Help! Show Don’t Tell, What Does It Really Mean?

8 Jun

Show don’t tell. A piece of advice every writer has heard at some point. But what does it really mean? And how do you show and not tell?

To begin, let’s explore what ‘show don’t tell’ means.

What does Show don’t tell mean?

Show don’t tell is a technique employed by writers of all genres, this technique enables writers to ‘show’ things to their readers rather than stating them. For example, the statement ‘Bob is angry’ is telling the readers something (in this case that Bob is angry). Whereas ‘Bob stomped away’ is showing Bob is angry through his movements.

Showing, rather than telling, allows your readers to feel more involved in the story and with the characters. It is a technique that can be utilised by both fiction and non-fiction writers.

3 Tips to help you show rather than tell your story

Settings

Perhaps one of the easiest methods of showing, not telling, is by creating a sense of atmosphere and setting. A simple way of doing this is to use the five senses. Showing your readers a setting enables them to picture it in their mind, and plant themselves alongside your characters.

If we work with the classic example of a ‘spooky forest’, let’s apply the five senses. Picture the scene in your head (you can also lookup images online to help you) and think of one example for each sense, for example:

See – darkness.
Touch – the bark of trees.
Hear – the owls.
Smell – decaying leaves.
Taste – thick air

Now all you need to do is put everything together:

From the never-ending darkness emerge decrepit trees with rough bark. Night owl’s screech. The musty scent of decaying leaves taints the air.

You may notice in this example the sense of taste has not been employed as it’s not appropriate for this setting. You can absolutely miss out on a sense if you feel you need to, and for longer pieces of writing varying what sense you use in each scene will stop your piece from being bogged down with sensory overload.

This exercise is a great way for you to practice both your showing skills and your sensory description skills. Have a go at different settings. If you’re stuck for ideas, try describing the scene outside of your window.

Remember, you do not have to stop and describe every new setting in your story, if you do, you may find your story’s pace stuttering. Imagine a high-speed chase pausing just so the setting can be described. It’s important to have balance.

2. Characters

Being able to show a reader your character’s personality and traits is far more engaging than telling them. If we continue our example with Bob. I could tell you Bob disliked pigeons: ‘Bob does not like pigeons.’ Or I could show you Bob doesn’t like pigeons: ‘Bob skirted around the feathered fiend, it cooed at him and he jumped back.’

Another great way of showing your characters is through dialogue. The words and speech patterns used by your characters will say a lot about them, their education, and their history. What other characters say about each other will also reveal hidden information. For example, rather than stating someone is clumsy, you could have another character make a joke about the fact.

3. Action

Telling too much information can stop your story’s flow. One way of avoiding this is to use action to show the setting. For example, if we return to the spooky forest, we described earlier and incorporate some action, you might get something like this:

Bob crept through the forest, running his hands over the rough bark of decrepit trees. A never-ending darkness engulfed him. Nearby a night owl screeched. The musty scent of decaying leaves made the air thick and hard to swallow. The acidic tang of Bob’s fear almost choked him.

As you can see, we still describe the setting but at the same time, we have the action of Bob moving through the trees.

Try adding some action to your setting descriptions. If you need to go back to your list of sensory information, write it out again, focusing on what your character sees, hears, touches, tastes and smells.

What about Show Don’t Tell in Non-fiction Writing?

You can use the same techniques in non-fiction writing to engage your readers and allow them to experience the story you are showing them. While you can’t make things up for your non-fiction writing, you can still use sensory information to describe events and people alike. For example, if you were writing a historical piece and wanted to describe a feast, you could simply state ‘They ate bread’ or you could use sensory information to describe the smell of bread. ‘The hall would have been filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread’.

What are the benefits of using ‘show don’t tell’?

Being able to show and not tell will make your work engaging to your readers, as they will have to interpret the meaning behind the words. This ensures the reader is more involved with the story, they become an active participant. However, you can tailor your language to make sure your readers are on the right track with their interpretations. But you should be careful not to overdo it. Too much flowery or ornate language can be just as bad as ‘telling’.

Combine simple and complex sentences and use different types of sensory language so you don’t overload your reader.

Showing rather than telling also allows you to showcase your characters’ thoughts and opinions. For example, one character might describe a setting as dirty and crowded, while another describes it as bustling and lively. This alternating viewpoint can tell a reader a lot about the character’s mindset and outlook.

Should you ever ‘tell’ in writing?

The short answer is yes. Sometimes you need to tell your readers something.

This could be at the start of your novel or after some big reveal where details need to be clear and not left open to interpretation. A good example of this is crime and mystery novels where clues need to be obvious, so every reader is on the same page.

Sometimes you need to tell, to avoid wasting words on mundane events, for example, if a character is traveling to a meeting, instead of writing pages on the journey it could be summed up in a simple sentence allowing you to move onto more interesting scenes.

Above all else, remember, that your writing is your writing, and it’s important not to let yourself get bogged down with rules. So long as you tell (or show) your story in the way you want to, there is no need to worry yourself over ‘rules’. After all, they’re made to be broken.