Show and Tell – writers often wrestle with the use of these two techniques. It can be confusing when trying to figure out when it is wrong to use Show if Tell can do the job and vice versa. Here are a few tips for using Show and Tell.
What do they mean?
First, let’s look at the definitions.
Tell relates a fact.
“I fell down.”
Show goes deeper, creating a visual image.
“Suddenly my feet shot out from under me and I was airborne. For a minute, I felt I was flying, but as I crashed onto the sidewalk, pain flooded my body.”
How do I use them?
Show and Tell each have a place when writing a story or novel. Knowing when to use them effectively can improve your writing. Here are a few examples:
Use Tell
- To include a fact that does not need any explanation or have any real impact. “It was raining outside.”
- To let a character “relate” something that has happened. “His dog broke my glasses.”
- To write a synopsis or outline or to storyboard your novel.
Don’t Use Tell
- To report action that should be “shown” particularly during key scenes in your story.
For example:
You’ve built suspense, you have the reader on the edge of his/her seat waiting to find out what will happen when the cops try to arrest the killer.
Suddenly one character tells another: “Well, they got him and he’ll be in jail for 20 years.” End of story.
The reader feels cheated. No big arrest scene, no emotion, no showing us how it all happened. In this instance, Tell is a bad decision.
Use Show
- To express a character’s emotions, motivations and personality traits.
- To engage the reader and make him/her feel part of the action.
- To increase the suspense or drama.
- To describe something the reader cannot visualize.
Don’t Use Show
- To add unnecessary description or action to the story.
For example:
The main character has to go to the police station so she gets in her car and drives there. You don’t have to go into every detail of the car’s interior design or all the actions she goes through to start the car.
“Genna ran outside, got into her car and drove to the police station.”
If, however, the killer was chasing her, then you can use Show to demonstrate her fear.
“Genna stumbled to the car, her hands shaking. She could hear his footsteps behind her on the sidewalk as she wrenched open the car door and jumped inside. She was shivering with cold and fear and the chill leather seats were unwelcoming. She locked the door and concentrated on trying to get the key into the starter, but her hands were shaking too much.”
When you are writing, you will find yourself moving in and out of Show and Tell as you to use them to advance your plot. Tell will be useful for adding the relevant and significant points/facts. Show will come into play as you reach for the five senses and pull your reader into the emotions and reactions of the characters in the book.
Show and Tell in Dialogue
Show and Tell can also be effectively used in dialogue. Use the same criteria: facts for quick knowledge = Tell; visual image = Show. Again, don’t overuse either of them and make sure the usage is appropriate for the time and place in the story.
Example of Tell in dialogue
“I bought a new car,” John said.
He’s telling us a fact.
Example of Show in dialogue
“Oh man, it is like driving in the Indy 500 when you get that baby up to speed,” John said.
Here he is showing us the joy of driving his car.
Decide which technique you need to use to move your story along scene by scene and write accordingly. Be aware of how you are using Show and Tell. Look at your words from the readers’ point of view. Do they work? Is the reader engaged?
A good way to understand Show versus Tell is to reread one of your favorite books and this time really notice when the author uses Tell and Show. Analyze whether this usage moves the story along and engages you, the reader, in the action and emotions or informs you of relevant facts. Take notes and apply what you have learned to your own writing.
