Showing Not Telling - Tips for Writers
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We’ve all heard, “Show; don’t tell” as a writing tip. It is so easy to slip into the telling part. I’ve been working on some edits for critique group and others, and here are some things you can look for in your next round of revisions.
Did you do a huge data dump to describe a new character? Did you include too much backstory in your introduction or description? Some of this information is important, but you need to sprinkle it in. A character introduction shouldn’t look like a police report.
Look at your paragraphs. Are they chock full of “be” verbs (is, was, were)? This is often an indicator that you have a lot of sentences that are telling the reader facts.
Do you have a lot of references in your paragraphs to she/he or the character’s name. This is another indicator that there is telling going on.
Don’t be Captain Obvious. Your reader can pick up on feelings by actions and reactions that your characters have. You don’t have to tell the reader that your character is happy, mad, sad, or angry. Demonstrate feelings through action or dialogue.
Avoid being a sports commentator by giving your reader a play-by-play description of events.
Leave out the mundane stuff. You do not need to tell the reader about every bite or every step that it takes to do something. And please leave out the weather reports. Readers get bogged down and bored with the routine stuff.
What else would you add to my list?
