“Show don’t tell” is one of the first things all beginner writers are told…
…but it’s also the stupidest.
Let’s discuss why, look at some examples, then write our own story together that does plenty of “telling!”
Category: Show vs. Tell
You’ve probably heard the phrase “show don’t tell” before.
But here’s the truth of the matter: that’s a bunch of crap.
In order to write a good story, you have to BOTH show AND tell, and knowing when to do one or the other can be tricky!
Exposition is any sort of explanation or explanatory description in a story.
Every story NEEDS exposition! It’s not a bad thing. But when done poorly, it can be painful to read.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way. So let’s take a look at some GOOD examples!
Everyone always says “show don’t tell” when writing. However, the truth is that to tell a good story you have to both show AND tell.
But what are the real differences between “showing” and “telling?”
To find out, let’s write the same scene three different ways: only telling, only showing, then using both.
Last week on Masterpiece Monday we looked at the magic of one really well-written line, but this week we’re back to the actual magic with Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone.
Showing vs. telling. Ah, the term we all love to use. As writers we’re supposed to show show show and never tell. Just like a good documentary, we’re supposed to give the reader all of the information visually and let them decide for themselves what it all means.
Except that’s not entirely true. Unlike a video documentary, writing relies on the reader following along with the writer pulling words out of their imagination. If there’s a confusing sentence or section, then we have to go back and reread – or even worse just stay confused – taking us out of the story.