{"id":881,"date":"2017-11-26T12:12:06","date_gmt":"2017-11-26T18:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.interestingauthors.com\/blog\/?p=881"},"modified":"2017-09-22T18:11:11","modified_gmt":"2017-09-23T00:11:11","slug":"what-builds-your-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interestingauthors.com\/blog\/stories\/what-builds-your-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"What Builds Your Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"

I know there are people who \u201cfan girl\u201d or \u201cfan boy\u201d all over some actor or actress. This isn\u2019t exactly that. It is more a tale of growing on people for both writers and actors. When you commit the mortal sin of visiting the Amazon Web site imdb.com and search for Piper Perabo<\/a> you will find a much longer list of credits than I had any clue about. While I haven\u2019t seen \u201cCoyote Ugly\u201d in many years it wasn\u2019t until I saw the cover image shown on the link that I knew she was in it.<\/p>\n

Herein lies the myth of the \u201cbreak out\u201d role or novel. While many can crunch the numbers to \u201cprove\u201d such things exist, they don\u2019t exist in a vacuum. Keep in mind I am absolutely wretched with names. I need a face and a voice. Some people didn\u2019t like the fact I abbreviated John Smith<\/a> as JS: and Susan Krowley as SK: in my most recent novel, but it really helped. A good many readers did what was expected, they forgot _who_ the characters were and focused on the story. Sometimes the story is much more important than the \u201cwho.\u201d From time to time I hear (usually read) people repeat quotes from it or quotes of things it quoted.<\/p>\n

When I scrolled through the list of things Piper has been in I remembered seeing quite a few of them but didn\u2019t really remember her. This is not a comment on her acting but a comment on human perception all writers and actors need to be aware of. On Saturday Night Live and in marketing (which is pretty much what that show has been about the last few decades) it is called a \u201ccatch phrase.\u201d That is really too base a definition but that isn\u2019t surprising given the level of the show and marketing. The other half of marketing, those fake news shows like Fox and CNN, call it a \u201csound bite.\u201d That little sub 3 second snippet which can be spun and spun and spun.<\/p>\n

All of the preceding definitions and names are the most vulgar interpretations of something which can otherwise be beautiful.<\/p>\n

\n

You\u2019re a better man than I Gunga Din.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Millenials hear that line and have no idea what people are talking about. Sad, but true. If you are of a certain age you know it from one or more of the following ways:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. you read the book which contained the poem<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. you saw a black and white movie<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. you watched the Mr. Magoo version of it<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Yes, there was a time when cartoon makers tried to bring classic literature and culture to children. The ones we had were all black and white<\/a> but I see there are color versions<\/a> now.<\/p>\n

    The point is that those of us “too old” all remember the line and the lesson even if we don\u2019t remember the details of the story. A writer can some times sculpt a story to a single line which seers itself into the cultural memory, but it is a difficult task. If you start a story with that intent you tend to butcher the story by keeping too much of your focus on the goal instead of the journey.<\/p>\n

    Actors have even less control over that one line than writers. Yes, a great many ad libs go on to become catch phrases, but, when they do that they are no longer associated with actor or the story. You probably remember some of the catch phrases from SNL, but do you really remember the actor(s) who created them?<\/p>\n

    For me, what made me remember Piper Perabo was her role in an episode of \u201cHouse.\u201d<\/a> She had one of those side story roles the show was famous for because it had \u201cthe clinic\u201d as a vehicle to bring them in. Piper was this easy on the eyes, incredibly nice sandal wearing militant vegan. The juxtaposition given to the character was incredible. When House informs her the boyfriend cheated on her she is okay with him sleeping with another woman. After House explains \u201cfat floats\u201d and that the boyfriend had snuck out for a hamburger she went off. Other women fine, hamburger bad, House is intrigued. The line which made me remember her though came at the end of the show when House met her in a bar where they drank hot green tea.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Still, with all of the drugs and whoring you can\u2019t be that miserable.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    The delivery of the line was perfect and the reaction of House sold it even more. I thought at the time \u201cI hope to see more of this girl!\u201d A short time later (I was watching re-runs of House as I didn\u2019t see most of the show when it first aired) I saw an ad for \u201cCovert Affairs\u201d<\/a> and recognized the actress. It became one of my favorite shows. Sadly, it is no longer on the air.<\/p>\n

    Yes, I\u2019m sure many of you will point out that 12 year old me is very unhappy with 50+ year old me, but, what made me like Piper as an actress wasn\u2019t any of her nude or love scenes, it was the fact she could act, delivering a line perfectly both in tone and body language. Writers and actors do not get to choose the one thing which brings people in to become part of their “platform.” If we venture into different media the platform may not follow.<\/p>\n

    I do hope that someone finally writes Piper a decent script. I haven’t watched the short lived series “Notorious<\/a>” but the reviews say it wasn’t the acting that brought it down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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