Show, Don't Tell - Confusion in Action
Show, don’t [just] tell . We hear this phrase a lot, but what does is mean? A more important question, does anyone agree? Brandilyn Collins says the rule means to “communicate information to your reader through a character's actions, expressions, words, or perceptions rather than communicating through author narrative.” ( Rules, Rules, Rules—Show, Don’t Tell , 03/13/2008) Monica Wood declares, “showing can be thought of as scene , telling as narrative .” ( Description , pg 21, 1999, Writers Digest Books) D. G. Jerz says that “ Telling communicates facts; showing invites understanding.” ( Show, Don’t (Just) Tell , 05/08/2000) Literary agent Rachelle Gardner says, “The point of showing is to give your reader an experience as opposed to information.” ( Showing vs. Telling , 10/29/2008) Taking these statements alone, you may not see just how different these statements are, but when we look at the examples they provide and the more detailed statements, we see that each has a signific...