Tuesday 21 September 2010

Showing, not telling...

Most writing books advise that you attempt to involve the reader by 'showing' rather than merely 'telling' the events and people, but not all how-to books agree with that advice.

I like this attempt to distinguish the two modes, and explain how they both have their uses - from the Advanced Writing website...

  • Please note how much more efficient “telling” is than “showing.”
  • Please note how much more vivid “showing” is than “telling.”
  • Now here’s an important point: You want to “show” the interesting parts of your story and “tell” the uninteresting parts.

That seems like a very useful distinction, to me. Follow the link for more detail.

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