Experienced writers have learned
this less well, but less experienced writers are still learning it or have it
yet to learn. Even for experienced writers it is good to review it every so
often. What am I talking about? The “show, don’t tell” rule of writing. It
sounds so simple, and yet it is one of the hardest to learn for some of us.
Telling is what you see with
narratives, and it is okay in the proper prospective. But you do not want to
fill your book with telling your story. Your readers like action, dialog,
descriptions, emotions, all the things that your readers can take and create a
picture in their minds.
Show your story. Give it characters
your reader can fall in love with and want more of them. Give them a setting or
location that their mind can grab hold of and feel they are right there with
the characters. Make the characters speak to them and create action that keeps
the story moving. Give descriptions of the setting and characters through narrative
and some through dialog, but do not insult your readers by giving them every
little detail. Readers like to be a bit creative themselves so give just enough
to stimulate their own imaginations, and let them run with it.
When you have fast-paced scenes, it
is good to slow things down and give your reader a chance to breathe. Your
story should run in waves of fast pace and slow pace. That is where the
narrative comes in. You can use it to slow down the pace of the story.
Someone once told me to read through
my story; and if there are areas where I am telling, ask myself if there is a
way I can show it rather than tell it. If there are, then I need to
change it.
Narratives do serve a purpose, so
remember not to change all of them.
Also remember, it is the author’s responsibility to create a world in which
his/her readers can get lost and want more of it.
Following are some points to
remember when self-editing your work: 1)
How often do you use narrative summary? 2) Which sections do you want to convert into
scenes (action)?
3)
Do you have any narrative summary? (You
do need some.) 4) Are you describing your
characters’ feelings or are you showing
them?
Faye
M. Tollison
Author
of: To
Tell the Truth
Upcoming
books: The Bible Murders
Sarah’s Secret
Member
of: Sisters In Crime
Writers on the Move
