It can be hard to write at all when life gets in the way. Because life is hard. Life is difficult. Life can knock you down and bash your teeth in just because.
When your mind is distracted, you can’t be yourself, much less someone else as an actor.
When you get writer’s block, you forget how to write the tiniest things. You try so hard to be a best-selling author or a brand or a n-o-v-e-l-i-s-t that you fail to put pen to paper at all.
Now, I’m not saying that writers should start screaming like sirens or doing acting vocalizations, but…
If writer’s block feels like it’s hard just to write, then write, well, anything.
If an actor can’t pretend to be Hamlet, then they need to clear their acting chops blockages with some sirens or random enunciated nonsense to get back into the game.
If a writer fails to be the next great thing, then they should just be themself. Write whatever pleases you. Random words on a page. Describe the most delicious breakfast you’ve ever had (or lunch, dinner, linner, snack etc). Write things that aren’t even real. Pull an Alice in Wonderland and make up entire words, so long as it makes you happy.
At the end of the day, every writer’s mission is similar to that of an actor’s. Both two creative peoples with a whole lot of imagination, just trying to make something new and shiny and beautiful in the world.
Happy creating. Oh, and remember. Theater kid energy = I dub thee Sir Ryan.