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| Photo by freestocks on Unsplash |
Hullo, friends!
And welcome back to my little blog. :]
It's the second Monday of the month, which means WRITERLY POST, Y'ALL. xD
I don't have anything profound to share with you today, just a little tidbit of a reminder you probably already know. Apologies, dear beans---I can tell you're disappointed. ;D My goal to have the first draft of Noya completed did not happen as I'd hoped by the time the first of March came around, but I'm slooooowly working on that. It was all put on hold thanks to a snag in the plot (something one of my dear friends is helping me out with), but also due in part to life-y things, sickness, & all that jazz. As Spring begins to make itself known in my area, I feel like March will be a new beginning & fresh start to jump back in on the writing wagon.
Writer's block is a nasty thing, so I've been trying to counter it with mini short stories, thanks to a 300-writing-prompts notebook my mum-in-law gave me a few months ago. It's been quite fun! Instead of using it like a diary or journal for my own personal answers to the prompts, I've picked out certain characters from my WIPs & concept stories & have been fiddling with them this week. I'd highly recommend finding one of these notebooks if you find yourself struggling! It certainly helps keep your writing & creativity fresh. :]
Excuse the very non-professional photos, but here are three examples of what I've been playing with:
And onward to the real purpose of this post!
A
Writerly Reminder:
SHOW,
DON’T TELL
As a writer, you've probably heard this a gazillion times. But no matter how often you hear it, don't be opposed to its truth. This could be the only thing keeping your story from being truly EPIC.
In this modern day & age, showing the events & descriptions in your writing adds to the depth & realistic aspects of your novel. Simply telling what's going on or how your character is feeling at any given time makes the entire scene, and unfortunately often the whole book, a dull, bland flavor to the readers.
Am I the only one who sees their book play out like a movie while writing?? That's a phenomenal way to determine whether or not you are showing vs. telling. Ask yourself if your reader could see this playing out on screen. If not, you've unintentionally been telling your readers what to think of the scene & its characters. This Go Teen Writers article by Stephanie Morrill digs a little deeper into that route---check it out!
In this article by K.M. Weiland, author of numerous writing help books, short stories, & novels (this one of which I would recommend!!), she gives at least one key element to successfully show instead of tell in storytelling: never name an emotion.
Simply put, you want to make your readers FEEL what the characters are feeling.
Noya was terrified.
VS.
Noya froze at the sight of the Wulvern, her heartbeat rapidly accelerating, her lungs forgetting their proper function, and her stomach suddenly somewhere near her feet.
Admittedly, that is a rather wordy example, but can you feel the difference??
> > > > > < < < < <
Admittedly, that is a rather wordy example, but can you feel the difference??
> > > > > < < < < <
"If any scene you are writing feels bland & boring, go back & make sure you've used all five senses."
- Jean Marie Stine -
TALK WITH ME
Are you as guilty of telling as I am? There's no shame in that, if so. :] And, as with every little thing, there's certainly a balance to the showing & telling. There will be times where telling is completely appropriate. You'll find most all of the classic novels actually tell their readers what's going on, and that's because the authors wrote to a different kind of audience at the time. Human beans these days are mostly visual thanks to our modern film universe & technology. Hence, why it's stressed as writers today to show, not tell. :]
Are you as guilty of telling as I am? There's no shame in that, if so. :] And, as with every little thing, there's certainly a balance to the showing & telling. There will be times where telling is completely appropriate. You'll find most all of the classic novels actually tell their readers what's going on, and that's because the authors wrote to a different kind of audience at the time. Human beans these days are mostly visual thanks to our modern film universe & technology. Hence, why it's stressed as writers today to show, not tell. :]
Happy writing!
First off....where did your mother-in-law get that journal??? I needs me own. Like yesterday.
ReplyDeleteAnd second....needed that reminder again. Trying my hardest to show more in this draft....hope it works....
Honestly, I'm not sure... But I think I've seen similar ones in stores like Books-A-Million. :D
DeleteI know. I needed it too! It's definitely okay to tell more in the first draft, but in the following ones, it makes such a huge difference! Best of luck to you, Catherine!
That's so lovely you're taking the time to write some shorter pieces! And what a FANTASTIC notebook to have. THAT IS SO FUN. I may have to find me one of those! I've actually been WANTING to hand write some flash fiction, so that'd be perfect! :D
ReplyDeleteAlso, I totally read all your pieces. Hehehe. And I ADORED THEM. The Phila and Arik one especially made me sooooo excited. I NEED MORE OF THOSE TWO! <333
And YES to all this advice! I have read so many books that would have been AMAZING if they hadn't fallen into the whole telling writing style. It's so easy to fall into it. And it's FINE for the first draft. It's a great way to just get the story down. But we should absolutely try to bring in those senses and spice it up come edits. Absolutely! ^_^
Thank you! It's definitely keeping things interesting. ;D I hope you can find one! I'd LOVE to read more CHRISTINE flash fiction. #GIMMEGIMME
DeleteAwww, thank you so much! I do believe Phila & Arik are my faves right now. The whole sci-fi thing is SO MUCH FUN to fiddle with.
Same! It's so darn easy to tell instead of show. It's so natural! But GOODNESS---it makes such a huge difference in stories, and is totally worth the time & effort, I believe. :]