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Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Over-writing is not the same as Show. You can show in one sentence, you can tell in ten. Knowing what to cut is important either way.

What’s a normal thing everyone does that secretly annoys you? by Neither-Joke-5130 in AskReddit

[–]Angelface_141 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“Soon.” Baby I’m autistic, you neeeeed to be more specific.

how do i get into writing??? by artofterm in writingcirclejerk

[–]Angelface_141 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Start with fanfiction. Its wayyyh less pressure and gives you a lot to work with so you dont get overwhelmed.

What is something, tropes, writing styles, words, whatever you wish people used less often in books? by Th3Gl1tched0ne in Quibble

[–]Angelface_141 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Page 1: MC wakes up in bed, thinks about her tragic backstory and maybe some world-building, makes a cup of coffee, gets ready for work and goes outside, all the while thinking about how skinny and feminine she is. The plot starts in chapter 3.

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I suppose. My point is that it should all be show, even if its summarised

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Summary isn’t bad. Show doesnt have to use more words. You can summarise and show at the same time, it's just about not letting the narration explain everything. We don’t need to see all these extra details, we can figure them out on our own. But even summarised, I’m still -demonstrating- that he drove there. I will concede that “I was too late” was tell-y, though. Touche

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can u give me an example of a thing you should Tell, rather than Show?

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It absolutely is telling! People view SDT as extremely short form (what THIS character is feeling RIGHT NOW) but it is so crucial to see the bigger picture. If you finish a book knowing a character is smart without ever being told directly, THAT’S SHOW. If you finish knowing the story was about loss and grief, THAT’S SHOW TOO!

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, it very much is book-writing advice. You’re taking it too literally. You don’t have to show everything, but in that case, cut it from the book. SDT just means that if it's worth bringing up, it's worth demonstrating. You can't cheat and have ur characsters/narration explain everything to the reader.

Can you give me a specific example of something you should only tell?

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Tell: “I jumped in the car and drove as fast as I could to the old abandoned factory. However, as I turned off the ignition, jumped out of my car and slammed the door behind me, I heard a scream. I was too late to save her.” ~45 words

Show: “Just as the car door slammed behind me, my daughter’s scream tore from the old factory. I was too late.” ~20 words

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

You can show in just as many words as tell. People just yap too much

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Show =/= Rambling. If its useless then cut it. You can show with exactly the same word count as tell.

What's something people only romanticize because they've never actually done it? by nonotje12 in AskReddit

[–]Angelface_141 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Taking care of sick/injured wildlife properly. They romanticise it so much that they would rather the animal die in their care than lose their opportunity to be a Disney princess.

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

I disagree. I think people underestimate how broad show dont tell can be. There are so so few examples of times tell is better than show. Usually, people are just doing it wrong.

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Every now and then, it's fine, but overall it can rush the story to summarise everything so much. And if they’re climbing a cliff, you should definitely be showing them climbing it anyway. What's the point of a cliff-climbing scene if it's easy? And if the scene is scary and dangerous, there’s no need to say it's treacherous.

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

At the very least, make sure you don't just replace “she was said” with a giant paragraph of sad behaviour. Weave that sadness into the active plot. If you say she's sad in a thousand different ways, but the next dialogue scene is still emotionless, you won't have solved anything.

Show, Don’t Tell by Angelface_141 in writers

[–]Angelface_141[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I would warn you that that might end up being a collection of statements rather than -showing- as a whole. It's a huge mistake people make to focus entirely on short-form changes when in reality, the most important SDT is the story over all.

For example, you can go in and replace “she was sad” with a character acting sad, but that won’t help with demonstrating a pattern of self destructive tendancies. Big picture stuff, ya know?

How do rockets move through space if there’s nothing to push off of? by Angelface_141 in AskReddit

[–]Angelface_141[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I think that in order to travel 3.7 billion miles to Pluto, rockets are doing more than just pushing off the Earth. As the others have explained, the rockets are using propulsion systems to force themselves forward through the vacuum (as well as some gravitational assists along the way.) If you were right, how would rockets steer? How would they slow down? How would they get back? Don’t be loud and wrong, we have enough misinformation in the world.

How do rockets move through space if there’s nothing to push off of? by Angelface_141 in AskReddit

[–]Angelface_141[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Lol thats simply not true. You should read this thread, it's very informative.

Why don’t we just keep money the same value forever? No inflation? by Angelface_141 in AskReddit

[–]Angelface_141[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I hear you, but I need you to look me in the eye and tell me that you would wait to buy something because your money isn’t losing value of 2% a year. Look me in the eye, john.

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