Script Writer
Since listening is a major component of my job, I very willingly do it a lot. Some days, the thought that I get to hear from multiple humans feels like a treat. Anything could happen. But looking back, listening has always been what helped me survive. If you grow up in a family with more characters to pay attention to, it just gets easier to lay low. My natural inclination to keep to myself is well-ingrained, either through environment or choice. I didn’t even need to see a script on how to communicate.
Script Development
Everyone knows what a script writer does since the actual work is included in the job title. They write stories, dialogue and describe scenes from their imagination. It sounds like fun, and you can get paid to do it. Think about it. There is no end to the scenarios that you can think up to write about. The more far-fetched, the better. Scripts that challenge the actors often bring the most attention. You don’t see too many rewrites of Snow White. The story was told sufficiently. But there are scripts that continued on after Ms. White discovered her purpose wasn’t being a housekeeper to seven men. Once her true love found her and stole a kiss, she took off with him.
Go-to Script
The realization that we all carry around our own go-to scripts in our brains is a little embarrassing. These scripts are wide-ranging and provide the automatic responses we give to children, partners, colleagues and those people who still think it’s alright to knock on the front door to sell stuff. That ship sailed already. Just the fact that we barely open the door should reliably demonstrate that this kind of behavior is not acceptable. Anyway, the lines we really know well are the ones that we speak so easily that they convey a sense of practicality. I compare this to the auto response most parents have to the age-old question surrounding going to play at so-and-so’s house. The caretakers have to get over the fact that this is a new event they weren’t really prepared for. Life loves surprises. After that, the questions follow the obvious script of who, when and what long before the next line is spoken. This is a first read of this draft and the page is still not written.
Script Avoidance
The reason that humans love scripts are the simplicity. When you know how to avoid starting, committing or saying yes to the unknown, it is good to have a ready response. These practical sounding rationalizations churn in the mind with the self-talk machine to produce the dialogue. The lines are based on the hope of avoiding failure. Humans don’t like to disappoint each other so there is a societal expectation of letting someone down softly. If the response sounds like it has more weight than the request, the line works, and the play continues. If it is possible to take time to think up an answer, it allows for a different technique. If the script can sidestep the fear lurking behind the request and insert some faith, the script is rewritten. The expected words don’t just spill out without thought. The story actually gets a little more interesting too.
Can you override your fear and input some faith when you hear the usual scripted question? Can you just commit to saying yes without thinking too hard about a request and see what happens? Is it possible to push self-talk aside for a moment to see what other options appear?
