Have you ever entered a bookshop to read the opening sentences of a book but end up reading the whole chapter? And, once you finally shut the book, you can’t put a finger on what made you fall in love with the book to begin with?
A great feeling. Right?
In other posts on the website, we’ve discussed writing devices such as conflict and suspense, all which help to captivate the reader’s attention.
There is however, a third much discussed device, which has to do with description.
This is the Show, Don’t Tell writing technique.
As the name suggests, Show, Don’t Tell is a technique which emphasises vivid description of something rather than merely calling it for what it is.
It is an indispensable catalyst to any piece of writing, one which improves the text’s ‘immersive’ ability.
OK, but how true is the science behind Show, Don’t Tell?
Let’s take the following sentences as examples:
- John was tired. You could see it in his face.
- John looked at her confusedly.
- John was very angry then.
The above are perfectly legible sentences which would fall into the ‘Told’ category rather than the ‘Shown’.
Applying the Show, Don’t Tell technique, those sentences would sound as follows:
- John was flush with a redness which was noticeable from miles away.
- A crease appeared in between John’s brows as he looked at her.
- John’s gaze turned cold, as if living in it was a famished feline.
As you can gather, these other sentences have opted for a description of John’s mood or countenance rather than blunt ‘telling’. Not only does this provide more details for the reader to feed on, but it also stimulates and invites the reader’s imagination.
Now, is the importance of Show, Don’t Tell overstated?
Not in the slightest.
From my personal experience of writing two novels, Show, Don’t Tell marks the difference between a basic-sounding narrator and an accomplished storyteller.
It elevates the quality of your story.
Still, while this is true, it is possible to sometimes use more basic description like ‘confused’ or ‘angry’.
For, if used too many times, Show, Don’t Tell could make your storytelling feeling ‘plastic’, like it tries to hard to get in a readership’s good graces.
So, a good balance of ‘Showing’ and ‘Telling’ is needed.
However, more often than not, choosing to describe with more flourished descriptions is the way to go to avoid sounding boring.
Thus, Show, Don’t Tell: an exaggeration or a necessary writing trick?
You be the judge!