Hints & Clues for Working with the First Folio
by Mr. Long (thanks to Neil Freeman)
MAJOR PUNCTUATION:
As a general rule, motivating a short pause at major punctuation is appropriate. Lots of
major punctuation close together usually means a brain-storm or breakdown is about to
happen.
 . A period is the end of a complete thought. Beat change. Switch tactics.
 ! Exclamation marks are extremely rare. If you get one, feel cool.
 ? Question marks don’t only appear at the end of questions. They sometimes mark the end of a
thought like a period…but not always. Sometimes it just means the character is not sure about
what they just said (but it doesn’t mean you should say the sentence as a question necessarily).
 : In general, colons mark a logical connection between thoughts
 ; In general, semi-colons mark an emotional connection. Because of the power inherent in the
point discovered, the character is left with some emotional difficulty.
MINOR PUNCTUATION:
As a general rule, minor punctuation keys you into a new thought, but does not require a
pause.
 , If your character is using more commas than normal in a certain section, it could be deduced
that they are drawing attention to small details, or needing every little breath…or perhaps
something else. If there is a lack of commas, that may signify a lack of control…or perhaps
something else…
 - Dashes on either side of a thought are usually a tangent.
 ( ) pretty self-explanatory usually
RHYTHM:
If your piece is in iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line), then you must always pay attention to
when your lines fall out of that basic rhythm. It usually means something emotional is going on with
your character.
 If you have 12 or more syllables in a line, it’s a hint that the character’s inner volcano is bubbling
over. So much feeling, so little time to express it.
 If you have 9 or fewer syllables, for some reason Shakespeare has written in a pause. Is the
character hesitant? Confused? Unsure? Waiting for a response?
 Lines with 11 syllables are not necessarily a huge hint…although, multiple ones in a row will
draw focus to the next regular 10 syllable line and make it more meaningful.
 Look for patterns.
OTHER HINTS:
 Monosyllabic lines (ie. lines in which all words are only one syllable). Give these the space they
need. Draw focus to every word. Only the naked truth is being spoken.
 Spelling issues. Words that are spelled longer than they should in the first folio (ie. shee instead
of she or sonne instead of son) indicate that there is some sort of emotional connection to that
word for the character.
 Capital words in the first folio indicate that the character chose the word deliberately. Their
brain is working hard. Usually, they are being quite intellectual.
 The ratio of capitalized words (intellect) to unusual long-spellings (emotion) can help you figure
out how rational and thought-out your character is being (or not being).