Show, Don't Tell Writing Technique | EasyTeaching
Summary
TLDRThe video script emphasizes the 'show, don't tell' technique in creative writing, contrasting direct statements with descriptive language that engages readers. It illustrates the difference through examples, such as 'Gavin's stomach growled' versus 'Gavin was hungry.' The script offers strategies to implement this technique, including using body language to convey emotions, describing settings to show character interactions, choosing meaningful details, and utilizing dialogue to reveal personality. It also advises on the balanced use of showing and telling to avoid overly verbose writing.
Takeaways
- 📚 Show, Don't Tell is a fundamental technique in creative writing that enhances storytelling by making readers infer emotions and details.
- 🗣️ Telling in writing is characterized by direct statements of information, like 'Gavin was hungry,' which can feel passive and distant.
- 🎨 Showing in writing involves the use of descriptive language, actions, and dialogue to bring the story to life, creating a more immersive experience.
- 🌟 Examples of showing include 'Gavin's stomach growled loudly as he eyed the freshly baked donuts,' which is more engaging than simple telling.
- 🤔 The difference between showing and telling can be seen in the way information is presented—telling summarizes while showing describes and immerses.
- 🧘♂️ Strategy 1: Describe emotions through body language instead of labeling them, which makes the reader understand the character's feelings more deeply.
- 🏡 Strategy 2: Describe the setting and show how characters interact with it, which helps to create a vivid and eerie atmosphere.
- 🎼 Strategy 3: Choose details carefully to show more about characters, like a well-worn guitar in a musician's room, which tells more about their passion.
- 🗣️ Strategy 4: Use dialogue to show personality and feelings, as the way characters speak can reveal much about their character.
- ⚖️ Balance is key—overusing the show technique can make writing long-winded, and sometimes telling can serve as a useful shortcut.
- 📝 Encouragement to practice these strategies by rewriting paragraphs to show rather than tell, and to share work for feedback.
Q & A
What is the main difference between 'showing' and 'telling' in creative writing?
-In creative writing, 'showing' involves using descriptive language, actions, and dialogue to bring the story to life, making the reader infer emotions and other information. 'Telling', on the other hand, presents information directly by stating it, often feeling like a summary of events rather than an immersive story.
Why might writing that tells be considered passive and distant?
-Writing that tells can be seen as passive and distant because it simply provides a summary of events without engaging the reader's senses or emotions, leading to a less memorable reading experience.
Can you give an example of how to show instead of tell that a character is hungry?
-Instead of stating 'Gavin was hungry,' you could show it by writing 'Gavin's stomach growled loudly as he eyed the freshly baked donuts,' which uses descriptive language and action to convey his hunger.
What are some strategies to effectively show emotions through body language in writing?
-Strategies include describing physical reactions such as yawning, sighing, glancing at a watch for boredom, using expressive hand gestures and laughing for excitement, sweating and rapid breathing for fear, and fidgeting or pacing for nervousness.
How can describing the setting and character interaction with it help in showing rather than telling?
-Describing the setting and how characters interact with it can create a vivid picture in the reader's mind, making the setting a character itself and enhancing the story's atmosphere, as opposed to simply stating the setting's characteristics.
Why is it important to carefully choose details when showing rather than telling in writing?
-Carefully chosen details can reveal more about characters and settings, making the narrative richer and more engaging. It helps to avoid unnecessary information and focus on elements that contribute to the story's depth and the reader's understanding.
How can using dialogue effectively show a character's personality and feelings?
-Dialogue can show a character's personality and feelings by reflecting their speech patterns, choice of words, tone, and the context in which they speak, providing insights into their emotions and character traits.
What is the potential downside of overusing the 'show, don't tell' technique in writing?
-Overusing the 'show, don't tell' technique can make writing long-winded and difficult to follow. It's important to strike a balance between showing and telling to maintain clarity and pace in the narrative.
Can you provide an example of how to improve a paragraph by rewriting it to show instead of tell?
-Sure, instead of writing 'He was feeling bored,' you could improve it by showing: 'He yawned lazily and glanced at the clock perched at the water's edge, his gaze drifting with each tick-tock.'
What is the advice given for practicing the 'show, don't tell' technique in one's own writing?
-The advice is to try using one or more of the discussed strategies to write a paragraph or two. If stuck for ideas, one could attempt to rewrite an existing paragraph to incorporate showing instead of telling.
How can readers share their work after practicing the 'show, don't tell' technique?
-Readers are encouraged to share their work in the comments section after applying the 'show, don't tell' technique to their writing.
Outlines
📖 The Art of Showing, Not Telling in Writing
This paragraph introduces the concept of 'show, don't tell' as a fundamental technique in creative writing. It distinguishes between telling, which is passive and provides a summary of events, and showing, which involves descriptive language, actions, and dialogue to create a vivid and engaging story. Examples are given to illustrate the difference, such as describing Gavin's hunger through his actions rather than stating it. The paragraph also suggests strategies for writers to implement this technique, like using body language to express emotions and detailing the setting to immerse the reader.
🎭 Crafting Dialogues and Choosing Details to Enhance Storytelling
The second paragraph focuses on the importance of dialogue in revealing character personalities and emotions. It contrasts the use of dialogue with simple narration to demonstrate how characters can be portrayed through their speech. The paragraph also advises on the careful selection of details to convey more about characters and their environments, using the example of a character who loves playing the guitar. It concludes with a caution against overusing the 'show, don't tell' technique, suggesting that a balance is necessary to maintain clarity and pace in writing. The reader is encouraged to practice these strategies and share their work for feedback.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Show, Don't Tell
💡Passive and Distant
💡Descriptive Language
💡Infer
💡Emotion
💡Setting
💡Character Interaction
💡Dialogue
💡Body Language
💡Sensory Details
💡Overuse
Highlights
Show, don't tell is a crucial creative writing technique.
Telling presents information by simply stating it, like 'Gavin was hungry'.
Telling tends to be passive and distant, providing a summary of events.
Showing describes actions and lets the reader infer emotions and information.
Descriptive language, actions, and dialogue bring the story to life.
Example of showing: 'Gavin's stomach growled as he eyed the donuts'.
Telling is like summarizing situations, while showing describes them.
Strategy 1: Describe emotions through body language, not just labeling them.
Strategy 2: Describe the setting and how characters interact with it.
Strategy 3: Choose details carefully to show more about characters.
Strategy 4: Use dialogue to show personality and feelings.
Overusing 'show, don't tell' can make writing long-winded and hard to follow.
Telling can be a useful shortcut in writing.
Encourages practice by rewriting a paragraph to show instead of tell.
The importance of balancing showing and telling for effective storytelling.
Invitation to share work in the comments for feedback.
Looking forward to the next lesson from Easy Teaching.
Transcripts
show don't tell is a very useful
creative writing
technique what's the difference between
showing and telling when a writer tells
they present information simply by
stating it for example Gavin was hungry
and craving a
donut writing that tells tends to be
passive and distant and can often feel
like the writer is simply providing a
summary of events rather than actually
telling a
story writing that shows describes
actions and makes the reader infer
emotions and other
information that is it makes the reader
do some
work writing that shows uses descriptive
language actions and dialogue to bring
the story to life it creates a more
memorable reading
experience for example Gavin's stomach
growled loudly as he eyed the freshly
baked
Donuts here are another couple of
examples of each he was feeling bored
she was
fishing he yawned lazily and glanced at
the
clock perched at the water's edge she
cast her line with a graceful flick of
her
wrist can you see that these two tell
information they are like summaries of
of
situations these two however are
examples of writing that show they
describe let's look at a few strategies
we can use to show rather than tell in
our
writing number one describe emotions
through body
language rather than simply labeling the
emotion describe emotions through body
language here are some words that simply
tell of
emotions instead consider the physical
reactions we could describe in our
characters to show the reader how a
character is
feeling instead of bored the character
could yawn sigh glance at their watch or
speak in a monotone
voice instead of excited they could use
expressive hand gestures laugh
jump up and
down rather than scared the character
could sweat breathe rapidly have a dry
mouth or a rapid heart
rate instead of nervous the character
could fidget tap their foot or Pace back
and
forth compare the difference between
these two
examples Rick was scared and Rick felt
the knot in his stomach tighten
prickling beads of sweat formed on his
forehead can you see that this is much
more
effective number two describe the
setting and show how the characters
interact with
it for example instead of simply stating
the old mansion was Eerie we might write
strange Shadows danced on the Mansions C
windows and a chilling draft clawed its
way through every
room the floorboards groaned and creaked
beneath each step as if Whispering long
forgotten
Secrets or instead of saying it was a
rainy day in the city we could provide
details showing this for example
raindrops patted against the pavement as
pedestrians scurried by underneath their
umbrellas
by including details about all five
senses we can immerse the reader in the
story number three carefully choose
details consider the details we present
to the reader to show more information
about
characters let's imagine a character who
loves to play the guitar instead of
stating this we could write
in the corner of Alex's room a well-worn
guitar stood proudly the wall next to
his bed was plastered with framed
concert posters showing his favorite
guitarists number four use dialogue to
show personality and
feelings the way a character speaks can
say a lot about them let's imagine a
game of basketball between two
characters one who is supremely
confident and the other who is nervous
about the game consider how we might
write dialogue to show the reader each
character's
personality now it's also important not
to overuse the show don't tell technique
if you're using show all the time your
writing may become long- winded and hard
to follow telling can be used as a handy
shortcut in your
writing now it's time to put these
strategies into action have a go at
using one or more of the strategies
discussed to write your own paragraph or
two if you're stuck for ideas you might
like to have a go at improving this
paragraph by rewriting it so it shows
instead of tells if you like share your
work in the comments
hope to see you soon for the next
lesson easy teaching.
net
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