Send your headshot to the casting director for the soap opera of your choice. Make sure to attach a resume that is the perfect fit to the back. It should be stapled neatly, and it should be looked over for perfection. A sloppy headshot is not a good sign for one receiving hundreds per day. If possible, have an agent or entertainment lawyer submit your photograph for you. Raymond did it without one — so it can happen.

Send another headshot one month after you sent the first one. You are not being a pest. You are being pragmatic. Alternate from what was used previously.

Attend casting meetings in your local area if you live near a major market. This will give you the opportunity to meet the casting directors in person and let them discover the potential in you by sight instead of by headshot. Check online or read "Back Stage."

Now you have that career-changing appointment.

Read your lines until you have them memorized. Gone are the days of cue cards or teleprompter. They were scuttled when some actors were so intent on looking for their lines they did not relate to the other actor. Reaction is a major part of acting. If you do not know what comes next, you cannot react.

The lines should be secondary because you have studied them so well. Spend an entire day focused on committing those lines absolutely to memory. Say your lines without looking at the script. Don't look at the script when auditioning. If they say it is an audition on the book, you can keep the script with you. Just do not look at it. As fabled actor Spencer Tracy said, "a big part of acting is showing up and knowing your lines." Start working on the character as soon as you receive your audition sides. If this is an established character, learn his history. Pay special attention to avoid studying the previous actor's mannerisms or interpretations of the character. You don't want it to interfere with your own interpretation. In fact, many actors do not look at what a previous performer has done with a character. They want to make it their own.

Arrive at the audition at least 15 minutes early. This shows you are prompt, and it indicates that you respect the time of all involved. Time is almost everything on a soap.

If you are used to acting on stage, remember the camera picks up everything, so give it your all, but be subtle.

Raymond, I'll be looking for your name on the credits.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Web page at www.creators.com.