Sally is on vacation this week, so I had some reading time in the coffee shop this morning. Since we’re talking about Showing versus Telling this week month, I picked out one of my favorite passages in an old novel that I thought might help her understand this concept. I stressed last week the fact that Showing versus Telling centers around the Emotion of the story. You tell actions, of course, and you can tell backstory, (but it’s much better delivered in dialogue) but the rule “Show don’t Tell” deals specifically with the subject of emotions. You want to let the reader feel it, and the best way to do this is to bring them into the world and especially into the character’s skin. We’ll be covering emotional layering later […]
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Quick Skills: Olympic Sized Dedication
I am absolutely inspired by the Olympic Athletes. Their dedication to their sport, the sacrifices they make, the drive inside, their ability to envision victory that propels them forward. I’m loving both the team and the individual events. Like rowing! And the synchronized diving? Amazing. My favorite, however, is swimming. For a brief time, I swam competitively (I wasn’t very good), and watching the events brings back the feeling of adrenaline, the competitive burn, the sense of cutting through the cool water. It brings me back to those school and AAU meets, the smell of chlorine, crowding around the results lists to find my name. Sometimes I wish I’d had the courage, the drive….the vision to continue. I am loving the Olympic commercials, but this one with Ryan Lochte has […]
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What is the difference between Showing and Telling?
Showing is NOT about describing everything that happens. Showing is about helping the reader experience the emotions and motivations of the character. It’s about the reader getting into the character’s head to enjoy the journey.”
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Conversations: The powerful use of Internal Monologue
“I’d thought she’d never get here.” Sally shot me a look as she sat down on the Adirondack chair next to me. She eyed me warily. “Were you talking to me?” “No. Why would you think that?” I paused, looked away. “She’s so paranoid.” “Are you schizophrenic?” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m sitting right here.” “Sheesh, touchy,” I said softly. Then, “What are you talking about? How are you?” I smiled. She stared at me like I’d turned purple. I laughed. “I was internal monologueing.” “Out loud?” “So you could hear it.” “Please tell me that’s not what you really think. I don’t mean to be late –“ “Calm down, Sally, it was just for teaching purposes. But if you were reading that, it would certainly add a bit of […]
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