Showing vs. Telling

In the article, Showing and Telling: the basics, it stresses the importance of showing and telling. These are the two things you need for a good story, although showing is better than telling. I will explain why showing is better.

SHOWING

Using the 5 senses while writing makes the reader feel like they are actually there. It is also way more interesting because there is a lot of more detail. We are told to create images in our minds while we read. The images we create in our heads help us understand what we are reading. Without showing, we are not able to do that. Some types of showing is evoking, presenting, channeling, and even using dialogue. Evoking is making the reader feel connected to the story by giving emotional experiences and physical descriptions. Presenting is using vivid details. Finally, channeling is using emotion so that the reader can feel your emotions as well.

TELLING

Telling is like being short and sweet. It is being concise, when necessary. Telling is sometimes better than showing, although showing is usually the better choice. The author says that telling is also like informing, explaining, and understanding. An example from the article for informing is, “The temperature has fallen overnight and the heavy frost reflected the sun’s rays brightly.” It is just a simple sentence with not much detail. Sometimes in a story it is best to tell when you want the reader to imagine on their own or when you want something to be open-ended.

MY EXAMPLE

Showing: A cold shiver went down my spine as I looked out of my bed room window. My eyes filled with the sight of frosty trees and even my car. As I walked outside to heat my car up, the crisp, cold morning air filled my nostrils. I could see my breath, it looked like a pile of smoke.

Telling: It is cold outside today.

I showed that it was cold outside by using my five senses. From my showing example, you can see that it was cold outside because I used vivid details.