A quick question for writers.

[ash48]

I often hear "don't tell, show" when it comes to story writing.

Can someone provide an example of what "telling" looks like compared to "showing". Um.. I don't mean story links. Just maybe a sentence or two. I think I know, but I'm not entirely sure.

Or maybe a link to a workshop on this?

Many thanks.

Comments

[transfixeddream.livejournal.com]

If I remember correctly, spnroundtable had a workshop on this before!

A quick answer is that telling spells everything out and showing leaves the reader to determine what's going on. For example, "Jared thought Jensen seemed very paranoid on their date." versus "Throughout their date, Jensen kept fidgeting and looking over his shoulder." There's also "Jared is very loud, rambunctious, immature..." for telling, whereas showing would show to the reader HOW he's very loud and such.

Argh, it's late and so my brain isn't working properly, but I hope that helps!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ah yes. I'm sure roundtable must have covered this. I'll have a little hunt through the tags. :)

And thank you. That makes perfect sense.

<33