A simple question with what should be a simple answer, but I can tell you it’s a lot harder than you think. I did major revisions on my current novel and entered it in a contest expecting rave reviews. Well, at least good ones. All three judges came to the same conclusion. I was telling far more than I was showing.

While some narrative is necessary, it shouldn’t be front loaded, and it should be balanced with dialogue and action.

Jerry Jenkins, one of my favorite blogger/mentors in the writing arena, said show don’t tell is a hard concept for most new writers to grasp, but once you’ve got it, you’ve got it.

I agree with him totally and am in the process of revising my manuscript to show not tell again 🙂 One thing to keep in mind while writing, just because there’s a lot of action doesn’t mean you’re showing. A mistake I made.

Exxample:

John’s horse’s hoofs seemed to take flight as it ran for safety. (A lot of action there and a pretty sentence too, but I’m telling.)

John held on tight, as his hips ached, and his teeth rattled from quick repetitive thumps on the saddle. What spooked my horse?

The second sentence may not be perfect 🙂 but I hope it helps you understand show not tell. Just because your sentences are packed with action, doesn’t mean they are showing. Get into your character’s head. What are they feeling? What are they thinking? What are they seeing?

I thought I could use a refresher on how to show and not tell, and why it’s so important. Of course, I wanted to share it with you.

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the phrase-show don’t tell. Everybody knows you’re supposed to show and not tell. You want the reader to experience the scene as if they are one of the characters walking through the story beside the hero/heroine.

If you’re like me, you know what you’re supposed to do, but it’s a lot harder than it seems. Once you start writing that novel, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

There are 5 tools for showing:

• Dialogue
• Action
• Interior dialogue
• Interior emotion
• Description-Sensory

If you’re doing anything that’s not one of these 5 things, you’re telling.

Why is it so important to show versus tell? Showing provides your reader with a powerful emotional experience.

It doesn’t matter how great you do everything else in that novel if you’re missing that emotional experience, you lose. If everything you did is bad, but you have a great emotional experience, you may still win.

It all comes down to the takeaway. Every great novelist will tell you, you have to give your reader that powerful emotional experience or they won’t be coming back.

-Something to think about 🙂

-Jan R