Show vs. Tell in Fiction Writing

The actual title of this blog should be “show more than tell” but I don’t think the SEO gods would pick up on that as easily and get it out to the masses. 

Anyway, raise your hand if you aren’t sure exactly when to show and when to tell. 

No feeling guilty, okay? Especially when humans have told stories for centuries. Even some of our greatest writers told their stories because that was what was popular during their time. 

With TV and movies taking over mass media, writers have had to adapt. Showing is in vogue and has been for decades. 

Understanding Show and Tell

Showing and telling are two competing forces. They work together within your story to create imagery and straightforward exposition. And they both play their own unique role. 

Showing and telling is a matter of balance between scene and summary. 

Showing immerses readers in the story by weaving scenes with action, reaction, and interaction. It brings readers in close and they will end up feeling like they’re a part of the story rather than a distant observer. 

Telling is explaining. It keeps readers at arm’s length. 

An Example of Telling & Showing

Telling: Peter was a brilliant scientist with a troubled past. He had spent years searching for the cure for a rare disease that plagued his family. 

Showing: Peter, a man consumed by an insatiable hunger for answers, stood amidst the cluttered chaos of his lab. The dim glow of flickering lights cast eerie shadows across his lined face, revealing the weight of countless sleepless nights etched on his brow. 

Notice how the showing example depicts Peter in the middle of his lab, which shows us he’s a scientist rather than feeding that information to us in a single word. And the tiredness and lines on his face give us an idea that he’s been working on something for quite some time without happy results. 

Benefits of Showing

Showing allows your words to say something about your characters, their story world, their situations, how they move through the world, and interact with others. 

Showing allows for scenes to feel immediate. Readers will feel that the scenes are taking place in real time; they’ll be immersed in your writing. It’ll feel as if they’re right there next to your character (or, at the very least, sitting on their shoulder) watching events unfold. 

Whereas telling feels like the reader is being told about the scene after it already happened. 

Here are some of my favorite ways to show more than tell: 

1. Make scenes more active by adding specific details, especially sensory details–sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures.

2. Weave in active verbs that allow your characters to physically do something and interact with others or their surroundings while in scene. 

3. Incorporate dialogue and interaction between two or more characters. If there is only one character, weave in interiority (internal dialogue) or interaction with the setting.

Showing is the preferred mode of storytelling because it immerses readers in the characters’ lives. Readers form a strong connection with characters when they are shown actively doing things and encountering conflict in the story world.

Be careful that showing doesn’t turn into overwriting or purple prose. 

The Purpose of Telling

Telling has its uses! Can you imagine a story where an author showed everything? That would be exhausting to read and that’s where telling comes into play. 

The balance of showing and telling allows you to play with pacing. That being said, telling should be brief and fast.

Here are four ways to us telling effectively:

1. Transitions. These are moments when readers don’t want a drawn-out scene. You can summarize and provide a swift account when the narrative leaps forward in time or changes scenes. 

2. Selective Telling. Telling must hold genuine importance; telling conveys essential details and advances the plot without getting lost in unnecessary descriptive scenes. 

3. Breathing Space. Following an intense scene, readers need time to process and reflect on it. 

4. Controlling Pacing. Telling maintains the rhythm and pacing throughout novels. Using showing and telling allows you to orchestrate the highs and lows of your narrative. 

A Good Rule of Thumb

The more intense a section of your novel is, the more likely there needs to be a scene that is shown with action beats, dialogue, metaphor, and sensory details. As the story’s intensity lessens, then the world of telling opens up. 

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