Show, Don't Tell - part I
a brief guide28 total reviews
Comment from Wayne Fowler
Very well presented.
Very well organized and delivered.
Good counsel without condescension.
Now if only my head would communicate with my fingers as I type.
Thank you and best wishes.
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Very well presented.
Very well organized and delivered.
Good counsel without condescension.
Now if only my head would communicate with my fingers as I type.
Thank you and best wishes.
Comment Written 09-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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That's the greatest distance in the world sometimes, brain to fingers. Many thanks G
Comment from Judy Lawless
Thanks for this lesson on "show, don't tell", G. I usually attempt to follow this rule, but I'm glad you pointed out it needs to be a balance. Somehow I found this easier to do when writing fiction, than I do when writing memoirs. I need to be more mindful of that, and look forward to the next part of this series.
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Thanks for this lesson on "show, don't tell", G. I usually attempt to follow this rule, but I'm glad you pointed out it needs to be a balance. Somehow I found this easier to do when writing fiction, than I do when writing memoirs. I need to be more mindful of that, and look forward to the next part of this series.
Comment Written 09-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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It's easier in fiction. When you're writing non-fiction or first person narrative telling is quite hard to get away from. All the best G
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Thank you.:)
Comment from Aubree Lorraine
Thank you for this! And I do hope you continue with lessons such as this. I'm neither experienced nor formally educated in writing, so I'm learning as I go -- from reviews here to critiques from other contests to researching on my own. This is an incredibly helpful piece you've written, especially as I tend to go extreme in one direction or the other - showing or telling. Thank you simply for being on this site.
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Thank you for this! And I do hope you continue with lessons such as this. I'm neither experienced nor formally educated in writing, so I'm learning as I go -- from reviews here to critiques from other contests to researching on my own. This is an incredibly helpful piece you've written, especially as I tend to go extreme in one direction or the other - showing or telling. Thank you simply for being on this site.
Comment Written 08-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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I've picked up a lot of things myself. One of the best things to do in terms of technical stuff is to get a school text book, it's all in there in manageable hunks which I'm hoping this will be for show, don't tell. All the best G
Comment from Ric Myworld
I'm so glad to finally learn that I'm not the only one who thinks a lot of emotion and meaningful story is missed when too much emphasis is put on showing and not telling. Story tellers tell stories, we just need to break up the monotony by showing enough to make it more interesting. Thanks for sharing a very beneficial post. I wish I had a six!
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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I'm so glad to finally learn that I'm not the only one who thinks a lot of emotion and meaningful story is missed when too much emphasis is put on showing and not telling. Story tellers tell stories, we just need to break up the monotony by showing enough to make it more interesting. Thanks for sharing a very beneficial post. I wish I had a six!
Comment Written 08-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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That's it Rik, it's a balance, and the trick is knowing when to do what. G
Comment from oliver818
This is really good Gareth. I have always had a problem with people using show don't tell as a mantra- it passed me off because I've never read a book that never had any telling. So it's great that you explained a bit why it's important to show not tell but also sometimes tell a bit and show a bit.
Cheers
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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This is really good Gareth. I have always had a problem with people using show don't tell as a mantra- it passed me off because I've never read a book that never had any telling. So it's great that you explained a bit why it's important to show not tell but also sometimes tell a bit and show a bit.
Cheers
Comment Written 08-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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I once read a fight scene where everything was finely detailed - shown - and the pacing was screwed to hell. A two minute fight took me twenty minutes to read. lol All the best G
Comment from K.L. Rockquemore
Great write! As a new writer I have not heard of " Show,Don't Tell". That probably speaks for itself,(smile). This informative piece is filled with incredibly detailed information which I plan to learn and use. I appreciate you sharing this.
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Great write! As a new writer I have not heard of " Show,Don't Tell". That probably speaks for itself,(smile). This informative piece is filled with incredibly detailed information which I plan to learn and use. I appreciate you sharing this.
Comment Written 08-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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I was self-taught up to a point - I've taken some courses here and there now but you can pick up a lot by just reading. Hopefully these small chunks will be helpful. G
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Tremendously.
Comment from Jay Squires
Superb, G! I think this is the best exposition of the "show don't tell" I've ever read! And I've read many.
I have two points that I feel will make your message even stronger:
"What does it feel like to be there... the sights... the smells... the sounds (but be careful of naming the senses - that veers away from showing to telling)." [Excellent point, G. I would only suggest that this part, because it is so important, had an example or two.]
to describe a bead of sweat trickling down the protagonist's neck. Is he hot; is he nervous, or scared? [True, but especially not to explain that "whether". I believe I would reinforce that by explaining that the reader wants to do the detective work himself, not have the writer do it for him!]
Those are minor. Not in the way of a critique of the method, but as a suggestion to expand on parts of it.
I'm thrilled that I have a six left to give it.
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Superb, G! I think this is the best exposition of the "show don't tell" I've ever read! And I've read many.
I have two points that I feel will make your message even stronger:
"What does it feel like to be there... the sights... the smells... the sounds (but be careful of naming the senses - that veers away from showing to telling)." [Excellent point, G. I would only suggest that this part, because it is so important, had an example or two.]
to describe a bead of sweat trickling down the protagonist's neck. Is he hot; is he nervous, or scared? [True, but especially not to explain that "whether". I believe I would reinforce that by explaining that the reader wants to do the detective work himself, not have the writer do it for him!]
Those are minor. Not in the way of a critique of the method, but as a suggestion to expand on parts of it.
I'm thrilled that I have a six left to give it.
Comment Written 07-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Many thanks as always, Jay. G
Comment from royowen
I'm just amazed at the differences in human perception, the lens of their mind projects something different when an abstraction hits that lens. I think poetry can be a multi faceted message wrapped up in just a few words, which defines the ambiguity of reflective imagery. Beautifully written, blessings Roy
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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I'm just amazed at the differences in human perception, the lens of their mind projects something different when an abstraction hits that lens. I think poetry can be a multi faceted message wrapped up in just a few words, which defines the ambiguity of reflective imagery. Beautifully written, blessings Roy
Comment Written 07-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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I think poetry lends itself more to the showing aspect than prose, at least good poets do. lol All the best G
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I agree
Comment from BethShelby
It is nice to be reminded of thing we need to do in order to make our writing come alive. You must have been a teacher at some point since you see to know how to get your point across and make it interesting without overdoing it. I enjoyed reading this.
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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It is nice to be reminded of thing we need to do in order to make our writing come alive. You must have been a teacher at some point since you see to know how to get your point across and make it interesting without overdoing it. I enjoyed reading this.
Comment Written 07-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Many thanks, Beth. G
Comment from lancellot
Very interesting. I've always thought the show don't tell, came from Taleswappers, and stage orators. They had to capture the audience, and like you said, immerse them into a world, 'without the benefit of pictures'.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so they used a thousand words to paint a picture.
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Very interesting. I've always thought the show don't tell, came from Taleswappers, and stage orators. They had to capture the audience, and like you said, immerse them into a world, 'without the benefit of pictures'.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so they used a thousand words to paint a picture.
Comment Written 07-Apr-2022
reply by the author on 12-Apr-2022
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Many thanks, Lance. G