 For Authors: October 27, 2021 Issue [#11013] |
This week: Can You See it? Edited by: Annette  
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Rules such as "Write what you know," and "Show, don't tell," while doubtlessly grounded in good sense, can be ignored with impunity by any novelist nimble enough to get away with it. There is, in fact, only one rule in writing fiction: Whatever works, works.
--- Tom Robbins
Most people say, "Show, don't tell," but I stand by Show and Tell, because when writers put their work out into the world, they're like kids bringing their broken unicorns and chewed-up teddy bears into class in the sad hope that someone else will love them as much as they do.
--- Colson Whitehead |
| ASIN: 1945043032 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 13.94
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Can You See it?
Just like all phrases that present themselves as universal truth, "Show don't tell" can't be the defining qualifier when it comes to written works. Yelling it louder and more often doesn't make it true.
If you took a second to read the two quotes above, you'll find that published authors have made it to be famous enough to be quoted without yelling "Show don't tell" at everyone around them.
Taking part in writing exercises and contests that aim to train a "show don't tell" attitude can help writers to become more rounded. Sometimes, it's good to focus on one technique for a while. Just like any other skill, writing exercises have their place in fiction writing. The outcome can be fun and is often an eye-opening writing session for the writer too.
At the same time, a book or short story does not need to be all show instead of tell. Stories need to be able to move in time and space without excruciating details. A writer should be able to simply narrate that the ship sailed from Boston to Amsterdam and let that be that. If the ship's passage holds no plot for the story, why would you fill it up with a show?
Show don't tell also recommends mixing up simple verbs with "strong" verbs. Now we're sitting there with a thesaurus and picking out the most murky meaning to a word just to avoid repetition. Really? And I mean: Really? How many times have your heard or read the advice that you should only use "said," "asked, "answered" as speech tags and avoid all the fancy ways to denote speech?
Why does the word police come after a writer who thrives on simple verbs and at the same time after a writer who embraces the flourish? Just how said and yelled both have their place, show and tell also each have their place.
Please enjoy the items below as they tell you how to show and also make fun of it. As you see, we can bake our cake and eat it too.
Is "show don't tell" and old hat or something that needs to be followed without question? |
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This item number is not valid.
#2040670 by Not Available. |
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#1905924 by Not Available. |
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This item number is not valid.
#1654632 by Not Available. |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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| ASIN: B01DSJSURY |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 5.99
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Replies to my last For Authors newsletter "Our Tradition"
dogpack saving 4premium  wrote: I am looking forward to the celebration and many more years of being active on WDC. I recently found some information about show don't tell. The writer told about showing and telling almost ruined their writing. I tend to interweave dialogue and narrative as well as other aspects of a story so that the reader is given in appropriate places and doses the information that is needed to engage the reader and forward the story. What information do you have about this? "I MOVED A MOUNTAIN"
Good question. You just gave me my topic for today's newsletter. I hope you find it insightful. |
| ASIN: B01DSJSURY |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 5.99
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