Getting Into Character

Getting into character is a theater term. It’s the effort an actor makes to embody the part they are playing—well beyond the script and the words on the page. The actor’s ability to get into character directly impacts the translation of the script into a performance. The best actors become interpreters of the script.

There is a corollary in writing fiction. 

As a writer, it’s imperative that I engage my imagination and slip into the world and ways of the character being created. My ability to do this will result in the words on the page coming from the character, allowing their story to emerge. Ideally, my work as a writer is to channel these speakers—becoming each character’s scribe. The best fiction occurs when the writer grows invisible.

The best fiction occurs when the writer grows invisible. Share on X