Writing: Show vs. Tell
Mar. 4th, 2011 09:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
switch842One of the cardinal rules of writing is that you show your audience what is happening, you don't just tell them what happened.
Well, I have a bit of a conundrum. The current story I'm working on, there's a scene where one of the characters tells someone else what just happened. So, if I have that but right before it show everyone what just happened then it's all repetitive and boring and I don't want that. I really, really need the scene with the telling. It has the potential to be a very cool character beat and be all emotional and let us into his head a bit more.
My initial thought is to have the narration up to the beginning of what's going to happen, then jump cut to the telling part the next day. It's not some huge action sequence that I'm skipping. So, it's not like it's fade to black and suddenly the guy has a cast on his arm or something. I mean, it is fairly important in that what happens signals a fairly significant change in a relationship.
Ugh!! I don't know. This is so confusing and frustrating. So, oh f-list of awesome, what advice have you?
Well, I have a bit of a conundrum. The current story I'm working on, there's a scene where one of the characters tells someone else what just happened. So, if I have that but right before it show everyone what just happened then it's all repetitive and boring and I don't want that. I really, really need the scene with the telling. It has the potential to be a very cool character beat and be all emotional and let us into his head a bit more.
My initial thought is to have the narration up to the beginning of what's going to happen, then jump cut to the telling part the next day. It's not some huge action sequence that I'm skipping. So, it's not like it's fade to black and suddenly the guy has a cast on his arm or something. I mean, it is fairly important in that what happens signals a fairly significant change in a relationship.
Ugh!! I don't know. This is so confusing and frustrating. So, oh f-list of awesome, what advice have you?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-04 03:47 pm (UTC)1. Show up to a point and then jump to the telling.
2. Show the whole way and then when you get to the telling it's, Bob relayed what happened last night, leaving out no details. "And so the bobcat ate the hamster." And Clark looked on, amazed.
(I hope that made sense)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-04 04:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-04 04:47 pm (UTC)I did something similar where I wanted one character to see another and then switch to the second character's POV. It seems to have worked. If you want I can link you to the story.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-04 05:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-04 08:04 pm (UTC)Like I said, if you want I can give you a link. And/or give you some hints if you want to write it out and have me take a look at it.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-04 06:09 pm (UTC)If you want the entire scene of the telling in its entirety, I'd maybe let some of the consequences play out for a scene or two to build some suspense, that way the audience is eager to find out what actually happened. Leave the entire original event in shadow until then, so they can't start filling in blanks themselves..
IDK, writing advice without specifics is hard! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-04 06:24 pm (UTC)I know! I'm sorry! But I kinda, you know, wanna save it for the story. :-P
I think the crucial part here is figuring out where to cut it because there are several points that could all work. Ugh. Why must writing be so difficult? Heh.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-05 05:00 am (UTC)If you have elements of the story that you feel a character just has to tell, then you could maybe go back and forth (between showing/telling)??? I'm trying that with a story I'm writing, though, and it is tough!