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Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Time to Tell #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Writer's Tip #Tell #Time

When you're writing, one warning you always hear is show don't tell. Is this always the case. There is a time to tell and that is done by exposition. A bit of exposition will give the reader a break from the ongoing action. Done well this break can be welcome. Think of a movie you've seen. The setting and other things are shown through pictures. Not possible when writing a story of book unless it amy be a comic book. Telling is different from showing and necessary for a story. When I began writing, an editor once wrote, "Your characters are existing in a vacuum. You may know the setting but the reder has to have clues. Another pointed out the lack of cody language and physical descriptions of the characters. While the reader may use their imagination, some find it hard to stretch that far. So a bit of exposition can add spice and detail to a story.

Of course you can go overboard and suddenly there is more telling that showing. Finding the right balance is hard but is worthwhile. This is one of the secrets so don't totally avoid esposition and send your reader off on a journey od detatched scenes, Also don't have so much exposition, the story becomes lost in description.

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Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Tuesday's Writer's tip - On Plot - Scenes #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Writing #Plot #Scenes

Scenes are the building blocks of a story. In a short work, there may only be one scene but longer pieces of fiction usually carry a number of scenes. So learning to write a scene is good practice.

Just what is a scene? A scene is a way of showing what's happening in the story. We all have ehard the show but don't tell. Telling in a story is generally a summary. Sometimes use to get from one scene to the next. A scene shows the interaction between a character and other characters, the setting or the problem. A scene consists of showing a connecting action that will advance the plot. There can be dialogue, action, dialogue and interaction with other people or with the environment.

Think of two people talking about what they're planning to do , or arguing or gossiping about a character off stage. All of these form a scene and allows the reader to know more about the characters.

Think about a woman or a man entering a new and strange to them environment. Their actions, thoughts and emotions are a scene.

Scenes may be long or short. I have friends who write love scenes that may continue for pages and pages, sometimes chapters, I've read other scenes that are just a few sentences but bring an atmosphere into being.

Scenes aren't random. They have a purpose and when writing a scene knowing what the purpose of the scene means to the overall story is important. I've a book coming out soon that opens with a series of short scenes that begin before the real story begins. There are four short chapters, each having three or four scenes. All these scenes are waht drives the remainder of the book and become evident as the book progresses.

So take care and use your scenes to show the reader into the characters and the plot of the story.

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Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Revision Show or Tell #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Revising #Show #Tell #amwriting

A good story has both show and tell used to make the story complete. Just what is meant by those terms. Telling is descriptions of people, places and things. If a story were all scenes that were mostly action and dialogue the story would move too rapidly and not give the reader a place to look at more than what's happening. Showing is expressed in scenes and interactive between two or more people. Having too much of one or the other makes the book fall flat. Knowing which to use is important.

Telling - descriptions, internal dialogue or knowing what a character is thinking, what happens between scenes showing how people get from one scene to the next. Now there can be problems here. The description of a place, person or thing can go on for paragraph after paragraph and bore the reader. Too much of the story could be shown through internal dialogue. Or one instead of showing the scene cops out and just uses telling.

Showing is action and interaction. Show is what happens between two characters. Tell would be John and Mary had a fight. She left in tears. That tells. Show would play out the scene is full. But there can be a problem with show. One fight scene between two characters might be effective but five or six gets the reader no where.

Finding a balance between show and tell is hard to obtain but once you realize what each brings to the story, you will manage to do both in your story.

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Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Tuesday's Writer's Tip Reminders for Using Show and Tell with Where and When #MFRWAuthor #Writing

As we've seen it's important to show your readers where and when the story takes place. This can be done in a number of ways either by showing through dialogue and action. Or by telling the when and where in passages of description. The following things are good to keep in mind when you're revising your story.

Have you established where the story is taking place preferably by the second page of the story. Having your characters exist in a vacuum might work if you are writing a science fiction story or even a horror tale. One of the first editorial comments I received was "Your characters are existing in a vacuum." The editor was kind enough to add a few brief sentences to show me what she meant. Letting the readers know where the story is taking place is important and each time you move the location, you need to show where the characters are.

Putting the bits about the where and when of the story into the first chapter helps. The readers want to know this. Think of how hard it would be if you were reading a story and learned this was taking place in the present or the past or happening in a hovel when you thought a palace. Doesn't take much to tell and show where the characters are situated and when in history they exist.

Another thing to be aware of is giving the reader a picture of where a character exists of the social structure. Matters are different for the rich or poor, for the servant or the owner, for the doctor, the nurse or the patient. Consider all these things and show and tell the character through action, dialogue and description these things.

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Using Show and Tell to give the When of your story. #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Writing #When

Letting the reader know early in the story when the action is happening is important. Imagine how you would feel if you were reading along and suddenly you realized the story was a historical one or you thought it was a medieval and you learned it was a Regency. I believe you would be a bit angry.

Now you could put a heading at the opening of the story. Something Like August 1812 and that would let the reader know when they were. You could also say something like Fresent Day. Ten years ago. These would tell the reader but they're stale ways to show what you want the reader to know.

Using show and tell is a help. Have the characters in a conversation speaking of something that belongs to the period. Miss Mary Brown turned to her cousin. "When we go to Brighton, will we see the Regent." This would give the reader a real clue to the when on the story.

The July sun shone relentlessly on the mountain climbers. This will also tell a bit more about the when.

Try something like. The incessant ring of the alarm caused Susan to groan. Six thirty is too early to be up but there were things to do and places to be.

All these ways show how to give the reader clues as to when the action is happening. They will keep them reading.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Tuesday's Writer's Tip Using Show and Tell to Establish Where and When #MFRWAuthor #Writing #Show #Tell

Setting is important to every story. That means where and when. Knowing where the story takes place can add depth to the story and so dows knowing when. These two areas also have some dealing with the plot. Think of the difference between a contemporary setting and a historical setting. Then consider one that takes place in a different world as many fantasies and science fiction stories. These have a real purpose in a story.

Sure you can take the same basic plot and set it in a different country, a different era, a place devised from your imagination. There are certain things that will make a difference to the basic story. A land where there are dragons makes the where different and the way people act than today's world with planes, cars and television. So when you're writing the story, you need to find ways to bring the reader into the setting you're using.

So we'll continue with the where. The setting or the where is a backdrop but this also hold influence on the characters actions and reactions. Think of the difference between a ballroom and a prison cell. Consider how the characters interact with the setting. What do they see, smell, touch, taste, hear. All the senses make an impact on the characters and also bring the reader into the story. Just remember not to give too much in a long passage of description. That can be boring. You need to choose the elements you want to focus on. You also want to scatter them through out the story.

So consider the where as part of your story and bring your characters into this setting.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Tell or Show #MFRWAuthor #BooksWeLoveLTD #am writing #Hints

I'm revisiting a book written by Jane Toombs and myself and seeing what inspiration I can find. Becoming Your Own Critique Partner was planned one evening at a conference when we had nothing else to do and had enjoyed a drink or two. We only sat and devised the titles for the chapters and then forgot about the project. One day, I was at my critique group and one of the members read her pages, I was bored. The entire bit she was read was in tell mode and I thought I was a child again being educated rather than entertained. I pulled up the list of chapters Jane and I had jotted down and saw the title Does Your Tell Need Showing. Just the thing for my critique partner. I rough drafted the chapter and sent it to Jane. Back it came with a lot of notes scribbled on the side but also came another chapter for the book. This is hoe it began and during the next few weeks I'll be using this as my inspiration for the writer's tips.

First- Tell is facts. Think of the nursers stories you were read when you were a child. Just a picture of what happened next. As a child, these stories pleased you but as you grew older , you needed more.
Take the Three Little Pigs Each of them builds a house. Along comes the wolf. He huffs and puffs and blows two of the houses down. He fails the third one. Story is fine but what could be missing.

Second - Show is emotions, actions and reactions, If you want to show the story of the Three Little Pigs, you need to add some of these. How did each one of them build their houses. Did the one who made his of wood bang his finger. Did they sweat? Where they afraid as they worked hoping to finish and be safe before the wolf came? How did they react when he arrived? All these things add to a story.

So when writing yours look at those tell passages adn try to intersperse a bit of show there or vise versa. Both tell and show have a role to play when you're writing a story.

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