Yes, And

I had several great writing teachers in high school and college. Hopefully one day I can list their names in the acknowledgement section of my books. I learned a great deal about the art and craft of writing from them. However, I learned the most about storytelling from improv.

There is an abundance of lessons to pull from improv for writing – in the craft, technique, and mindset of creating a story. The ‘Yes, And’ tool in improv says that performers agree on the fundamentals of the story they are creating (Yes), and build it together (And). As a writer’s tool, ‘Yes, And’ is a fine way of imagining details, character behavior, and action within a pace that is germane to the story so far. It does not, however, sufficiently cover the choices characters make (let alone deeper considerations like theme). ‘Yes, And’ is a fine tool for making incremental steps within a scene, but it will be hard pressed to generate an entire novel’s worth of plot.

When I use ‘Yes, And’ as a writer, it is primarily as an attitudinal mindset. Perhaps the hardest part of writing is simply filling a blank page. When words are hard to come by, I use ‘Yes, And’ to remind myself of the story already built, and the pathway I’m progressing towards. ‘Yes, And’ helps me focus positively and continue building – to stay present in the writing moment, and not worry how slow or fast I’m going, or how great the quality is of my current draft.