For who?
Authors, Actors, Undergraduates and PhD students
From the stress of the “blank page” to the poor construction of characters, by way of the "missing" word…
Support for writers is an offer of clinical support to authors who are short on inspiration, but also to "undergraduates" and "PhD students" having problems submitting their written work (respecting deadlines, constantly rewriting passages that have already been validated,…). We are now referring to the “the blank page syndrome”.
When the word is a symptom…
This psychological support is also for actors and comedians, having difficulties making the text their own ("mind going blank", stammering, stage fright etc.).
Within the context of these issues and as regards the three types of individuals mentioned (authors, comedians, final year students), you could say that, for them, the writing (or the word) "is the symptom". In this case, a clinical follow up provided by a therapist who is familiar with the world of writing is an interesting tool to consider.
When the text is incoherent…
Aside from the stress of "the blank page", others might also be confronted with problems of "incoherence of characters". The protagonist acts in a manner that isn’t in keeping with his/her personality as it is portrayed in the first part or the first act. The scenario is then weakened and the credibility of the author’s point of view is undermined, unjustified or even misunderstood.
Here, the "word" is not a symptom as such but the artistic project of writing benefits from the support of a "script doctor" or writing professional, specifically trained in the analysis of the characters.
This is where "the psychologist" intervenes, for the clinical dimension, or the scriptwriter "script doctor"… or even both at the same time! This is why, and with these two "hats", I offer to read scripts, provide consultations on the construction of the protagonist or the rewriting of his/her relationship with the other characters.
Outre le stress de « la page blanche », les auteurs peuvent également être confrontés à des problèmes d’ « incohérence des personnages». Le protagoniste agit de manière non conforme à sa personnalité telle que présentée dans la première séquence ou le premier acte. Le scénario s’en trouve alors affaibli et le point de vue de l’auteur décrédibilisé voire non légitimé ou incompris.
Ici, le « mot » ne fait pas symptôme en tant que tel mais le projet artistique d’écriture gagne à être accompagné d’un « script doctor » ou professionnel de l’écriture, spécifiquement formé à l’analyse des personnages.
C’est là qu’intervient « le psy », pour sa dimension clinique, ou le scénariste « script doctor »… voire les deux à la fois ! C’est à ce titre et avec ces deux « casquettes » que je propose des lectures de scénarios, des consultations sur la construction du protagoniste ou la réécriture de ses relations avec les autres personnages.