I see this so often in the manuscripts I’m working on. As a writer it can be hard to remember your reader doesn’t know your character or care about them nearly as much as you. You want to bring them into the pages and along your character’s journey. “Showing” can do this for you.

What does Showing rather than Telling in your manuscript get you?

• Convey more ideas and feelings in fewer words (usually).
• Your reader sees and feels events, people, and surroundings through your characters not you.
• Less boring—more engaging.

What is Show and what is Tell?

It really is just like back in kindergarten when you were excited about sharing your favorite stuffed animal. You brought the stuffie out of your backpack and stood at the front of the class hoping to show an inkling of how amazing this one stuffie was.  Surely, they’d take one look and understand. You would Tell them about its soft fur and round belly and the small stains. And they would understand.

But no.

So, you Show them how soft the fur is against your cheek. How the smell brings you back to the comfort of your mom’s arms anytime you’re lonely. How its round belly muffled the sounds of your sobs when your dog died. How its ears are the perfect size to hear big secrets from little mouths. And how you know it loves the taste of your tea and tiny sandwiches because there are still stains from the time you snuck in real tea into its cup.

You probably didn’t get that deep with your kinder classmates, the idea stands though. When we simply Tell our audience things, in either the narrative or dialogue, we are cutting them off from an immersive reading experience.

As an editor, I am well-versed in pointing out these areas and helping come up with solutions. I’d love to see how I can help you!