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mbarker Original Posting Sept. 14, 2018
Writer's Digest, October 1993, had an article on pages 32-35 by Carol-Lynn Marrazzo with the title Show and Tell. It's not about the school pastime, it's about using both show and tell in your storytelling. She starts out by explaining that her readers were telling her that the climax just fell flat, they felt distanced. "Even though I'd used dialogue and description to show what was happening… readers said they wanted more." So she did some analysis of stories by writers that she admired.
"In story after story, I found that climactic moments contained two elements: a physical action or manifestation (crying, trembling, etc.), and narrative. Telling." In that moment of realization, when the characters internalize change, the narrators told us what they were thinking and feeling.
Carol-Lynn next shows us an example from Eudora Welty. A bit of action, but what it means is focused and heightened with narrative. Show and tell!
Then she expands on it a little bit. "You can do this in your own stories. For example, if you show a character doing something at a critical juncture in the story – breaking eggs, unbuttoning a blouse, drawing an ace from a marked deck – in that bit of storytime you have the opportunity to tell that character's thoughts or feelings."
Sometimes it's just a very short characterization. Carol-Lynn gives an example of the" "sweat of regret." That "of regret" is clearly the narrator naming the experience. So, you can use this technique to heighten characterization in later drafts, during revision. Watch for these little sprinkles of telling, and make sure that they're the right ones. Or, of course, you may be more expansive. There is an example from James Joyce, with a rather lengthy chunk of narration. It depends on the character. "If your character has been freely sharing observations and feelings throughout the story, and then goes mute at a critical turn, your reader may feel cheated."
Internal monologue, a.k.a. narrative, helps us to really understand what the character is feeling. Physical signals are good, but tell us the true feelings!
Try what Carol-Lynn does throughout her article. Take a scene from a writer that you admire, and highlight the pieces of narrative, the telling intertwined in the showing. You may be surprised at how much is there.
Now, Carol-Lynn warns that you have to know your characters and your stories very well to do this effectively. But, separate the showing and the telling, then look for inconsistencies and contradictions. Study the telling, modifiers, adverbs, adjectives, little descriptive phrases and clauses. Make sure they match your story and your characters.
"Pay special attention to the narrative. Learn to identify ineffective telling, and let it help you find and focus your story. Then, use artful telling to heighten your character's deepest thoughts and feelings, to get to the heart of things and bring your story to life."
There you go. Show and tell.
Writer's Digest, October 1993, had an article on pages 32-35 by Carol-Lynn Marrazzo with the title Show and Tell. It's not about the school pastime, it's about using both show and tell in your storytelling. She starts out by explaining that her readers were telling her that the climax just fell flat, they felt distanced. "Even though I'd used dialogue and description to show what was happening… readers said they wanted more." So she did some analysis of stories by writers that she admired.
"In story after story, I found that climactic moments contained two elements: a physical action or manifestation (crying, trembling, etc.), and narrative. Telling." In that moment of realization, when the characters internalize change, the narrators told us what they were thinking and feeling.
Carol-Lynn next shows us an example from Eudora Welty. A bit of action, but what it means is focused and heightened with narrative. Show and tell!
Then she expands on it a little bit. "You can do this in your own stories. For example, if you show a character doing something at a critical juncture in the story – breaking eggs, unbuttoning a blouse, drawing an ace from a marked deck – in that bit of storytime you have the opportunity to tell that character's thoughts or feelings."
Sometimes it's just a very short characterization. Carol-Lynn gives an example of the" "sweat of regret." That "of regret" is clearly the narrator naming the experience. So, you can use this technique to heighten characterization in later drafts, during revision. Watch for these little sprinkles of telling, and make sure that they're the right ones. Or, of course, you may be more expansive. There is an example from James Joyce, with a rather lengthy chunk of narration. It depends on the character. "If your character has been freely sharing observations and feelings throughout the story, and then goes mute at a critical turn, your reader may feel cheated."
Internal monologue, a.k.a. narrative, helps us to really understand what the character is feeling. Physical signals are good, but tell us the true feelings!
Try what Carol-Lynn does throughout her article. Take a scene from a writer that you admire, and highlight the pieces of narrative, the telling intertwined in the showing. You may be surprised at how much is there.
Now, Carol-Lynn warns that you have to know your characters and your stories very well to do this effectively. But, separate the showing and the telling, then look for inconsistencies and contradictions. Study the telling, modifiers, adverbs, adjectives, little descriptive phrases and clauses. Make sure they match your story and your characters.
"Pay special attention to the narrative. Learn to identify ineffective telling, and let it help you find and focus your story. Then, use artful telling to heighten your character's deepest thoughts and feelings, to get to the heart of things and bring your story to life."
There you go. Show and tell.