Actioning

I don't know whether this is a thing or not. But if it isn't it should be. This thought was triggered by something David Tennant (yes, him again) said in STAGED, the series he appeared in with Michael Sheen.

He used the term 'actioning' in the context of a dry run through a script. Performing the actions of the character as you read, he suggested, would strengthen the reader's conviction in the part they were playing - something like that.

That set me to thinking how I could apply that to my writing. Yes, stands to reason you should describe the actions of the characters involved in dialog (important, and easy to forget). But what about all the other characters in the room/situation? They have a tendency to be forgotten, to fade into invisibility until they have a speaking role, if they indeed do get to speak.

So what about (note to self) 'actioning' them, to keep them visible to the reader, at least peripherally, until the spotlight finally seeks them out? Maybe they are reacting unspoken to the dialogue in which they are not, or not yet involved. Or maybe they are doing something else entirely, that is indicative of the situation.

Anyway, nice word 'actioning.'