Hey, Guidesters! I hope the writing is going well!

Here’s the first of a series of writing tips posts where I’ll cover a variety of ways to make your stories even more awesome! I’ll be using fun Christian blogs, pieces of my old stories, and even spotlighting your great writing moments in these posts to highlight writing concepts. These posts are mainly targeted to fiction and true stories . . . poetry isn’t my forte at the moment. But if you guys want some advice on poetry or other forms of creative writing, I’ll see if I can find someone to post that advice.

Anyway, let’s jump right in!

In my books (pun intended), there are 4 major components of good story-writing:

• Characters 
• Plot
• Setting
• And prose. 

Of course, there are many subcategories in each of those elements that add depth to written works, but those are the large categories I’ll be covering in the next few months. 

In this first series, let’s shine the spotlight on prose. The dictionary classifies prose as “written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.” That’s the best word I could think of to describe the normal, everyday language that makes up the meat of stories. Super important stuff. I think of it as a bowl that holds your story’s contents together, ready to be served up to readers.  

Under this category, you’ll find one of the most famous writing sayings ever: show, don’t tell. This advice is repeated so often that it gets cliche. But it’s still a meaningful thing to consider in your stories. Simply put, the ‘show, don’t tell’ concept means you should give readers information, without spoon-feeding them. As Jerry B. Jenkins implies, ‘telling is simply stating facts while showing paints a vivid picture in the reader’s mind’. 

If you’re still lost, don’t worry. Here are some examples!

Telling: It was a cold winter day, and she was freezing.

Showing: Ice crunched under her thick boots. Even though she was wrapped tighter than a burrito in her parka, she shivered violently.

Telling: The teacher looked embarrassed. 

Showing: Mr. Daniel’s face flushed and he fiddled with the chalk in his hands. “Well . . .” he stammered, “I suppose I was wrong.”

Telling: The party was a disaster!

Showing: I just stand there as the toddler plunks a box of donuts into the pool. Children are shrieking, running, and battering each other with pool noodles. I shudder as I look over the yard littered with gift wrap and snacks. I’m never doing this again!

So, what’s the difference? Telling states the facts directly, almost like a news report, while showing invites readers to picture the scene through creative details. Showing tends to immerse readers, adding depth to characters, emotions, and dialogue. It’s a tool for really deepening a moment in your story. 

However, there are times when telling can be useful. For example, use telling to summarize less important details, provide a brief backstory, or move quickly through time transitions. Knowing when to show and when to tell is a skill that adds balance and rhythm to your writing.

If you’d like to learn more, I’ve linked two blogs that go in-depth on the subject: Show, Don’t Tell | Identifying and Removing Telling and Jerry B. Jenkin’s Blog. 

But to close off this segment, I’ll give you all a scene full of telling, and you can post your takes where you convert some of the telling to showing. 

(This scene is from one of my long-ago stories.) 

As the sun set, Imani watched as the adults came back from working in the cotton field. The slaves started preparing their evening meals. Inside her shack, Imani picked up her only possessions in the world:  two coarse dresses, three marbles, and a penny. She also took some potatoes from the plot of the ground she shared with Grammy. Impatiently, Imani waited until dark. Finally, she slipped behind the slave barracks, beside the cotton fields and walked to the well.

Have fun! I’m looking forward to seeing your versions in the comments. Let me know if this post was helpful or if you have additional questions.

Happy writing!