Writing Techniques to Show, Not Tell

To tell – lecture, instruct, inform
To show – use specific action-orientated examples

Action Verbs
He struggled against the gusty wind

Careful use of adjectives and adverbs
Two mangled corpses lay in the pool of darkening blood

Five senses used to alert readers – their interpretation is required

Sound images in dialogue
Yeah, ooh that hurt!

Dialogue – show the relationships and mood of characters; show their motives and reactions; let them think aloud

Actions to show emotion, not described
His voice slowed down. A certain shrillness was evident as he spoke, finally: “Just what is that supposed to mean?”

1 st person – but settle on the narrator whose view of events allows the reader most thought and general observation. Particularise the individual who narrates – a young son of the protagonist…

Past tense is usual, but consider present tense if possible – develop a sense of immediate and on-going action

Use connective words that suggest time – Then (careful, avoid overuse), following that, next, afterwards, finally..

Occasional rhetorical questions – asked by characters of themselves
‘If I touch it, will it go off?' she wondered.

Variety in sentence beginnings:

Show accent and type of person by dialogue
“It is giant space ship with biggest engine I ever have seen,” said Koslov. Suggest Russian accent but without stating that aspect.

Flash back
Structural device which lets the reader know at least one outcome (survival of narrator) while not knowing how events lead to that survival. Gains sympathy for the narrator. Suspense still needs to be maintained. Needs to return to the flashback frame a\towards the end of the story
Present → flashback → present → worked out ending

Diary or letter format
Confessional tone and personalised view allows character to dominate. Hard to fill gaps in knowledge or have the diarist at all events and at all times and places. May need other characters narrating – letters, telephone calls, interviews…

Start the story immediately, don't delay with description of setting – let that emerge or deal with in 3 rd to 5 th paragraph.

Remember different purposes have different ‘speeds'
Exposition – slowest – giving factual information – nothing is happening
Description – almost as slow – giving information again – may have emotional content, is necessary but should be ‘built in'
Narration – active – happening – swift and continuous if carefully shaped
Dialogue – characters talking – vivid, can bring movement and develop plot, but can be a boring tennis match situation.
Dramatic summary – fastest form – not played out in full be reduced to a summary, but is so fast that mood and character get pushed aside. An event lasting several pages may be reduced to a brief paragraph.

Let your characters show feelings – by actions, statements, description
Characters who only ‘think' emotions quickly lose realism.

Don't worry about being ‘obvious' is too blunt, change at that stage but don't let the worry hit you while drafting. But remember to ‘show the obvious' rather than ‘tell the obvious'. Give your bad character stereotypical bad guy actions and props (smelly cigarettes, clothes that are too big)

Be certain the reader understands the importance of an event – eg. A house burning down in the forest – Have a character think of the implications – “Where can we shelter form the cold, for the rain?” Ellie asked her father.

Generally a character makes a new decision that moves the story into new action. Check historical details for accuracy – did men wear boots inside in 1870? What material would a woman's dress likely be made from in 1920?