Showing versus Telling
Bringing Your
Writing To Life
by Melissa Alvarez
Show don't tell - that's easy to say but what exactly does it
mean?
When you show your reader the characters and action in your novel,
they are drawn into another world and will keep turning the pages until
THE END. If you tell the reader the story then expect them to lay the
book down and pick up one that will show them the story. There is a
place for telling within your novel but if you tell all the time the
characters will not come to life.
Exactly how do you show and not tell? Let me show you through an
example:
Telling
Sally climbed the steps and rescued the gray cat.
All right that was telling. I told you that Sally climbed the steps
and saved the cat. But now I'm going to show you...
Showing
Sally sat back on her haunches and pushed her hat back on her head.
Where was that meowing sound coming from? She tugged off her gardening
gloves and tossed them on the ground then walked toward the house in
search of the troubled cat. She followed the cries to the top of the
steps where she found a tiny gray cat trapped between the screen door
and the wooden one. "You poor thing!" Sally said to the
anxious animal as she opened the door. The cat scurried down the steps
and through the yard while Sally watched with a smile.
See the difference? In the example of telling we know Sally saved the
cat from the top of the stairs but that's all. When we show instead of
tell we know much more. Sally is a caring person who tends flowers in
her yard and will search out a distressed animal that needs help. She
doesn't need thanks but is happy that the animal is free. We also know
that the cat is scared because it is described as anxious and it bolts
down the steps and across the yard as soon as it is let out.
When you can show your reader the action they will finish your book
with a sense of satisfaction and you will have gained a loyal fan.
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