Show Dont Tell? Not Always. Heres When To Use Summary.

“Show Don’t Tell”? Not Always. Here’s When to Use Summary.

I was inspired to write this post after getting a great anonymous question in my Ask: “What’s your opinion on the whole ‘show don’t tell’ advice? Do you have any tips for when to show and when to tell?”

Here’s my response:

I honestly think that “show don’t tell” is one of the most over-quoted and least-understood pieces of writing advice out there.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, “show don’t tell” means that instead of explaining or telling something to your reader (“Sheila was reckless and impulsive”), you should show Sheila’s impulsiveness through action or dialogue. For example, “Even though her rent was overdue, after she got her paycheck Sheila spent $400 on an antique toilet.” This would allow the reader to draw the conclusion that Sheila was impulsive for themselves, rather than being told.

Theoretically, this is great advice for new fiction writers, who, left to their own devices, tend to write their stories entirely in “telling” mode.

But summary (telling) has a place in fiction as well, and it’s an important one.

Keep reading

How to Pick a Point of View for Stories

Figuring out the point of view (POV) for your next story can seem daunting. It changes how you convey your plot and the emotional themes driving it. These are a few ways to narrow your options.

1. Consider the Pros and Cons of Each POV

There are absolutely pros and cons for different points of view. They accomplish different things for each story even if they feel vaguely the same at first. When you’ve got a story in mind, think of these factors to potentially pick a POV.

First-Person Pros and Cons

Pros

Your reader will have an intimate connection with your protagonist because they’ll read the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings in “real time.”

A specific emotional tension is possible the protagonist is narrating everything through their personal lens/biases and the reader doesn’t get inside any other character’s head to learn their actual motivations/emotions.

A super distinct narrative voice can pick up the pace for readers in the first 100 pages of a novel

Cons

You don’t get to jump between characters, which isn’t helpful if you’ve got a well-developed cast of characters you want to spend time with.

It’s easy to have a repetitive sentence structure due to phrasing like, “I said,” “I though,” “I want,” etc.

Readers don’t get to emotionally connect with other characters on the same intimate level, which may limit the themes you want to write about.

Third-Person Pros and Cons

3rd Person Omniscient POV Pros

The reader gets into each character’s mind, so there’s no bias in the narration.

You can jump between characters in a single scene, allowing a multi-dimensional view of the main plot’s journey or lesson.

You can switch characters to reveal more of your world to your reader, which is perfect for writers who do deep worldbuilding before they start writing.

3rd Person Omniscient POV Cons

Readers may struggle to form an allegiance to a character because there’s so many giving their points of view.

The hook for a story may come much later than normal if multiple characters need to be introduced through narration before the inciting incident.

If you’re writing a longer story, you’ll have to chart the primary plot line, then each character’s individual arcs to understand how they intersect and where you’ll jump POVs.

3rd Person Limited POV Pros

You get quality time with multiple characters.

You can create an unreliable narrator within a cast of characters that your reader gets equal time with.

The quality time with each character can make it more emotional when a character faces a challenge.

3rd Person Limited POV Cons

You’re forced to follow only one character’s perspective at a time. There’s no jumping between minds in a scene.

Each character will have a personal bias regarding whatever situation they’re in, so they’ll need individual goals and opinions too. You’ll need more character building before or during writing your story.

You’ll still need to chart each character’s arc to understand how it pushes the primary plot forward, what role each character plays, why they’re essential for the reader to spend time with, and how they’ll grow individually.

2. Think About What Matters Most For Your Story

What is the purpose of your story? What do you want to achieve with it or how do you want to practice your craft with it?

You could want to try out a story with multiple narrators. That boils your options down to 3rd person omniscient or limited. Easy!

Do you want to write a protagonist that your readers feel bonded with? That could mean your story happens in first-person POV. It could also work with 3rd person limited, depending on which character recurs most often.

Maybe you have a few characters in mind for a story but only one of them seems interesting enough to vocalize the story. Pick that character for your first-person POV. The other characters may be important, but if their voices aren’t distinct, your reader will just be bored when they’re narrating. 

3. Go With Your Gut

Ultimately, you have to go with your gut. Pick the POV that makes the most sense and write the story. You can always go back and rewrite it in another POV if it feels like the current one isn’t working for whatever reason.

Yes, it’s a pain to do that kind of rewriting, but it’s such a relief to know your themes/message/plot will come across the right way. It’s always possible to make that change, even if you finished a novel-length manuscript.

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The more practice you give yourself with the various points of view, the more comfortable you'll feel when picking one for your future stories. Even practicing with flash fiction will flex your creative muscles enough to help you learn when each POV is most useful for your work.

I knew it! 🖐️I was expecting no less 🥰 . And now we can only let our imagination run wild as to how the scene will unfold 😊 (and I have very vivid ideas lol)

Shield & Shelter Chapter 5 (2/5)

C1 ½, 2/2

C2 1/3, 2/3, 3/3

C3 1/3, 2/3, 3/3

C4 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, 5/5

C5 1/5, 2/5

Me: already had an idea about nb 45 some time ago. Is it a sign that I should give a go?

Superego: friendly reminder that you have two wips already cooking...

Id: ... And two other *mimics quotes with fingers* prompts!

Ego: So?

Meet Cutes

A whole bunch of cute ways for your characters to meet.

losing something and the other picks it up and calls after them

it’s raining and they huddle together under a small roof

getting set up by their lovely grandmas, who always go to the same café and gush about their grandkids

being the new student, one of them gets assigned to the other person as their “buddy” to show them the new school

literally running into each other, holding drinks

getting cast in the same play/show

interviewing people on the street and with one of them it just clicks

accidently hitting the other one with a snowball meant for their friend

getting stuck in an elevator together

sitting next to each other at their mutual friends’ wedding

waiting in line at the grocery check-out, rolling their eyes at each other because the person at the front is starting drama

going camping with their families with the entrances of their tents/camper van right across from each other, so they always see each other first in the morning and end up spending all their time together

meeting as the best friends/wingmen/chaperones of their two friends who want to go out together, but not alone

getting set up together by mutual friends

being extras in a movie and having lots of fun in the background

meeting in a cinema, both there with their friends, but sitting next to each other and accidently grabbing each other’s hand when something scary happens on screen

being from different schools, they meet at a tournament, trying to win for their own school

sitting next to each other on a long bus/train ride

meeting each other at a kissing booth

getting paired up at a dance class

accidently wearing a matching costume at a party

meeting at a party that both their parents dragged them to and they’re the only teens there

going for the same book at the library

it’s raining and they decide to share an umbrella

meeting on a cruise, seeing a lot of cool places together

dancing next to each other at a concert

interviewing the other one about their new project

mistaking the other for their friend and getting embarrassed when they turn around

helping the other for their missing cat

meeting at a public reading of their favourite author

getting paired up for a project

meeting at a model united nations conference, representing countries who definitely want to work together on a resolution draft

realizing they ordered the exact same drink when they both try to grab it at the same time

working their first shift together, their schedules never matching up before

using the washing machines next to each other at the laundromat

sitting next to each other on a bumpy plane ride

meeting at a fire alarm test, having to evacuate the building

getting shipped by their fans, but they’ve never met, so they finally meet up for their fans

moving into a new apartment and realizing they can see directly into their neighbor’s window

being panelists at a con and having heard about each other a lot but never met before

getting paired up for a partner game at a friend’s party

waiting in an airport for their delayed flight

meeting at a demonstration, where they quickly form a bond over their shared interest

getting summoned to the principal’s office for different things and both waiting for their verdict

sharing a taxi, because they need to go to the same place

asking the other one to take a picture of them and their friends

meeting in the cafeteria, with no other place left

getting tasked with training their newest colleague

being booked as models for a big campaign together

meeting at a holiday resort, both with friends or family tagging along

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“He smiled, and his face was like the sun.”

— Madeline Miller

Agreed!

It was true for me and I am so glad they did. 🥹