“Show, don’t tell” is a foundational principle in creative writing that encourages authors to provide readers with enough vivid details for them to arrive at their conclusion. The most ideal approach to achieve showing in fiction is through the experiences of your character.
Example
Instead of: Stacy is a liar.
Try: Stacy watches as the wind blows the vase to the ground, then turns in the direction of the kitchen. “Mom, Marcus broke your vase!”
The following are six ways to practice the “show, don’t tell” principle in your story:
1. Using Strong Verbs
Verbs are action words. They bring your writing to life. However, some verbs just do not make the cut when you are trying to paint a specific picture.
Example
Instead of Saying: Stacy walked to the grocery store.
Try Saying: Stacy strutted to the grocery store.
The second example gives the reader a sense of who Stacy is, as strutting is often associated with confidence, arrogance, or anxiety. In some instances, removing a verb is the best approach. If the point you are trying to get across is still clear without a specific very, the sentence is most likely better without it.
Example
Instead of Saying: His hand started to shake.
Try Saying: His hand shook.
2. Making Use of the Five Senses
The “show, don’t tell” principle is important because it provides your readers with a first-hand experience of your story world. As a reader, I travel the world through books. However, this is only possible if the writer can effectively engage my senses.
You can bring a character to a new restaurant, where the air is coated in dynamic spices. The character can have a seat on a velvet or satin chair, while classical music plays in the background. A waiter can serve the character an exotic dish, where one of the food items melts on the character’s tongue before playing on the different taste buds.
3. Including Figurative Language
Metaphors and similes are two of the more popular figures of speech in writing and for good reason. These figures of speech allow the writer to create vivid pictures in a reader’s mind. A metaphor is the direct comparison of two things of a different kind, and a simile is the comparison of two things using the words as or like.
Example
Telling: Stacy has a bloody nose.
Showing
Metaphor: Stacy isn’t a reindeer, but she certainly has Rudolf’s nose.
Simile: Stacy’s nose is as red as a fire truck.
You should be meticulous with your use of figurative language. It is better to have too little than too much of them in your writing. Using an excessive amount of these figures of speech can make your writing seem overwritten and cliché.
4. Include Dialogue
I often skip through some of the narrative sections of a book to get to where the action is. Dialogue shows your readers what is happening in real-time, whether it is in a flashback or the main story. Therefore, if you want to show more, use more dialogue.
Example
Telling: Karen told everyone about the accident.
Showing: Karen sits upright on the bench and takes a sip of her water. “It came out of nowhere. One minute we were arguing about the kids and the next minute a deer was in the headlights.”
5. Include Internal Monologue
Whether it is the first person or third person point of view, you can show your readers the type of emotion your character is experiencing, without telling them. When you get into your character’s head, you allow the reader to understand your character more, as they can now see what the character is feeling.
Example
Telling: I’m anxious about this entire situation.
Showing: Where is he? If he doesn’t show up in the next 20 seconds I’m out of here. There’s no way I’m going down for this.
6. Writing in Real-Time
When you write in real-time, you provide the reader with the opportunity to experience events with the character. Instead of summarizing what happens to your character, try describing the blow-by-blow action that your character experiences. However, try not to overdo it. The things that your readers need to see in real-time are those that push the plot forward.
If your character flushes the toilet and then goes to bed, you should not put that in a scene. However, if your character tries to flush the toilet, and that eventually leads to that character finding a bag of money in the toilet tank, then that is something you should write in real-time.
Final Thoughts
One of the main goals of fictional authors is to engage a reader’s imagination and create an immersive experience, this is exactly what you achieve when you show your readers what happens instead of telling them. This approach evokes a stronger emotional response from your readers, which allows them to connect more with your story.
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