Ah, the age old rule- show, don't tell! This used to frustrate me so much. I wondered what exactly showing is. No one seemed able to explain it! Anyway, it looks like I eventually figured it out, because people are constantly complimenting me on my descriptive voice. So, I thought I'd post what method I use.
I tend to just write something first. Whatever comes out. And then I go back over it with a lice-comb. :-) Any words that cater to our senses- sight, sound, touch, taste, smell -seem to be applicable as "showing". It pulls the readers into the writing, I think, which is essentially what we're going for.
Also, metaphors work wonders. If you don't want to actually put metaphors into your writing, thinking in metaphors does help. Know what you want to describe, and then dig for the words that describe it. For example- blue eyes. Why just say they're blue? Are they icy and sharp? Deep, ocean blue and soul-bearing? Saying "Her blue eyes shone." is pretty straightforward. But it's also unimaginative. That counts as telling...right? Instead, I think like this: "The blue of the oceans filled her eyes, starry lights shimmering intensely beneath their surface." It just sounds better, doesn't it? Yep. I think so. :-)
Anyway, that's about all I have to say- cater to the sense. And any words that are picturesque and specific seem to apply to "showing".
Now, your turn! How would you explain showing vs. telling? And how do you keep from telling?
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6 comments:
Telling is probably my big sin. My first drafts are usually just DL. The second I might have someone wave a hand around. I don't get smells and sounds until draft 4 or 5.
Usually what I overlook is the background noises and smells. We tend to take them for granted. Like... my fish tank. It bubbles away all day with this low-pitched hum. I never notice it. But if the fish tank loses power and stops running I hear the silence.
The same with some smells. My house has it's own smell, the combination of cooking, and soap, and herbs in the garden... I know it smells like home and I'll comment if something smells wrong (like dinner burning) but it's not something I notice daily. It's just- sniff- yup, this is the right house and I move on.
I write characters the same way. They only notice what is out of place and than my Critters go for my jugular and demand to know what the rest of the place looks/smells/sounds like.
It's understandable. We all take a lot of things for granted. Smells and sounds especially. The man in my life was away for awhile, and, though I'd not noticed it much before, the smell of his cologne seemed to be missing.
I guess our goal as writers, then, should be to include this background noise/smells, and really draw our readers in. That's what makes a story complete, I think. We should be able to pull in all their senses, and give them a new 'reality' within our writing.
And that is HARD to do. But who said this was easy? :-)
It's not easy! And it's hard to do naturally because the character won't notice it either. It's a background thing to them, like noticing the wall color in their room they've slept in for 18 years. It's always been there so why would they notice it?
I prefer to introduce with action: baking cookies, lighting a scented candle, adding perfume.... there's an actual action linked with the scent. You could paint the wall, or hang a picture... something that ties in the description with action. :o)
Actually, that makes a lot of sense. It's true that we cant just swamp our readers in "unnecessary" detail if the character whose POV we're in wouldn't notice either.
What a dilema.
But yes, connecting action with these things could make it a little more expected. But then you wonder how dense your characters are; and if they're very observant, would they notice things, or still take them for granted?
You'd probably have to vary for characters. I have a shapeshifter who notices smells but won't bother asking people their names or noting what color someone wears. Ideally your tailor the writing to the character in question
Show, don't tell has been a problem for me too. I wrote a post about it:
http://theresamilstein.blogspot.com/2009/09/positive-rejections.html
I found this post helpful:
http://kidlit.com/2009/12/18/what-show-dont-tell-really-means/
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