The golden rule: show, don’t tell

Also known as the most commonly given piece of writing advice ever, this phrase does get banded around a lot, but there is a reason why! There’s always a lot of discussion about ‘teaching’ writing in the right way, and also a lot of duff or repeated ideas – but one of the highly effective ones is the philosophy of ‘show, don’t tell’ with your writing.

This is where you use evocative imagery and descriptions to provide a description of a character, setting, object or event, instead of simply stating basic (and often bland) known information. It can be a good way of adding that extra bit of spice to your stories, as if done well, it shouldn’t distract from the plot too much and gives your reader something additional to mull over.

The golden writing rule: examples

Ways to really ramp up the ‘show don’t tell’ rule revolve around the power of beefing up those descriptions. Instead of stating simple facts like ‘the boy was scared’, you could describe the ‘creeping shadows thrown up by the windy branches outside’ or the ‘tight grip he held on his blanket, his eyes squeezed tightly shut’.

Instead of basic and flat-sounding explanations, giving the reader the opportunity to work this out for themselves allows them to form a closer relationship with the text. Through immersive description, they can also learn more about the character in a way that adds an extra dimension to their story – which can be deftly woven into text and may not have been relieved otherwise!

Breaking up a narrative: dialogue and voice

Another way to show and not tell comes from an unlikely source – dialogue. Not only does it have the power to break up a particularly wordy section of narrative, but dialogue can be used to pepper in tidbits about characters in a skillful way – again, showing not telling certain characteristics and personality traits.

The way in which a person speaks can be an effective way of adding extra flair to descriptions – are they avoidant of certain words or phrases? Are they shy, do they stutter, will they talk loudly and openly or do they have other turns of phrase?

Similarly, voice is also a good signpost – it adds power! Whether your writing relies on the active or passive voice, you can subconsciously alter how your characters are able to interact with the world around them. Clearly dictate to the audience whether they are more of an active influence on the world, or a more passive bystander to let loose some more key facts about them.

How to show, not tell

Sensory words have their place, but it’s best to use them sparingly when aiming for stronger showing, not telling. Often, the urge to rely on phrases like ‘they felt’, ‘she heard’, ‘he smelt’ etc can draw interest away from what these phrases are describing, rather than bringing the focus to where it needs to be – on those lovely descriptions themselves!

Focusing on lesser-covered aspects is a great way of adding extra intrigue – focus on body language, using the setting as a character and other things that may not necessarily jump out – that way, they’ll intrigue the reader and they’ll want to see how these things relate to the story and characters.

Show me more!

That was all about the most powerful (and quoted) piece of writing advice – show don’t tell. Although it is a phrase that has been parroted, there is good reason for that – focusing on sensory descriptions and other techniques over bland facts forced on a reader is a surefire way of getting them coming back for more.