An Improvised Tale - IRL
For the last 31 years, I have been immersed in narrative improvisation. So much so that my book is coming out in November 2024, titled Going Long: The Art of Longform Improvisation for Stage and Screen. In the book, I carefully take readers through what it takes to make up a story artfully - one that makes sense - with other improvisers in front of a live audience.
As a person who loves to organize chaos, it did wonders for my brain to take 30 years of notes and compile and edit the essential ingredients required to be successful in an improvised narrative.
Looking at my life as an improvised narrative, I can see where I’ve gone sideways in the last month. In improv terms, I said yes to too many offers. Instead of fully saying yes to one offer and then sticking to it and playing it all the way out, I said yes to many small offers, which then caused offshoots of narrative that didn’t do anything to lead me toward the end of my story in a satisfying way. (If I’m looking at January 31, 2024, as the end of my January story.)
A few key elements help an improvised narrative stay on course. The first is the element of time. You know you have a limited time frame to tell your story. A show is typically 8-10 PM. From there, you know you will start around 8:05; you should be done with your First Act around 8:35; finish the Second Act with a high-stakes moment around 9:05. Have an intermission until 9:25. Then bring it all together in your Third Act and be done by 9:55-10 PM. This time pressure is hopefully shared by all the improvisers onstage and is a fantastic in-the-moment editor. Offers invite you to “go deeper here,” “end the scene here,” or inspire a character that hadn’t been needed a moment before.
IRL, we all have a limited time frame to tell our story. The problem is we don’t have a clear end time. Also, we are usually unconscious in our First Act, which can lead to an overwhelming Second Act, trying to let go of unnecessary narrative threads and choose the offers we want to dive more deeply into. If you want to have a family, make money, travel more, or buy a house, there is a host of focus and energy that can lead you into a Third Act. Many of us are completely overwhelmed by our money issues, family challenges, career choices (or lack of choices), etc. If we are lucky to get a Fourth Act (ages 75-100 approx.), no one I know is making that look like a lot of fun, as it seems to be a culmination of whatever you did or didn’t do to take care of your relationships, health, and money in your first Three Acts.
No matter where you are in your story, it’s not over till it’s over. When we improvised a story that had gotten out of control, it was always a relief for us and the audience when someone in the show would take a clear swing and create clarity; we would drop the unnecessary detritus and commit and connect to bring that story home.
Carve out a moment to ask yourself what you wish to do with the time you have left. It is not unlimited. Let that knowingness inspire you to make choices and take action. It can be saying “No” to things that no longer serve you. That “No” can clear the way so you can say “Yes” to something that does inspire you. As January comes to a close, I will acknowledge and thank the good that happened and say an “Artful No” to what is pulling me away from what I love.
Until next time.
Jo