forum Show, not tell
Started by @JustALostM book
tune

people_alt 60 followers

@JustALostM book

I've heard this phrase many times and I don't really know what it means. Can Someone please give me examples or the general meaning to it, Please?

@Serpentess health_and_safety language

From what I understand, it basically means use active voice more often than passive (Passive- ‘they were doing something’ or ‘they had done something’ vs Active- ‘they do something’ or ‘they did something’), and to also make the story/writing more immersive (instead of ”telling” that Anna turned her coffee pot on, “show” what she did to turn the coffee pot on).

Now, I may be a bit off/inaccurate, because it does somewhat confuse me as well, but that’s what I’ve always gone with.

And here’s also a Pinterest link with probably a way better example than mine. Hopefully the link works.

https://pin.it/2TkSpf5

@larcenistarsonist group

OO OKAY! (english teacher kid and avid writer here, hi, hello)

So "Show Don't Tell" is a device used to help give your story depth and keep it from becoming monotonous.

Let's start with an example: "She was sad."

Now you see, there's nothing wrong with this sentence, but how does she feel sad. What can you write to show readers that she's sad? "Show Don't Tell" is all about showing readers that your character is feeling something without outright telling them.

Now, let's revise the example. Instead of just saying "She was sad.", try saying something like this:

"Her heart seemed to stop at the news, a numbing shock reaching as far as her fingertips. The man in front of her reaches out, trying to offer his condolences, but she doesn't hear them. How can she hear them? Everything feels underwater, her lungs filling and her breathing halting and she feels close to drowning in pain. She opens her mouth, but all that escapes is a pained cry. Her knees buckle, hitting the damp asphalt, loose gravel digging into her skin. There's somebody at her shaking shoulder, trying to bring her back down to reality. But how can she come back to a reality like this? She screams, hot tears filling her eyes before dripping down rain-slicked skin. It can't be true, she wants to plead. But she can't plead. Instead, she curls in on herself, notching her head between her arms and allowing her sobs to echo down the street."

As you can see, nowhere in the revised paragraph did I ever outright say "she was sad" but you can clearly tell that she's in heart-wrenching agony. Overall, it's also better writing.

However! do not constantly use "Show Don't Tell" for every single sentence. Sometimes it's a lot easier to simply say "He opened the door" instead of drawling on and on about some anxiety that's brewing within him. It's important to mention what emotion your character's feeling, but overusing "Show Don't Tell" is a surefire way to make your story feel tragically 2009 YA Novel.

Hope this helped!!