Great book recommendations are fun. I suppose they are like matchmaking. That is to say that while getting put on a date with someone you immediately hit it off with is good, it is even more fun to do the pairing. So I want to recommend a book today and here is the tease. You just HAVE to read...
Well, can I first tell you about some good news we got today. In the UK, the industrial action announced by the Royal Mail has just been called off. This also means that those little Amazon pleasures can continue; you know, that twin hit of getting something in the post (oh, what a nice surprise) and receiving a new book (oh, I say!). So at least in the UK you can still make an online order for a book you've been recommended.
Somewhat in connection with the postal strike, the book I'd recommend is called Actions. I heard someone say 'industrial action' would be better termed 'industrial inaction' due to the nature of the protest. 'Strike' is better though, because it captures a sense of the intended impact of the tactic. But I digress.
Actions, The Actor's Thesaurus is described on Amazon as "a vital companion for actors in rehearsal—a thesaurus of action words to revitalize performance." I recommend it to writers because of the crossover between their job and the actor's job. As writers we play out scenes too in order to find the emotional heart of the action. Some of us act the scene out loud. Some watch it in our heads. But writers as well as actors try to achieve clarity about their characters' objectives and how they try to achieve those goals (their tactics).
You use the book to pinpoint transitive verbs. "A transitive or active verb is a verb ('a doing word') that you can actively do to someone else." (from Actions) The transitive verb 'Strike' could be used as an example. Looking up the entry 'Strike', you get a long list of alternatives such as Assault, Cuff, Ram, Stun, Swat, Tap. I don't know if the postal strike was, by nature, cuffing or ramming. If the intention was to stun I suppose that would only result in more inaction. But I digress again.
Screenplays in particular are built on action, as film limits one's ability to show the internal workings of a person's mind. So this thesaurus is particularly useful for screenwriters. But for all writers there are benefits. It improves your ability to articulate a character's actions in a way that also highlights the emotional intensity. It makes you think of the tone of the tactic (if they are being for example nurturing, manipulating, deceiving, destructive). At the very least, Actions can spark ideas and create options.
Some book are inspiring such as this recommendation from our own J. Mark Bertrand. Other books are great to learn technique from. My recommendation would be a useful addition to your reference collection.
Simon Maxwell writes screenplays: lights, camera, 'action'!
Indeed Simon, one is able to sustain outstanding merriment with a synonym finder ... even if ersatz annotations occasionally arise from engaging in such linguistic research!
Yes, you can have great fun with a Thesaurus Simon ... though weird comments are sometimes the result!
Posted by: one billion daleks | November 08, 2009 at 04:51 AM