Writing Creative Narratives Show, Not Tell Writing Creative Narratives

Concrete vs Abstract Involve the senses. Can’t eat it, or smell it. Action verbs Metaphors and similes Specific examples Stories or experiences Can’t eat it, or smell it. Appeals to the intellect Ideas, concepts

Showing and Telling Showing sentences allow the reader to feel like they are there because they are vivid and specific. Showing = Concrete Uses action verbs Telling sentences are general statements that summarize an experience, without giving us much detail. Telling = Abstract Uses “to be” (he is, they are, I was, we were)

Combine To write well, you need a mixture of showing and telling. Show more than you tell. This is true when you are writing a story, or describing someone else, or writing a research paper. It doesn’t matter what type of writing you do, you need to SHOW.

Telling Mrs. Parker was nosy. She gossiped about her neighbors. Showing By turning the blinds ever so slightly, Mrs. Parker could just peek through the window and see the Ford Explorer parked in the driveway. She squinted to get a better view of the tall, muscular man getting out of the vehicle and walking up to Mrs. Jones’ front door. He rang the doorbell. When Mrs. Jones opened the door and welcomed the stranger into her home with a hug, Mrs. Parker gasped and ran to her phone. “Charlotte, you are not going to believe what I just saw!” Mrs. Parker peeked out the window again to see if the man was still inside.

Telling She went home in a bad mood. [What kind of bad mood? How did she act or look?] Showing She stomped home, hands jammed in her pockets, angrily kicking rocks, dogs, small children, and anything else that crossed her path.

Example of Telling The room was a mess.

Example of Showing Sam held his nose as he dived into his room to look for his basketball shoes. The stench of rotting food permeated the air, but he still had not located the source. Books and papers teetered in stacks all over the room, draped with jeans and shirts from the previous several weeks.

Practice I was happy. The movie was awesome. He was a good person. Write a showing paragraph-5 or more sentences-for one of these telling sentences (or one of your own). I was happy. The movie was awesome. He was a good person. The weather was so cold. She wears really strange outfits. My boyfriend/girlfriend acted like a jerk.

Showing with Focus Sometimes it is difficult to show because we have picked a topic that is too broad. Example: A narrative that talks about the entire country you are traveling may be too overwhelming. Better: A moment-even a few minutes-in that experience. (Like getting lost in back ally ways) Example: Pictures/ Snap shots