Striking the Perfect Balance: Mastering Show vs. Tell in Your Writing
"Show, don't tell is the oldest maxim of writing instruction, and for good reason. By immersing the reader in a vivid and sensory experience, you create a deeper emotional connection that will keep them engaged and invested in your story." - Jenna Moreci
One of the most difficult challenges for a writer is striking the right balance between showing and telling. Showing is when you use descriptive language to paint a mental picture for the reader, whereas telling is when you summarize or explain something directly. While both approaches have their advantages, finding the right balance can be the difference between success and failure in your writing. Here are five pointers to help you strike the right balance.
Understand when to show and when to tell
Before you begin writing, consider the purpose of the scene or passage you are creating. When it comes to establishing an emotional connection between your characters and your readers, showing is usually the better option. Create a sensory experience for your reader by using descriptive language. However, if you need to convey information quickly or advance the plot, telling may be more effective. Use it sparingly, and make sure the information you’re providing is significant enough to warrant the break from showing.
Make use of dialogue to demonstrate
Using dialogue is one of the most effective ways to show rather than tell. Allowing your characters to speak for themselves allows you to reveal their personalities, motivations, and relationships with others. Use dialogue to create tension and conflict, as well as to reveal information that would otherwise be difficult to convey.
Avoid Using Adverbs and Adjectives Excessively
While descriptive language is necessary for showing, using too many adverbs and adjectives can make your writing feel heavy-handed. Instead, concentrate on selecting the right verbs and nouns to conjure up vivid images in the minds of your readers. Instead of saying “she walked slowly,” you could say “she shuffled” or “she ambled.” Without the use of adverbs, these words conjure up a more specific image in the reader’s mind.
There is a fine balance of showing vs telling. That you will only get right by slowly editing your writing so always take your time.
Incorporate Metaphors and Similes Metaphors and similes can be effective tools for demonstrating rather than telling. You can provide a richer sensory experience for your reader by comparing one thing to another. Instead of saying “he was sad,” you could say “he felt like a dark cloud had settled over him.” This metaphor paints a more vivid and emotional picture in the mind of the reader.
Know When to Stop Showing
While showing can be effective, it is important to know when to stop. If you show every detail of every scene, your writing will become tedious and slow. Instead, concentrate on the most important details and fill in the gaps with telling. This will keep your writing moving and keep your readers from becoming bogged down in unnecessary detail.
So let’s take what you just learned and show you the difference between showing vs telling.
Telling
Samantha was very sad when she found out her dog had died. She cried all night and didn’t go to school the next day.
Showing
Samantha walked into the house, calling out for her dog as she always did. But there was no answering bark, no wagging tail. Instead, her mother met her at the door with tears in her eyes. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” she said, and Samantha felt her world shatter. The tears came then, hot and heavy, and she stumbled to her room, unable to bear the emptiness of the house. That night, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the silence, and cried until she fell asleep. In the morning, when her alarm went off, she turned it off and stayed in bed, unable to face the day without her faithful companion.
In the first example, the writer simply tells us that Samantha is sad and cries all night, without giving us any sensory details or emotional context to help us connect with her experience. In the second example, however, the writer shows us Samantha’s emotions through her actions, thoughts, and surroundings. We see her searching for her dog, her mother’s tears, and the empty house. We feel the weight of her grief as she cries herself to sleep and stays in bed the next day. By showing us these details, the writer creates a deeper emotional connection between Samantha and the reader, making her story much more engaging and memorable.
In the end effective writing requires striking the right balance between showing and telling. Use these five tips and the example to help you find the right balance and write content that will engage and captivate your readers. Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, so try out different approaches until you find what works best for you and your writing style.
