Showing & Telling: Learn How to Show & When to Tell for Powerful & Balanced Writing

by Laurie Alberts

Write vibrant scenes and essential summaries

"Show-don't tell." How many times have you heard this standard bit of writing advice? It's so common in writing courses and critiques that it has become a clich?. Writers are often told to write scenes, dramatize, cut exposition, cut summary-but it's misguided advice. The truth is good writing almost always requires both showing and telling. The trick is finding the right balance of scene and summary-the two basic components of creative prose.

"Showing and Telling" shows you how to employ each of these essential techniques in the appropriate places within a narrative. You'll learn how to:

write scenes and cut exposition
compress time and summarize background information
create graceful transitions
effectively inject interpretation
and more

Complete with examples from bestsellers and interactive exercises, this comprehensive guide offers an in-depth look at scene development, the role of reflection in storytelling, the art of summarizing, and how to bring it all together.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Crafts

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2010

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this. The examples are wonderful, and I adored Alberts's short story, Russia is a Fish, in the appendix. I feel that all I can do is let the side down with my writing after Alberts's excellent instruction, but I shall do my best.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this writing guide on showing versus telling quite a bit, and it's a book that I will likely return to in the future for some of the things I was able to gain from it. I would say it's more beginner to intermediate level in terms of writing advice, but I think those who would want a quick refresher would find this helpful. The guide is broken into two main sections - relying on the distinction of "showing" versus "telling" by explaining the different functions of scenes and summaries and where they're most appropriate. As for the advice contained within, I cannot express how important some of the advice Alberts gives because I see beginning writers making these mistakes all the time, and she gives good insight into where these missteps occur, and provides examples that are brief enough to comprehend. There are a few spoiler warnings as far as some of the movies she references in the beginning of the novel, but once you get past that exposition, the points she gives are sound.

There's a sample of the author's own writing at the end of the book as well for perusal, which I thought was okay.

Overall score: 3.5/5

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically, this is a book to help tell the difference between creating action scenes and telling a story, and when it's appropriate to use each. While meant for writers, it would also be useful for those wanting to get a better understanding of literature.

[Brentman99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, I'm giving a four star book a five star rating, but that is because you can't indicate half stars.

As part of my preparation to write my own novel, I'm reading various books on writing that I have heard heard about or had kicking around on my writing bookshelf for some time. This is one of them.

I have to say that I'm really glad I finally cracked this deep book open. While it is only 250 pages including index, works cited and a prize-winning sample story, it has a lot packed in it. What grabbed me with this book is how it not only tried to impart knowledge on how to write, but how to read in order to write.

There is a lot of discussion on point of view, scenes and summary, which are important tools when looking to write. I think what I really liked was the examples of good writing and a few of what wasn't the strongest.

Overall, I found this book very informative. There are lots of tabs where I have noted info that I will definitely come back to once I commence writing my own novel. I thought the book was very helpful and well worth the time spent reading it.

[Elaine Burnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. We writers get “show, don’t tell” drummed into us, but there are very good reasons to “tell.” She drills deep into specifics, which I always like in a writing guide. Not only the difference between scenes and summary and when you should use each, but how to insert each into the other, transitions, beginnings, and endings. More than I realized needed to be considered. And, maybe most important, how to think about intention.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book both to read and use as a reference.

The section on Making Vibrant Scenes is superb and the examples about the dentist and kindergarten teacher are priceless.

Showing & Telling will be very beneficial for novice writers and improve the writing of the more experienced.

First-rate.

[AJ Corral · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of this was helpful! Some of the parts seem like no-brainers if you've already familiar with some of the basics of writing. However, if you're new to writing and want it all laid out for you in one place, this is the book to buy. It has everything you'd ever learn in a Fiction 101 class condensed into one single book.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent for writers to learn the balance between showing and telling. The narrative is easy to understand, filled with lots of examples and explanations. I've read this book three times over the years and it has greatly improved my own skills in the craft. I highly recommend this book to all writers.

[Malavika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice book to read straight through, albeit repetitive. I'll be coming back to this one as I revise my writing projects

[S.L. Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it for a class. Not my fav, but still, good advice.

[Clinton Huntemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good advice. I know this stuff, but I can't do it.

[Sylvia McIvers · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Show don’t tell” is a familiar adage to many writers, beginners or experienced. Laurie Alberts is here to explain what each term means and when ‘telling’ is actually the more effective course of action. The book has a lot of useful information for writers, with many examples.

First, Ms. Alberts describes scenes, in which things happen. She brings many examples from a wide variety of books where showing was done well, then analyzes how supporting details worked to draw the reader into the story. She also brings sample paragraphs to contrast bland vs. vibrant ‘showing’ so that the reader will understand why details are so important.


Ms. Alberts shows how the writer must choose which details to include: to draw the reader in, to show a rising level of tension, to set up upcoming drama or reveal past incidents which intensify the current scene.

Time is a detail element as well – something always happens, something is constantly wished for, and something is always annoying. Other things happen right now – in the scene. How can a writer use details to show that an ongoing occurrence? For example: a father feels constant disappointment at his son’s lack of get-up-and-go, which will set the reader up for the scene where Dad is angry that his son skipped a s job opportunity in order to play in the rock band. If this is the story of a boy and his band making money over the summer to cover their costs and bank a little, more, the scene – and its supporting details – will be different than if this is Dad’s book, where he expect his son to take his place In the family firm.

The section on scenes closes with a chapter on common errors that creep into a scene, such as stilted dialogue, highly detailed scenes which fail to move the plot along, and credibility issues where a character acts for reasons no one can believe.

Telling is summarizing events which don’t need the details of a scene. Telling should not be bland – it can contain as many concrete details as a scene.

Telling gives the writer a chance to show what the character is thinking, which affects how the reader emotionally connects to the scene and character. If Joe Blow gives five bucks to the beggar outside McDonalds – does he then spend the next five blocks annoyed because he thought it was a single? Or had he spent the last half hour over a coffee in McD worried about his kid in the hospital, and did he therefore choose to give extra charity to influence his karma? Same five dollars to the beggar, but the reader feels differently about Joe.

Ms. Alberts concludes this book with a section of Showing & Telling, where she shows how the two techniques can be blended for a book that draws the reader into the story.

Was this a good book? Certainly it had useful information, but somehow the presentation was deadly boring. All the advice was good, the examples given ran the gamut from gripping to dull, but this book got ‘lost’ under some paperwork for three weeks, and I was not motivated to finish it until I read all the other books in my stack. Other books on writing were better able to hold my attention.

[Scarlett West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it to be very informative. So many great tips with excellent, clear examples for how to write great scenes and summaries. Laurie Alberts Showing & Telling: Learn How to Show & When to Tell for Powerful & Balanced Writing gives clear, specific descriptions of how to tell the difference between showing and telling, and how to write each of them skillfully.

I especially enjoyed the section about summaries because the book gives a lot of ideas that help write better backstory, something I think is a hard skill to master. I definitely would recommend this book to writers looking to improve their craft.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too basic for me but good for a new writer or an undergrad lit student. The book covers the basics of showing (via description, characters, literary devices, etc.) and telling (narrative, etc.). Too often the literary community sacrifices one over the other. This book details how a good balance can be struck.

[Kimberly [Come Hither Books] · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful focused writing book that explores its topic in depth, including interesting examples and exercises. Sometimes it was a little basic, but it serves as a well organized review and reminder of the things I already knew but sometimes forget. Plus, it sent me off scribbling after ideas several times and that counts for a lot. I will most likely be adding it to my reference shelf in future.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made it about three-fourths through this one over the course of the fall; it was a solid text on the subject but I need to go back through the pages I've highlighted to remember all that I gleaned from it (and why I failed to finish it).

[Brenda Clark Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be helpful, especially where I was having some problems with choppy scenes. I think it would be invaluable for short story writers. This book was recommended to me from a Stanford short story class I had attended.

[Thing Two · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I've underlined the whole book. Definitely keeping this for reference. Lots of explanations, a how-to or two, and a few writing prompts. This woman knows her stuff.

[Kristena Tunstall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a great book on teaching what the difference is between showing and telling. As a new writer this was invaluable information.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful guide to beginning fiction writing, but beware of nearly constant book and short story spoilers.

[Lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. It's a step up in terms of intellectuality from a book like Plot and Structure. It takes a little more brain power but it's another good book on writing. I'm glad to have read it.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a reference book so I go back to different sections when I need to.

[Monica T. Rodriguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The beginning and the end had some useful advice. The middle was mediocre and obvious.

[Pat W Coffey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book for novice writer.