The Show of “Show don’t Tell”…Ruben D. Gonzales

Showing not telling takes many forms in good writing. We’ve all read about the show don’t tell dictum of good writing so that’s not new to us and we are constantly on the lookout for it as we edit our manuscripts. Not too long ago I got a manuscript rejection after a query acceptance and a chapter review. The manuscript as a whole didn’t make the cut. I was certainly disappointed but at least the rejection came along with a few encouraging words and a few disappointing words as well. The disappointing ones amounted to … the show don’t tell problem. Of course having gone through the manuscript many times to eliminate any glaring examples of this amateur writing problem, I must have missed some since it was identified as a concern with my book.

Show don’t tell also can be a case of your characters physical actions. For instance:

“The cop looked like he didn’t believe me.”

That’s telling.

“The cop turned to me, his eyes wide, an eyebrow arched.

This is showing.

The difference can be subtle to an inexperienced writer, even after a couple of published books, and it takes some creative effort to work your way through your manuscript line after line looking for “tell” and replacing it with “show”. But if it was easy everyone would be a successful writer.

Using appropriate body language to show character motives improves your writing. Your character’s body language let’s your readers interpret your character’s motives without having to tell them what your character is all about.

But don’t overdo it. Don’t use a succession of meaningless mannerisms, especially if they don’t  move the story forward or provide foundation for the future story. If in chapter one you spend some time describing your main character as left handed, then in the end the dead body should have a fatal wound on the right side of his face.

In the end make sure all your characters gestures serve a purpose. Use your characters body language to communicate attitude. Let your characters body language show clues to their emotions.

How?

Let’s sharpen our people-watching skills.

www.rubendgonzales.com