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There’s no lack of writing advice online, and basic tips for beginners are generally similar across the board. That said, there are an increasing number of new writers every day and, even for veteran writers, a lot of basic advice bears repeating. In the spirit of giving back some of what others have taught me over the years, I thought I’d begin a 12-part series of weekly posts on writing fiction, in hopes they may steer someone to improved technique, or help more experienced writers to think of an old idea in a new way. While I’m specifically addressing speculative fiction writers, most of the information will apply to any genre.
Popular writing trends have changed over the years. Formal and poetic language was an accepted norm in centuries past; now the trend is to avoid flowery writing even when striving for a literary feel. Pulp fiction throughout much of the 1900s tended to be plot and action driven; these days, even for commercial stories, the preference leans toward character-driven work. Omniscient POV (point of view) used to be widely accepted, but is now out of favor. Why the changes? In a word: immediacy. The majority of readers and editors today are looking for active, character-driven work that immerses the reader in the story.
Purple prose, omniscient POV, and plot-driven stories may be obvious ways of creating distance between your characters and your readers, but there are many subtle ways to slow pacing and place the reader in a balcony seat vs inside the character’s skin. Collectively, these are often lumped together under the oft’ repeated “show, don’t tell” adage.
This week will begin with an overview of showing versus telling to lay a foundation for the more specific dos and don’ts to come.
Very briefly, ‘telling’ is shortcut writing. The author is using blunt, distant narrative to tell the reader about a situation rather than allowing the reader to see and feel it through the character. Showing will almost always require more words than telling.
For example:
Bill began to feel lightheaded from the stuffy air in the crowded theatre. He got up and left.
Okay, there are a number of things wrong here, but changing it from telling to showing should fix all of them.
The faster Bill breathed, the more his head spun. The audience surely exceeded the Fire Marshall’s safety limits. Looking back, he watched as the ushers closed the theatre doors and imagined the crowd sucking the remaining oxygen from the room. He stood, gripping the seat back in front of him for balance. Easing past the knees of the men and women in his row, he struggled not to pass out across someone’s lap.
18 words vs 71, but which gives a richer reading experience? Which shows more about the character and setting? Which one puts you in the character’s shoes? Take a look through something you’ve written recently and see if you can spot where you're telling when you could be showing.
Popular writing trends have changed over the years. Formal and poetic language was an accepted norm in centuries past; now the trend is to avoid flowery writing even when striving for a literary feel. Pulp fiction throughout much of the 1900s tended to be plot and action driven; these days, even for commercial stories, the preference leans toward character-driven work. Omniscient POV (point of view) used to be widely accepted, but is now out of favor. Why the changes? In a word: immediacy. The majority of readers and editors today are looking for active, character-driven work that immerses the reader in the story.
Purple prose, omniscient POV, and plot-driven stories may be obvious ways of creating distance between your characters and your readers, but there are many subtle ways to slow pacing and place the reader in a balcony seat vs inside the character’s skin. Collectively, these are often lumped together under the oft’ repeated “show, don’t tell” adage.
This week will begin with an overview of showing versus telling to lay a foundation for the more specific dos and don’ts to come.
Very briefly, ‘telling’ is shortcut writing. The author is using blunt, distant narrative to tell the reader about a situation rather than allowing the reader to see and feel it through the character. Showing will almost always require more words than telling.
For example:
Bill began to feel lightheaded from the stuffy air in the crowded theatre. He got up and left.
Okay, there are a number of things wrong here, but changing it from telling to showing should fix all of them.
The faster Bill breathed, the more his head spun. The audience surely exceeded the Fire Marshall’s safety limits. Looking back, he watched as the ushers closed the theatre doors and imagined the crowd sucking the remaining oxygen from the room. He stood, gripping the seat back in front of him for balance. Easing past the knees of the men and women in his row, he struggled not to pass out across someone’s lap.
18 words vs 71, but which gives a richer reading experience? Which shows more about the character and setting? Which one puts you in the character’s shoes? Take a look through something you’ve written recently and see if you can spot where you're telling when you could be showing.
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