On Craft--Show Don't Tell Plus

So a basic rule of writing that most everyone on the planet has heard of even if they don't write or aren't the best at implementing it is "Show, Don't Tell". But what does that really mean, really? Every narrative does need a certain amount of tell--it's unavoidable. So showing vs. telling is really about when you have the opportunity to create an image or a feeling for a reader and that image or feeling can be transformative for the reader and really draw them into the narrative and make them care about the characters, then a writer must take the opportunity and describe a scene or a character or a feeling in the most original and compelling way possible.


Big job, right? It is. And it's particularly a big job because it's important to know when enough is enough. You don't want to show too much or the writing becomes overwrought and melodramatic and the reader's eyes begin rolling. It's a high-wire act.

But the facet of this big job that I want to discuss here is really word choice; the best adjective for the job. You want to choose the most descriptive combination of words possible to create the most compelling and powerful image. There are some words (technically adjectives, but not the best adjectives), though, that a writer may be tempted to use, but do not, in fact, actually describe a thing and definitely don't help paint a picture or conjure an emotion. The words writers choose to create a powerful image should engage all five (or six) of the senses. This is the place where a writer can have fun with language and challenge their own abilities. Words that do not help accomplish this are non-descriptors. Words like perfect, beautiful, or nice. What exactly does perfect, beautiful or nice look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? The reader has no idea, not without further description, so why use them at all? The best advice I have for a writer looking to expand their horizons in their use of language is to avoid non-descriptors like the plague. If a writer has to use other words to fully describe a scene or character or feeling summed up in the use of one of these non-descriptors, what was really the point of using the non-descriptor in the first place? Cut out the middle man and give the more dynamic and direct description the first time around. Don't put yourself in a situation where you have to define "nice". Because you're wasting time on the page you could be devoting to something else, something magical that will win and keep your reader for the entirety of the journey.

So this Tuesday's Craft tip? The non-descriptor, that adjective that looks and feels like a descriptor, but is actually not, is not your friend.

Tune in next Tuesday for a continuation of this craft point with a discussion of Synesthesia.

;-)