Improv Rules 01: Don't Negate

For much of my life I've been involved in improvisational acting in some form. 

The longer i have done it, the more I find the core "rules of improv"  apply beyond acting.  For myself, I find improv a fantastic creative exercise which helps my writing, directing, and all the other arts I pursue.  I would like to think I could apply these rules to life as well.

Now, before I say much more, I should acknowledge that many say "There are no rules in improv!"  (Which is sort of a rule, but ignoring that irony...)   If the word "rule" bothers anyone, I propose to interpret my usage of "rules" with "improv" to mean - "Things that we do so the improv doesn't suck."

:P

So today I'll start a series that I will add to down the line with less verbage about improv rules.

Improv Rule 01:  Don't Negate

There is a good exercise that anyone can play whether you consider yourself an actor or not.  Just try it with a friend.  Your friend will say something - any statement.  "You like bread."  "The King is dead."   "It's been too long since you and I made paper hats and played under the card table."  Whatever it is, you will say "Yes, and..."  and then continue to build on that thought.  Then, when you are done, they will say, "Yes, and..." and continue to build on that thought.

Example:

Friend:  "You're writing a very long blog."

You:  "Yes, and people told me to try to write shorter especially since for many people English is their second language."

Friend:  "Yes, and - as usual - you totally ignored their request."

You:  "Yes and they have begun to protest with pitch forks and signs outside my home."

Friend:  "Yes, and..."

It's sort of addicting. 

So - try it for fun, see what happens.

Now, what I find fascinating is that when most people come off the street and begin trying improv - their first inclination is to negate EVERYTHING.  It's profound how common this is.  Why?  I think it's human nature that when we're nervous to close off and protect ourselves, and that includes shutting out information.  When we're nervous, we might feel attacked by anything.

You can see how negating wouldn't work:

Friend:  "You're wearing a beautiful hat."

You:  "No I'm not."

....oh.

In real life it might sound like this.

Friend:  "You look so pretty!"

You:  "My sister is the pretty one."

...oh.

See how different that feels?  With the Yes, and.. non-negation, it just keeps building momentum.

Doing this exercise is a way to force a reprogramming of your instincts to be less negatively reactionary to outside information. 

So - have fun with it.