I found this essay I wrote several years ago and was reminded of some fairly basic writing techniques that probably wouldn't hurt for all of us to see again, and that certainly includes me. So, here it is...the importance of showing vs. telling in our writing.
Noah Lukeman (The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile) argues that a writer has more problems to worry about than the plot when writing a manuscript (p. 19). The story needs to be properly executed before a plot will be considered by an editor. He says there are several common mistakes made by beginning writers, such as style, viewpoint, narration, tone and characterization, and that writers should spend more time correcting these mistakes than worrying about the plot. But another critical aspect in writing that should not be overlooked is “showing versus telling”.
Noah Lukeman (The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile) argues that a writer has more problems to worry about than the plot when writing a manuscript (p. 19). The story needs to be properly executed before a plot will be considered by an editor. He says there are several common mistakes made by beginning writers, such as style, viewpoint, narration, tone and characterization, and that writers should spend more time correcting these mistakes than worrying about the plot. But another critical aspect in writing that should not be overlooked is “showing versus telling”.
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