I received an email from an acquaintance a while back inviting
me to his web page to read his latest works. I recently visited
the site and began reading. The first chapter I read was rather
dull and I had a difficult time keeping my mind on the story. I
found myself skimming parts just to get to the good stuff. The
author had failed to keep my attention.
Several chapters later I was lost with the story. I had to go
back and reread several dull and over descriptive paragraphs
just to figure out the connection between two characters. The
little detail was tucked in a large paragraph describing a
scene. He did a good job 'showing' the events taking place in
the living room, but gee whiz, I didn't need to know every
single thing that was in the room!
I realized that by skimming the tiresome text that I may be
missing more important elements of the story. So, I started
over. My mind was screaming, "ok, I see it, but get on with it!"
With that in mind, I sat down at my computer the other night to
work on a story. I had my mind set on 'Show, Don't Tell'. I was
determined to get it down right. I typed away, but soon
discovered that I was boring myself. I stared at the screen and
knew that if I were bored then the reader definitely would be. I
realized that I was getting carried away. I read back over my
text thinking as a reader. I knew after reading the first three
paragraphs that I did indeed go overboard. I deleted everything,
but couldn't bring myself to start again.
I began thinking about 'showing' as a reader. I know when I'm
reading a story I want it to capture my interest. I don't want
to be bogged down with so many details. Sure, I want the author
to show me, but don't waste my time or put me to sleep with a
whole page of showing me one aspect. Show me some Drama!
I think trying to show the reader every detail all at once is a
mistake. You don't have to show every single thing about a
character or the setting. Give the reader a good visual and add
to it if necessary. You can also slip details in with dialogue.
Whatever works for the story to keep it moving is your best
answer. Showing does dramatize, but too much can be distracting.
It can also slow the drama down. Best advice is to read your
story out loud as if you were reading to an audience. Think
about what details are important to the reader at that moment
and which can wait until later. Think like a reader and not the
author of your own piece.
