The Importance of the Show Not Tell Method of Writing

What is the Show Not Tell Method?

Before I get into the details of describing this writing technique I have for a while felt the name Show Not Tell is not a fitting name for the actual technique. Realistically it should be called Show and Tell. I say this because the focal point for a creative writer should always be to tell the story. You want to be a storyteller.

Show and Tell is one of the simplest guidelines in creative writing, and one of the most helpful. In short, it encourages writers to describe their experiences to the reader, rather than just give them information.

What does Show and Tell mean?

Show and Tell describes writing in various forms with an emphasis on using and showing actions in order to convey the emotions you want your readers to interpret, which creates a better reading experience. Without descriptive writing (or Show and Tell) you are basically writing a story length exposition in which you are continuously introducing your readers to your story as opposed to telling them a fully detailed story of which they can visualize in their mind. In simpler terms with descriptive writing, you are pretty much just giving your readers bullet points.

Descriptive + Action

In a nutshell, showing is about using description and action to help the reader experience the story. Telling is when the author summarizes or uses exposition to simply tell the reader what is happening. Without the description and action part of your story all you are doing is telling a story from your viewpoints. Your characters can never really be developed or come to life without "showing."

It's not about spoon feeding your readers. It's more like treating them to a deeper, more fulfilling experience. Not an overwritten experience but a perfectly written experience. And as a writer your aim should be to craftily lead your reader exactly where you want them to go. You don't want to put out an aimless story - that is only confusing and boring.

Let me give you an example of "description and action" used in my story Blackbird Fly Part Two.

In the following paragraph I wrote:

"As the class applauded her, he looked over at her and he saw this most beautiful feminine girl with long black hair and a shiny innocence in her eyes. She had her legs crossed and sat there with an unusual sort of confidence on her face. He knew he had to talk with her."

In the paragraph there is descriptive writing such as feminine, long black hair and a shiny innocence in her eyes. Those descriptors bring my character to life. You almost feel like you can see her - especially those innocent eyes.

There is also action in that paragraph: legs crossed and confidence on her face.

When you combine the descriptors and the actions it's as if you can see my character sitting at her desk. As a matter of fact, there are probably several people reading this article that can tell me the name of this character without looking it up in the story. The reason for that is because I have used a good number of descriptors and actions to develop the character. Therefore, the character comes to life and becomes memorable.

Another thing I did is I led the reader's attention to different areas. When I mentioned that she had her legs crossed, your attention went to looking beneath her desk to see her legs. Then by mentioning the confidence on her face I'm bringing you back up. Not only am I leading you to different areas, but I am shaping the way you feel about the character.

Taking control of your story and leading your readers down different paths is manipulative writing. It's the author's job to manipulate readers, to urge them to feel a certain way.

All writers deliver their messages by manipulating the reader. That might sound terribly controlling, but it doesn’t mean you are some evil puppet master. Manipulating readers is more subtle than that. It’s more of a nudge in a certain direction: look, this character is a nicer person than that one; this is the one you should feel empathy for.

Had I just written that paragraph to say: "As the class applauded her, he looked over at her and he saw this most beautiful girl." The reader wouldn't know anything about the character or have any feelings about her. Most likely her name would not be remembered.

Let Your Characters Tell Their Story

By using the Show Not Tell method you are letting your characters tell their story instead of being a narrator telling your readers about your characters. In other words, your characters and storylines come alive.

You May Already Be Using the Show Not Tell method and Not Realize It...

Most creative writers are already using the Show and Tell method and don't realize it. If you've ever written a fantasy story in which you are doing a great amount of world-building you are by all means showing and telling your readers about this world. If you want this world to come alive you certainly are not going to be giving them paragraph after paragraph of bullet points. You are going to build your world with colors like green moss or purple clouds (both descriptive). You're also going to build your world with action items such as "strong gusts of wind," or "pillows of smoke emitting from the hills."

The Last Word

In conclusion there is so much more depth to Show and Tell than spoon feeding your readers and it certainly is not hooptetoodle. It is a skill that must be carefully honed and is a beneficial tool for the creative writer.