![]() This version expands on the girl’s appearance, but outside of a classroom assignment that asks you to describe something in detail, simply adding random specific details is not of much value. But she was so very stubborn, I could clearly see we were headed for a battle. She looked more tired than I had ever seen a child look. Standing there in her orange dress-up gown, she was quite a sight. The brown-eyed little girl wore a plastic Viking cap, and her mouth was sticky from candy. If this observation is important to the story, consider giving readers enough details to work out the connection for themselves. This sentence gets right to the point, but nothing about it engages the reader. Let’s consider this point: “This tired child probably doesn’t want a nap.” That’s pretty dry, so let’s try to make it more vivid and persuasive. You won’t need to write a boring, uninformative and unpersuasive sentence like “You shouldn’t text while driving” if you can instead SHOW your point, through well-chosen details (such as statistics, specific examples, or personal stories) that SHOW in a persuasive way the negative results of texting while driving. Showing Prefers the Specific to the Generalġ) Choose Specific Details That Show Your Point.“Telling” States Facts “Showing” Invites Deeper Understanding.Show with Informative Details and/or Emotional Language.Provide Engaging Details That Imply the Main Point.Give the Reader a Reason to Feel Your Emotions.Choose Specific Details That Show Your Point.And if they see facial expressions, don’t tell us what they are tell us what they meant to the character.Tell us what they thought, what they planned, and how it went wrong. ![]() Tell us what they saw, not where they looked.Tell us what the character did, not what the character’s face did.According to my colleague Timons Esaias, it all boils down to this: Conflict, and Developing Ideas for Short Fiction.)īut telling is good too, as long as it’s the right kind of telling. (Creative writers, see Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers, Crisis vs. Instead, I SHOWED you very specific details that I chose because I expect they will generate some response from you. Whatever the case, you didn’t sit there passively waiting for me to TELL you what you’re supposed to feel or think about my brother. Maybe you think fooling with automobiles is a waste of time, or maybe you think competing in tournaments is brave, or maybe you think computer-assisted chess isn’t really chess. “Wow, that guy is talented,” you say to yourself. My brother modifies sports car engines, competes in ballroom dance tournaments, and analyzes chess algorithms. ![]() (To be honest, the problem here is more the vagueness than the telling, but for now I’m working with the “Show, Don’t Tell” meme, rather than against it.) You have no reason to believe or disbelieve me, and no reason to care. There’s nothing informative, or engaging, or compelling about this sentence. Pretty boring, huh? Now, let me show you. ![]() To convince your readers, show, don’t just tell them what you want them to know. It does not store any personal data.Jerz > Writing > Creative > 7 Simple but Effective Tips for More Engaging, Persuasive Writingĭon’t just tell me your brother is talented… show me what he can do, and let me decide whether I’m impressed. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
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