As I'm writing dialogue, I'm attempting to imagine the cadence and inflection of an "actual" person. I use "actual" in quotes, because generally script audio has a fluency and fluidity that normal dialog doesn't.

Still, as I'm typing, I may "hear" a line of dialog one way in my head. When a performer delivers the line, it may come out differently from what I "heard."

I've been blessed with some absolutely amazing performers reading my scripts. For me, it's always a pleasant surprise hearing the differences between dialog as written, and the dialog as performed.

I'll repeat that, just in case: I think this is a good thing. I like hearing that someone may have interpreted a line differently from my intent. I like that audio is a collaborative media, subject to that level of interpretation. And I feel it makes me a better writer. The next time I sit down to write, I may "hear" differently, based on the outstanding performances I've heard.

But I was curious how other writers (or even performers) feel about this. Have there been times you've experienced a difference between page and performance? Did it change the way you wrote future dialog?