ABSTRACT
Actually, don’t think of them so much as a string of sentences as a string of ideas. Yes, you worked very hard to find the clearest, most concise words to express an idea, and you certainly should strive to use those words, but to “catch up” on a word or two during a live show at the price of the entire flow of your monologue is a serious error. In performance, I adhere closely to the lines that begin and end sections, but in the middle of these same sections I strive to stay open to inspiration, adding spontaneous lines as they occur to me. Ultimately, it’s probably about a 90/10 split: 90 percent of the time I’m uttering lines right out of my written script, and 10 percent of the time I’m fleshing out certain thoughts, feelings, or experiences with improvised words and actions.
