Showing and Telling: Learn How to Show and When to Tell for Powerful and Balanced Writing by Laurie Alberts
Write vibrant scenes and essential summaries
"Show-don't tell." How many times have you heard this standard bit of writing advice? It's so common in writing courses and critiques that it has become a cliche. Writers are often told to write scenes, dramatize, cut exposition, cut summary-but it's misguided advice. The truth is good writing almost always requires both showing and telling. The trick is finding the right balance of scene and summary-the two basic components of creative prose.
Showing and Telling shows you how to employ each of these essential techniques in the appropriate places within a narrative. You'll learn how to:
- Write scenes and cut exposition
- Compress time and summarize background information
- Create graceful transitions
- Effectively inject interpretation
- And more!