Imagination is a wondrous thing. It can send us to faraway lands in a blink of an eye, help us see the beauty within and have a good comeback for that argument that happened three years ago. Through books, we get a glimpse at the writer’s vision and it sets off beautiful descriptions within our own imaginations. This can be emphasised is the power of show, don’t tell.
Show, don’t tell is the art of allowing the readers to experience the story through the use of actions, verbs, thoughts, the character’s senses and their feelings, rather than through the author’s summarisation and description. We have compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you ignite your reader’s imagination.
What is the difference?
Telling: is theoretical, passive, and involves the reader less. It can have the power to remove the reader from the story and potentially bore them. It doesn’t let them form their own opinions or pictures if the story is just “telling”.
Showing: is active and solid. It creates mental images that bring both the story and its characters to life. It is interactive and invites your readers to feel, see and think like the character and allows them to draw their own conclusions.
How can we use this to better our writing?
Show the readers your characters: It is very easy to fall into the common traps of introducing a character. Most common is the “morning routine” or walking past a mirror. It can end up being an information dump of boring facts without any depth. By showing small details, it gives the chance for readers to form their own pictures and understand the character on a deeper, more realistic level.
Tell – She had long brown hair that always fell into her face.
Show – She huffed as yet another piece fell into her face. It was starting to get ridiculous. Flipping her head forward, she gathered the hazel mass and tied it into its usual messy bun.
Avoid overusing adverbs: Adverbs, while very useful in changing the mean of a verb, can be deadly in creative writing especially if repeated constantly. Tell - “How dare you!” He said angrily.
Show - “How dare you!” he yelled, slamming his fist on the table.
Use specific and realistic details to hook your readers: Things like popular brands or items and real places will help build a better picture in your reader’s mind. By using items the readers already know in the real world, it means less time explaining and more time for them to connect to your characters.
Tell – She walked outside and sat against the oak tree and began to cry.
Show - She put in her earphones and shuffled her iPod, effectively drowning out the yelling that came from the house. Leaning against the familiar old oak tree, she finally let the tears fall.
Use the senses: Add in the five senses – sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound. A scene filled with senses not only makes for enjoyable reading but can help transport the reader into the scene more effectively.
Tell – She went to the beach.
Show – She breathed deeply and could almost taste the salt in the air. The breeze had picked up, but she ignored it and focused on the feel of the sand between her toes and the loud screech of nearby seagulls.
Stay away from clichés when using metaphors: Metaphors are a great tool in showing, but using the same old worn out clichés can effectively remove your reader from the story. Be unique in your metaphors and don’t be afraid to create your own.
Tell: Mother Nature had let loose her fury
Show: The rain pelted against the windows while the strength of the thunder rattled their panes.
Change up your sentence structure: You can create music with the flow of your words. Varied sentence length can help keep the reader interested in your writing as well as help build certain emotions like fear or suspense. It can also be used to emphasise a point.
Tell – She was so pretty when she smiled.
Show – He couldn’t help but stare at the warmth that seemed to emit from her smile. It wasn’t coy like Trish’s. Nor was it false. It was real. Warm. Almost alive. It made her eyes crinkle. Her nose scrunched. It felt as if her inner happiness had come rushing out in the form of a beautiful, bright smile. It made him feel…like he was home.
Use actions to drive your point home: Don’t tell the readers about a character and their reputation. Use a well-placed action to show them and let them make up their own minds and opinions about it. Show the readers the character as if he was a real person.
Tell – He had a reputation of a dangerous driver.
Show – Stepping on the gas, he hit the speed hump with such a force, it drove the car into the air. He tore around the next corner, laughing as she screamed and held on for dear life.
Use the characters dialogue as a tool:
Dialogue can be the most useful tool in writing. It can be used to share information or to bring forth elements of your characters that have yet to be revealed such as background or accents. It can also be used to filter through emotions that make the characters seem more realistic and believable.
Tell – She was mad that her brother had kept something so important from her.
Show – “Why didn’t you tell me?” She slammed the fridge suddenly, swinging around to glare at him. He raised an eyebrow at her. “You knew the whole time that mum was leaving but didn’t tell me! You are my big brother! You aren’t supposed to keep things from me.” She crossed her arms. “I deserved to know!”
Notes:
• Don’t overshare. In real life, no one likes an over-sharer and the same goes for writing. Give them enough to fuel their imaginations and move on. Too much showing might lose the reader.
• You can still use tell, just break it up. No one wants to read a book that is written like a science report or information dump.
• No ranting. It is very easy to get lost in your imagination and writing an amazing scene filled with every descriptive word you can think of. Hold back. By painting a perfect picture, you are limiting how far the reader's imagination can go.
• Keep practising. You will never get better at showing if you don’t practise. Go to the park and describe what you see. See how much you can write in five minutes, then shorten it. The more you practise, the easier it will be to use it in your writing.
Keep these notions in mind and your writing is sure to be more powerful and compelling — the sort of thing that will keep readers coming back for more.
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