I remember reading Great Expectations for the first time. There were three pages devoted to describing the cemetery. I was like, "Okay, I get it, it was foggy."
Dickens could get away with it because he was Dickens. But you, however, cannot.
Still, the 'show don't tell' rule is overrated, in my opinion. Showing emotion helps the reader have a deeper connection to the character. However, if you show everything without telling, you'll end up with a lot of description without context, weighing down the pace of your story. Likewise, too much telling and your character will feel flat. So, what is a writer to do? How can you hit that perfect balance of show AND tell?
Good news!
Here's a simple way to remember when to use show or tell.
Show emotions.
Tell feelings.
Instead of TELLING us she was sad. SHOW us she was blinking away hot tears, trying to force a smile.
Instead of SHOWING us the character couldn't stop yawning and her eyelids were heavy with sleep, just TELL us she was tired.
Keep in mind, you can mix these nicely too. She was so tired she couldn't stop yawning.
Whether you decide to show or tell, it's good practice to keep the descriptions to no more than three sentences in a row.
I hope this quick tip helps! Happy writing.
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Write On!
RandomHow to get the story out of your head and on the page. A collection of blog posts full of writing tips and encouragement. Writing is an ongoing learning experience and whether your a successful novelist or about to pen your first book, there's alway...
