Still stumped about what it means to show, don’t tell?
That’s because it’s never fully explained. So writers tell too little, or too much, or just show poorly. In many cases, they’re not showing at all.
In this episode, you’ll learn what it means to show, don’t tell. And I’ll give you with 4 ways to show like a pro, along with examples to drive it all home.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Episode at a glance:
[1:10] Common mistakes
Learn the two most common mistakes writers make with showing, the main misconception that’s causing you to get it wrong, and why showing is more subtle than you think.
[6:18] Show the moment unfolding in the present
Sometimes writers will give us the forgone conclusion, rather than show the event that led up to it. Learn how to show an event unfold in real time and why doing so gives your reader two major reasons to keep reading.
[09:13] Show the how
Sometimes when something’s too told a character will do something, or make a decision, and we have no context for it. It’ll come out of left field. So another way to show is to show us the thought process of your protagonist. Now, writers are often afraid to show their protagonist’s thoughts because they think it’s a form of telling. But thought is action. Not a form of telling. Learn the three modes of thought your protagonist is engaging in inside every scene.
[14:06] Be concrete
Avoid abstractions – big ideas or big emotions like love or grief or anger. The reader can intellectualize love, grief and anger, but they can’t feel it. And abstractions don’t show us remotely anything about the idea or the emotion. The way to the reader’s heart is not to make your characters feel something, but to make the reader feel it. You’ll learn how to imbue emotion into your story.
[21:07] Give us images
Showing is all about giving the reader images. And sometimes showing is most effective when it’s purely visual description. You’ll learn how to make your visual showing relevant to your story, not just decoration.
Link mentioned in this episode:
Episode 69: How to Create Plot Continuity With Character Thought
That was fun and there were a few moments when something you said lit up a thought about how I could handle a moment I’m stuck on. Do a class. I love writing exercises. They always teach me something.
Blessings.
Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
E. L. Doctorow
I still remember your writing, Leigh. And so glad you’re still doing it. Your work was a highlight of that workshop.