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What You Believe About Showing & Telling Is A Lie
Writerly Maxims: Part one of a series that will improve your writing.
Show Don’t Tell
This is the most common maxims shared to new writers.
Yet, if you were to pick up any book on your shelf and read through a few pages, I’m confident that you’d find at least one, if not more than one instance of a solid tell.
In general “show don’t tell” is not bad advice, and understanding the execution of a good “show” rather than a “tell” is perhaps the most powerful discipline any writer will ever master for crafting a compelling story.
In practice however, those who have delved too greedily and too deep into the realm of “show” often find that they have packed and wordy chapters upwards of 3,000 and more. They have readers who continuously miss important details in critical sequences. These writers become trapped in the exercise of showing rather than creating impactful and concise understandings that are needed to get a reader invested in the story.
The Differences of a Show and a Tell
A good show pulls the reader in and evokes feelings and connections that are not soon to be forgotten.
