Every writer has learned the first rule of writing: “Show don’t tell.” It is the preeminent bit of advice for writers of all levels and yet it remains one of the most misunderstood and confusing rules. Sure, it’s easy to understand why you shouldn’t tell your story from start to end like a person at the party who keeps saying, “…and then we…” with no end to the boredom. But it is not so easy to figure out what telling is versus showing. Sometimes they seem a lot alike. It all depends on how you write. The truth is good writing combines both showing and telling.
There are many articles, videos and even books on this one bit of advice, so why bother adding to the mix? I’m adding two blogs on the subject because showing and telling are essential to good writing. There are clear reasons to show and as many for telling in a story. Understanding how they both work and when to use them will make you a better writer.
Let’s start with the bad boy of the equation—telling.
“Telling” is when you blatantly tell your reader what is happening with your character or in the story. It’s things like: He was mean. She was depressed. He’s tall. She’s clumsy. Whenever you share information without allowing your reader to deduce those things from the strength of your writing, you are telling. Telling is often lazy, except when it has a specific point.
Showing versus telling is the difference between “He was angry” and “He threw the book across the room and stormed out.” One shows how he feels through his actions. The other clearly shows his emotional state, but offers nothing concrete or visual to confirm that suspicion. It relies on the character’s actions and reactions. It allows the reader to experience what is happening to the character from context instead of declaratory announcements. Psssst…he left because he was mad.
Telling steals your opportunity to create a deeper experience for your reader. It keeps things simple and sterile. Flat. Boring. By showing how your character moves through his world, you are inviting your reader to join in the experience. Telling talks down to your reader. It’s akin to having to explain a joke. If you have to spell it out, your writing isn’t strong enough. Showing lets your reader experience the event instead of listening to a play-by-play.
Sportscaster tell. Journalists tell. They share the facts: the who, what, where, when, why and how. They may set the scene to make a point, but they don’t embellish. They tell their readers what they need to know. Fiction writers need to do more. They need to translate that information into more engaging prose to engage their reader.
But there are times when telling is the right option, mostly when that information is not related to developing character or story.
Here are some tips for using Telling in your writing:
For Narrative Summary
This is when you hear the voice of the character or narrator whispering what is happening in your ear. It’s the equivalent to the voiceover in film. The reader/audience gets a snapshot of what is happening to anchor them in time, setting and situation. This is a quick way to provide a foundation for what follows. Use it sparingly and be as brief as possible. Narrative summary is a useful device, but it can slow your pace and make your reader lose interest.
Condensing Information
If you have information that is crucial to understanding the story, you can share it through narrative summary. But whatever you tell your reader needs to be concise and necessary. If you can’t condense the information for your reader, then you should find another way to write the scene or simply delete it. All telling should be brief. Don’t use narrative summary for a bulky info dump.
Backstory
Backstory is often shared through telling. Try to avoid this when possible. If you do need to share something from your character’s past to make the present scene come to life, add it quickly. Use telling only when that information would be difficult to add otherwise. It’s better to show, but on rare occasions that is not the best option.
When Showing Isn’t Necessary
Telling is helpful when your readers need to know things in order to understand something happening within the story but isn’t important to the story or character development. Think of it as definition for what is actively happening. Telling can act as shorthand to deliver information that would take too long to show. Telling is a softer way to share information, especially when showing would give that information more weight than it deserves. Again, it needs to be done quickly.
Internal Narrative
Telling is the best way to give your reader a look inside your character’s mind. Use it to show how your character feels about what is happening or what he is seeing or experiencing. Be careful how much you use this device though as it can interrupt the flow of your story.
Transitions
Sometimes it helps to use telling in the first sentence of a new beat, action, emotion or section. Then follow it with details and more immersive material. Like narrative summary, the first sentence acts as a touchstone to anchor your reader and alert her to pay attention to what follows. It also allows her to know how to interpret what comes next.
Ending Line of a Scene
Like the initial sentence, using telling in the last sentence helps reaffirm how you want your reader to feel about what has transpired. Think of it as the emotional cue. Be careful how much you use this though. It can also come off as lazy writing, depending on how you use it.
Covering Ground
Stating a fact is a great way to show passage of time or change of venue. It helps you cover ground without showing the journey. Try to do this in a creative way to keep the reader engaged, but it is fine to tell them there has been a change. But there is a big difference between saying, “He is now in Los Angeles” and “He merged into traffic as it swarmed around him, trapping him within the maze of highways that makes up Los Angeles.”
Fairy Tale Narrator
Whenever you feel the need to rely on a “Once Upon a Time” style narration, you are using telling techniques where you speak directly to the reader. This doesn’t happen much in modern fiction, but it is a valid use of telling. The best use is to grab the reader’s attention and then follow it with specific details (showing) to pull them in again.
Set Up
Telling can help set up key events, drawing your reader’s attention to what follows. You can use it as a signal to say “hey, pay attention now. I’m going to give you some key information now buried in specific details and active writing.”
What to avoid when telling:
When It’s Over-Explaining
Trust your reader to track what you are offering them. Think of that person at a party that starts to tell a story or anecdote but adds so many details and caveats that you no longer care what happened. It can happen in print too. If you want to share some information with your reader, get to the point quickly then get back to the action.
When You’re Telling Your Reader How to Feel
Instead of telling your reader how a character feels or how they should feel about what is happening, try to convey emotion by showing it. Showing allows your readers to interpret emotions for themselves, which makes it a deeper experience.
When It’s Too Much
Telling slows the pace of your story. Use it only when necessary.
When It’s Lazy Writing
Even when you are telling, you need to use good writing techniques. Telling can be flat and bland or detailed and important. Use the same techniques as when you “show” your reader what they need to know. Pull them in with creativity and word choice. Not “it was night, which she hated” but “she hated the pull of the dark night, another sign of the coming dawn and all that she must do.”
In the next blog, we’ll cover when and how to show.