I keep seeing the same mistake with 'show, don't tell' in writing groups

People in my local library's workshop in Austin keep saying 'show, don't tell' means you can never just say a character is sad... but that's not right. The real trick is to use showing for the important, fresh details and telling for the quick, clear bits. I read a whole book on it, 'The Emotional Craft of Fiction' by Donald Maass, and it made me rethink my last three stories. Has anyone found a good way to balance showing and telling without overdoing it?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_claire2mo ago

People get way too hung up on that rule lol. Just write what feels right for the story. Half the time readers don't even notice the difference.

beth_baker691mo ago

Right? It's like everyone forgot we're trying to tell a story, not pass a writing class final. I saw a guy in a forum last week arguing for three pages about whether you could say a room "felt cold." Just let me read the book, man.

the_jenny2mo ago

Read this article about how telling can actually build trust with the reader when used right... like saying "he was terrified" gets straight to the point sometimes. Showing every single feeling just makes the writing feel slow and overworked. That book you mentioned sounds smart, focusing on the emotional impact makes way more sense than just following a rule. Finding the balance is tough, but I try to only show the moments that really need to feel vivid.