Any aspiring writer knows the rule of “show, don’t tell.” In essence, the rule advises writers not to tell in their stories, but to show. What the rule does not dwell upon is how to show instead of tell in a story. The rule does not elaborate on how the writer can know that he has started showing and stopped telling in his story. Below, we have elaborated a bit on the difference between showing and telling, and shown how you can use both in creating a successful story. Telling also has a use in a story, and while the rule states “do not tell,” we should not rush and start showing exclusively at the expense of telling. On the other hand, telling can ruin a story, because it makes the story tedious and does not encourage the reader’s imagination. Hence, below we will analyze what you should show in a story, and what you should tell.

1. Show in dialogue

Writers often tend to tell in dialogue. It is not surprising, considering how in dialogue, the characters are telling things to one another. However, showing in dialogue is what makes the characters come alive. Once they stop speaking like narrators or automatons, they start showing – who they are, what they do, what their opinions are, and most of all, they show their emotions. Emotion always stands behind showing, especially in dialogue. Show the readers how a character speaks when he is angry, frustrated, and then, shown how the same character speaks when he is calm or happy. There should be a stark difference, and more importantly, when a character is under duress, he or she will act and speak differently, compared to when he or she is calm.

2. Overusing metaphors, similes and comparisons

Before we get to descriptive language, and sensory inclusion, we need to cover the fact that overusing metaphors and similes can lead to a disaster. Readers love the occasional metaphor, but the emphasis here is not on metaphor, but on occasional. Additionally, if the metaphor or comparison is common to the point of being cliché, your story suffers from telling, not showing. The best way to make sure you are not overusing clichéd metaphors, similes, and comparisons is to write naturally, and later on, analyze your writing. Choose a paragraph where you use the metaphor and have a friend read it. Listen to their feedback. If they find it difficult to read and understand, or if they did not particularly enjoy the writing, rewrite the paragraph and eliminate the metaphor.

3. Sensory inclusion in description

In a story, you need to describe everything from the beginning to the end. The goal of showing, as many authors point out, is to make the reader feel as if they are in the story. Moreover, you need to make the readers feel as if the story really happened. The best way to include the reader in a story is by using descriptive language and sensory inclusion. In other words, use the senses to include the readers in a story. However, telling the reader that the air smelled like vanilla is not enough. Instead, have the character smell that. Have the characters react to the smell. Do they like the smell or not? Does the scent tie to a memory? How can you turn something seemingly insignificant like a scent into something of importance? Answering these questions will help you turn any description of a place, an event, and a character into a memorable sequence that is highly enjoyable to read, because it both triggers the senses and it brings the readers inside the story and the character’s minds.

4. Avoid vague language

You might be using vague language in your writing without being aware of it. A perfect example is the sentence “I have never felt like that before.” Okay, that sentence points to an extraordinary feeling. However, the sentence does not explain the nature of the feeling. Was the character feeling fear, happiness, or love? Of course, you expect the readers to understand from the context what the character refers to (or the narrator, if you are using first person point of view), however, the sentence, the paragraph, and the whole story will benefit from changing the sentence and being more specific. For example, we can change it to “I have never felt such fear before,” or happiness, or use another word. Even more, we can use descriptive language to show the emotion. “I have never felt so paralyzed before. I wanted to move, but no energy reached my limbs. They remained frozen and cold.”

5. Telling in transition scenes

Transition scenes are scenes that explain how a certain amount of time has passed for the characters. If only a day has passed, it is easy to simply state that and continue the story. However, if there is a gap of a month or more, and if the characters have undergone a change (physical or emotional) in the meantime, you need to write a transitional scene to help the reader understand this better. Of course, you can continue the action and then cover the missing period in flashbacks – but flashbacks are a burden on the story and the readers, so the more you avoid them, the better. This is where telling comes into play. With a few sentences, you can move your character from one physical location to another, as long as you portray the character’s emotions during that period. The physical transition should move the story forward, and cause an emotional reaction in the character, and if you cover his or her emotional state during the time that has passed, you will write a great transition scene using emotion and telling. Remember, showing is important in a story, but telling also has excellent uses that you should explore.

Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.