Tuesday, April 23, 2013

When telling is better than showing. Is that even possible?

"Great stories happen to those who can tell them." ~Ira Glass

We've all heard the warning, no, the rule Show, don't tell. But, while showing should be the dominant force in writing, there are instances when telling is the best avenue.

When to tell -


  • To compress time - Say your character just experienced something so extraordinary that she has to tell someone. She probably needs help, after all. Rather than having her actually rehash what readers just saw her going through, a quick summery is best. She told her sister what happened and they headed straight to the airport. In this same regard, there are times when a full-blown scene of showing would take too long because it's not that important to the story. Readers need the information, but it's not really scene worthy.
  • To provide back-story - I try to only use summary for back-story as a last resort. But there are times when it's best. When the character's back-story isn't a big enough part of the plot to necessitate a flashback but is still important, summary might be the best way. But I'd say only if he doesn't have anyone he'd share it with through dialogue.
  • To develop character - I think this has largely to do with pace and structure. There are times that just seem innate to telling what a character looks like, how they're feeling or what they're thinking. All showing with no telling doesn't always feel natural. Good stories are balanced and varied. 
 When not to tell


  • Readers don't need you to explain what's going on if you've already shown it through dialogue or character actions.
  •  Details matter. If your summery generalizes things too much, you probably need a full scene. 
  • If your plot is moving too fast, you probably need to turn some of those summaries into scenes. 
  • If beta readers are complaining that they're having trouble visualizing part of your story, does that section contain summary that you could expand into a scene with more sensory details? 
Tomorrow's post - Uninhibited writing  

 


17 comments:

  1. You have done an excellent job with all the tips during this challenge, I'm sure many people have gained much knowledge,

    Yvonne

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    1. Thanks, Ynonne! I hope someone gets something from my posts.

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  2. Telling vs Showing is something we all have a problem with, but these are good general rules.

    You should also try not to tell if something is familiar to a character, especially important for genre fiction.

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  3. I agree with Yvonne. I have gained so much usable information from your writing tips. Thank you!

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    1. I'm so glad! It's nice to know I'm not doing it for nothing. :)

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  4. It largely depends upon style and audience. Patrick Rothfuss decided he wanted Kingkiller Chronicles to be a trilogy about writing Kvothe's memoirs, and so almost all of it is flashback with heavy doses of editorializing. And for hundreds of thousands of readers, it works! Because he knew the style he wanted and honed it.

    John at The Bathroom Monologues

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    1. Hmmm, now you have me very curious about this Patrick Rothfuss fellow. Sounds intriguing.

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  5. I know I "tell" more than "show"...I really need to work on that. Great tips, here, as well :)

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    1. Telling is so much easier. But, really, it's not as much fun as coming up with creative ways to show.

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  6. Tips are always helpful! Thanks for sharing them!

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  7. Such great tips, especially concerning the back-story! Keep it up, I'm learning something valuable *unlike calculus*

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    1. Calculus? Yeah, I'm not sure what you'd need that for. lol! Thanks for stopping in.

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  8. Thanks for sharing these tips. I'm just ticking them off in my head...well, not "ticking them off" as in making them angry...like checking them! Anyway, thanks! Good tips!

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    1. lol! I'm glad you're not making my tips angry. You never know what they might do. Thanks for reading my blog!

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  9. I was reading the comments on another A to Z post when I ran across your comment that you were doing one of show, don't tell. Since this is something I struggle with, I tracked this down. There are some very helpful tips here so I am pinning this so I can come back after the challenge and read this all the way through. Thanks.

    http://completelycalifornia.blogspot.com/

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