Show and Tell

We've all heard "Show, don't tell," but what does it mean in practice? Here's an example of telling (and of using the editor's bête noire, the manner adverb):

"I think we've gone off course or else I'm reading the chart wrong," Dahlia said nervously.

By you don't need to tell us that the character is nervous; you can show us.

Dahlia tapped a staccato beat against the chart table with a pair of brass dividers. "I think we've gone off course or else I'm reading the chart wrong," she said, gnawing at an already ragged thumbnail.

OK. Not great writing, but you get the idea. We're in the scene, observing the details, and we can draw our own conclusions.

Showing invites the reader into the story. Telling dumps information into the reader's brain. But of course you still need to tell some things. So what should you show and what should you tell? Writer/Editor Jason Black explains, 

You’re allowed to tell is anything that would be visible (audible, smellible, et cetera) to the reader if the reader were a fly on the wall in your scene, plus the viewpoint character’s inner monologue if you’re using that. All the stuff that’s directly manifest in the world of the story. Everything else, all the invisible stuff you want the reader to know, everything those flies on the wall would have to infer on the basis of what they observe, is what you need to show. Here’s the cool part: you show the invisible stuff by telling the visible stuff.

I'm a big teller in first drafts, and I always have to revise to show the story. How about you? Are you a teller or a shower?

—Kathy

Poetry: Goodbye, Dear Ladies

When we join plots, themes, thoughts and notation, out comes our own Swiss Confederation!

In sync we devise, scheme, and spin out a tale, with six, eight or more parts, we always prevail.

Our collected troupe crafts and composes each line, where evil and pure in our story entwine,

intrigue ensues quickly as features unfold, with narrations winsome or silly or bold.

Our narrator reads in a humorous tone, then we share hearty laugh or sometimes a groan.

Your Turn

Thanks to all of you for reading the blog over the past couple of months. I've had my say in over 40 posts. Now it's your turn.

Do you know of a resource that might benefit the group? Do you have a story to share about your writing or reading life? Do have a tale of woe or a success story about getting published? Have you written poetry, short fiction, or essays?

Don't be shy. Step forward and share it on the blog. (For right now, posting to the blog means sending your material to Ellen and me in an email.)

If you're comfortable with computers and email, please volunteer to help administer this site. In just the few minutes each month it takes to publish "Our Stories" and homepage blog posts, you'll be making a huge contribution to the writing group.

Heading west and signing off for now.

—Kathy

Wattpad: Social Writing

There's a new (well-financed) platform out there that helps aspiring writers connect directly with readers: Wattpad. The online social reading/writing platform already has over 5 millions stories posted, and millions of viewers visit each month. Investors see it as the YouTube of writing.

The service is free, and by joining Wattpad, writers can upload their novels a chapter at a time and get comments from readers. Some stories have had tens of thousands of views and comments. Readers get to have a participatory role in the creation of stories that's rare outside of writing groups and the publishing industry.

Weekly Roundup: The Craft and the Business

Conferences
This fall, local Zürich writers and editors from Nuance Words are sponsoring WriteCon Zürich 2012. I love the tagline: ". . . because everyone can write."


Contests

Flash your fiction with Writer Unboxed's 7 Sundays of Summer Flash Fiction Contest. Every Sunday a new image will be posted on Writer Unboxed. Just put your story (250 words or less) in the comments section. The competition deadline for the first week has passed, but it's not too late to add your story and then continue with the new image on Sunday, 8 July. 

After revving up with flash fiction, why not submit a somewhat longer story to the Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition? The deadline is November 15. If you're a genre writer (whether romance, crime, young adult, or science fiction), check out the competitions in these categories (deadline September 14).