« Don’t tell readers what to feel. Show them the situation, and that feeling will awaken in them. Writing is not psychology. We do not talk ‘about’ feelings. Instead, the writer feels and through her words awakens those feelings in the reader. The writer takes the reader’s hands and guides him through the valley of sorrows and joy without ever having to mention those words.” Natalie Goldberg, writing coach
Wise advice!
In my playwriting class, our instructor Mick would say, action precedes explanation—another way of saying, “show don’t tell.” A play unfolds in time and space: it’s action oriented. It doesn’t have a narrative flow, so you have to use action to convey information.
Even if you’re working on a novel, where narrative drive carries the story forward, it’s still important to go for drama rather than too much exposition. How can you master moments through drama? A few ideas:
Don’t sit outside your story: As writers, we’re observers; we stand outside the action and we describe it. And because we’re omniscient observers, we’re bigger than the action we describe — we encompass it. But we also have to step inside the action and describe what’s happening, not just from the outside in, but from the inside out. As Natalie Goldberg puts it, we need to “breathe the life into it.”
Don’t edit: When you’re in draft mode, stay with your first ideas, the first flashes of word play and inspiration. These flashes come from the deep-feeling part of you and they have emotional energy a reader will connect with.
Be there: Put yourself in the moment you’re writing about — see it, taste it, touch it, hear it. Use the language of the senses to capture its emotional flavor.
As we bring more immediacy to our writing through showing, take heed of Lee Child’s advice about not getting too hung up on the “show, don’t tell” writing rule. Showing too much can slow a story down. Strike a balance between the two in a way that feels right. And write on!