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The Scene Timer is an app that tracks the duration of a scene and notifies players when the end of a scene is near. It’s much like the blinking red light that notifies stand-up comics when their set is almost done.
Exercises
Two players play a scene with one as the inter-actor and the other as the spect. The inter-actor draws ideas from the spect by giving them choices and asking open-ended questions, echo questions, and “why” questions. Additionally, the inter-actor pays attention to the spect’s behaviors and actions. The inter-actor’s objective is to follow and incorporate each choice, idea, and behavior of the spect
Exercises
Two players sit on side-by-side in chairs doing nothing. There is no setup or context. Neither one says or does anything until an impulse arises. When an impulse shows up in a player, it is acted upon. The other player doesn’t immediately respond, but rather soaks in what just happened. If soaking it in causes an impulse to arise, the responding player follows it. If not, they do nothing. This process of being present and responding to impulses as they arise continues until the exercise is stopped.
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talking too much, to the detriment of the scene
When a scene suffers because the players are talking too much, this is “talking heads.” Talking a lot isn’t inherently bad, but if it impedes the story, it helps to know how to address the issue.
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People are like icebergs. There’s often more that lies beneath the surface. When a scene feels flat, go beneath the surface and read more into it. Assume that something significant underlies what the other character has said or done, and respond to that. Even if there wasn’t an intended subtext, respond as though there were.
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