Monday 2 May 2016

Newbies Corner: Show Don't Tell



with Sharon Burke

Fiction writing courses and “how to” books frequently advise novice authors to show rather than tell. Doing this effectively is a great challenge for many new fiction writers, and a necessary precursor to publication.




Showing what your characters are going through brings your writing to life and enhances your readers' emotional experience.




There are several ways to achieve this.

Use more dialogue: Could some of the narrative sections in your novel or short story be rewritten as dialogue? Dialogue has immediacy and power. It helps your readers feel they are witnessing the scene you created.






For example, in Outback Dreams, Rachel Johns could simply have written Faith told Monty's mum, Monty was pursuing Ruby Jones. Instead Rachel captures our interest with animated dialogue, letting us know this information together with Faith's low opinion of Ruby: ''Monty barely stops work long enough to meet eligible women, and anyway, the only one he's shown any interest in recently is princess Ruby Jones.''








Use descriptive and sensory language: Using narrative to describe your viewpoint character's emotions with language linking these to the five senses helps your reader vicariously experience what the character is going through.






In The Beast's Garden, Kate Forsyth uses sensory and highly descriptive language to describe what the heroine experiences as she races towards a burning synagogue:
Shards of glass littered the road. Someone was painting “Jew” in bloody red letters across the wall. Someone else was beating and kicking a bundles of old rags in the gutter. Ava saw an arm flop. She caught hold of the window-sill, suddenly unable to take a breath.








Be more specific: Take the time to analyse novels from the sub-genre for which you are aiming. Notice the degree of detail and type of language the author uses to show rather than tell. Try rewriting some scenes from your own work applying what you have learned.

Are there times when you should tell rather than show with your writing? When is telling rather than showing most appropriate?



I love to love: I'm going to the ballet with my Dad tonight. I can't wait to spend the evening with him.






I love to laugh: A new series of the ABC comedy Upper Middle Bogan is currently being filmed. I'll either be glued to the television or buying a boxed DVD set. Probably both.


I love to learn: We did a marvellous novel plotting exercise in our writers' group last month. I learnt so much, and will definitely use these techniques again.




12 comments:

  1. What fabulous examples, Sharon. I find if authors tell, tell, tell, the story really drags. But the 'showing' really brings it alive, vivid, exciting to read.

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    1. Thank you Malvina. I agree with you. When authors show rather than tell I feel as if I am actually there with them witnessing the events described. It makes the story far more exciting and fun to read.

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  2. Hi Sharon! Some great tips here. I find that writing using Deep Point of View really helps with 'showing' because we actually step into the skin of our characters, enabling our readers to experience the story along with those characters. That being said, there are times when we do need to 'tell' e.g. details of backstory or setting. I believe a balanced combination (more 'show' than 'tell') makes for good reading.
    PS: so glad you got something from the plotting activity :).

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    1. Thank you Marilyn. Deep Point of View certainly makes for engaging and at times gripping reading. I think you are right about telling necessary details of backstory. The plotting exercise was fabulous. I've never constructed a plotline in that way before. It boosted my creativity and was so much fun.

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  3. Hi Sharon. Thank you for a thought-provoking post. I love it when I get into a book that takes me places and the reason is usually to do with this concept. Some authors just do it so well, don't they?

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    1. Hi Cassandra, some authors do such a fabulous job of showing. I become totally immersed in the story. Hours go by. I'm still reading and want to put everything else on the back burner.

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  4. Such good advice. And thanks for using Outback Dreams as an example. xx

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    1. Thank you Rachel. I loved all of the books in your Outback Series, but "Outback Dreams" and "Outback Ghost" especially stand out for me. Having read Outback Ghost, I now wish to go back and reread the earlier novels searching for the clues I missed. Thank you for dropping by. I'm looking forward to reading your next novel.

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  5. Thank you Sharon! I can always use a brush up on show v tell.

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    1. Thank you Dee. There are so many interesting fiction writing related topics. I think "Show Don't Tell" is particularly important. When it is done well the novel or short story can be fabulous to read.

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  6. Hi Sharon! Always great to read about show and tell. It's a very important facet of fiction writing in all genres if you want the reader to 'live the story'. Loved your examples.

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  7. Thank you Enisa. "Outback Dreams" and "The Beast's Garden" are both fabulous books - extremely well written and real page turners.

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