Show don’t Tell – Post 4 of 4

Hi there again. This is the final post in a four part series. If you’re looking for any of the other posts, they can be found below.

Post 1: What is “Show don’t Tell”
Post 2: How do we know if we are using “Show don’t Tell”
Post 3: When is it ok to “Tell” instead of “Show”
Post 4: Showing inner thoughts and other “Show don’t Tell” myths.
Extra : More articles on “Show don’t Tell”

In this post we’re going to look at our character’s inner thoughts. We’ll also talk about some other “show don’t tell” myths.

But let’s start with inner thoughts. A fair argument could be made that inner thoughts are a form of “telling.” After all, we are telling the reader what the character is thinking. However, if inner thoughts are done correctly they can be a powerful form of showing.

#pg70pit 2017 One Slushies perspective on recurring issues.

Hi there #pg70pit people!

(Don’t know what #pg70pit is…click here for more info).

I’m one of the slushie readers in the Middle Grade category. There were some great pages entered for 2017 and I absolutely loved reading them. I submitted my vote for the best pages and I hope they all make it to the agent round – seriously, some good writing in those pages, and they deserve an agent.

However, as much as writers love to hear what worked, it’s just as important to know what didn’t. Even in the pages I voted for, there was room for improvement. I’ll run through a list of recurring issues that popped up in the entries, but first a word about editors. Now I’m not an editor, I don’t work for an editor, and I’m not endorsing any particular editorial service. However, I have most certainly benefitted from having a thorough editor eviscerate my work. A good editor is trained to see the issues I point out below and help you correct them.

Believe me, you can learn to see these things in your own writing, and then burn them out of that precious manuscript with a flame flower. But sometimes it takes an objective eye to get you pointed in the right direction – that’s where your friendly neighborhood editor comes in.

Ok, so on to the recurring issues I saw.

Show don’t Tell – Post 3 of 4

Hi there again. This is the third post in a four part series. If you’re looking for any of the other posts, they can be found below.

Post 1: What is “Show don’t Tell”
Post 2: How do we know if we are using “Show don’t Tell”
Post 3: When is it ok to “Tell” instead of “Show”
Post 4: Showing inner thoughts and other “Show don’t Tell” myths.
Extra : More articles on “Show don’t Tell”

As we learned in the first post, we usually want to incorporate “showing” in our writing. However, we shouldn’t always use showing.

Yeah, it’s true. As coveted as “showing” is, that doesn’t mean it’s always the best choice. In fact, if we used it all the time, our books would be thousands of pages long. Showing involves using specific details and images to show the reader the scene. Those details and images require words…sometimes lots of words.

So in the interest of good pacing, there are many times you are better off just “telling” the reader and then moving on. A good example is character movements.

Let’s say our MC is done eating dinner and is taking his dishes back to the kitchen.

#p2p16 Trends from March can help in the October contest.

Hi there!

I need to start by clarifying what this post relates to. Back in March of 2016 I did a statistical analysis of the p2p16/March contest.

The analysis tells us some interesting things about the upcoming p2p16/October contest.

(If you are reading this and it’s before October 22nd, then don’t worry, you haven’t missed p2p16)

Here is the link to my March analysis: #p2p16 – By the Numbers.  (btw: this was by far my most popular post of 2016) If you’re preparing for p2p16, the analysis can be very enlightening.

To give you a high level overview of the results, I can tell you two things:

1. What were the editors looking for in an entry when they made a request for more pages?

The short answer: An engaging Story and Voice.

2. What caused the editors to pass on an entry?

The short answer: A Story or Voice that didn’t connect.

I don’t think that’s too surprising. However what did surprise me is that nearly 25% of the time, when an editor tweeted they were passing – it was because the genre wasn’t what the editor asked for. **

This means writers were submitting their entries to editors that had specifically said they don’t work with that genre. All of the editors have a profile on the #p2p16 site where they clearly spell out what they’re looking for.  I mean there’s even a MSWL Cheat Sheet if you aren’t sure.

We (writers) need to be reading the bio and the MSWL cheat sheet before we submit an entry to an editor. This contest is a great opportunity. Don’t miss out on it, because of something simple like this.

Hope you find the analysis useful. #p2p16 – By the Numbers

All the best,
JD Burns

**note: this doesn’t mean 25% of all entries were sent to editors that didn’t want that genre. It just means 25% of the time when an editor tweeted “I’ll pass” the reason they gave was because they specifically stated in their bio,  they didn’t work with that genre. .

 

Show don’t Tell – Extra (links for more information)

This is an Extra post I added for my series on “Show don’t tell”.  It contains links to more information.

If you’re looking for any of my previous posts on “Show don’t tell”, they can be found below.

Post 1: What is “Show don’t Tell”
Post 2: How do we know if we are using “Show don’t Tell”
Post 3: When is it ok to “Tell” instead of “Show” 
Post 4: Showing inner thoughts and other “Show don’t Tell” myths.
Extra : More articles on “Show don’t Tell”

Links to other sources of information on “Show don’t tell.”

1. Jerz’s Literary Blog – Some excellent examples of telling .vs. showing

2. How to Tell When You’re Showing – Great article about how to know if you are using “show” or “tell”

3. Why “Show, Don’t Tell” Is the Great Lie of Writing Workshops – I really liked this article because it is a counter-argument to the need to “show” all the time.

4.Fiction University: Show .vs. Tell – A great list of additional articles on Show don’t tell.

If you have some favorite links on “Show don’t tell”, I’d love to hear about them!

All the best,
JD Burns

Show don’t Tell – Post 2 of 4

Hi there again. This is the second post in a four part series. If you’re looking for any of the other posts, they can be found below.

Post 1: What is “Show don’t Tell”
Post 2: How do we know if we are using “Show don’t Tell”
Post 3: When is it ok to “Tell” instead of “Show” 
Post 4: Showing inner thoughts and other “Show don’t Tell” myths.
Extra : More articles on “Show don’t Tell”

In this post, we’re going to talk about how to know if your writing is using “telling” or “showing.” As we learned in the first post, we usually want to incorporate “showing” in our writing.

So how do we know if we pulled it off? Sure we can read articles, books and posts that tell us all about “Show don’t tell” and we can look at dozens (or hundreds) of examples. But in the end, we need to be able to look at what we wrote and figure out if it’s “telling” or if it’s “showing.”

Show don’t Tell – Post 1 of 4

I’m just going to jump right into this, because there’s really no easy way to start this topic. “Show don’t tell” is one of those things writers hear about all the time, and it’s a concept that causes no end of frustration for new writers and veterans alike. Don’t believe it? Just take a stroll around the internet and see how many different articles, books and advice blogs there are on the topic. (Yeah, I realize I’m adding to the dog pile here).

I’m going to tackle this in a series of posts. The complete list is below.

Post 1: What is “Show don’t Tell”
Post 2: How do we know if we are using “Show don’t Tell”
Post 3: When is it ok to “Tell” instead of “Show” 
Post 4: Showing inner thoughts and other “Show don’t Tell” myths.
Extra : More articles on “Show don’t Tell”

In this first post we talk about what “show don’t tell” means and why it’s important.

Tell: This means we are telling the reader a fact. For example: Jim was sad.

Show: This involves using specific images or details to show the reader the same fact. For example: Tears welled up in the corners of Jim’s eyes. He sank to his knees, rocking back and forth as the sobs shook him.

Voice – how to develop your own!

Hi there!

So let’s talk about voice. Now, I’m the last person to pretend to be an expert on voice, but I suspect if you asked 100 writers for a definition, you’d get 105 different answers….maybe more. I figure, why not add another one and really confuse things? For me, one of the better explanations I’ve come across is voice is created by a writer’s word choice and sentence structure.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Thanks for the news flash, JD. Your explanation is about as helpful as telling us sentences are made up of words and punctuation.

Yeah, I get it. Saying voice comes down to word choice and sentence structure is pretty vague. Let me try to flesh that out a little. Start with the opening of this post. What words did I choose and how did I arrange the sentences? Did it have any effect on how you picture me as a real person? Do you think of me as a very formal professorial type, with my white hair and pressed suit – explaining the technical intricacies of voice as I tap my pointer on the lesson written across the chalkboard? Or did you picture someone wearing a pair of open-toed sandals and a faded t-shirt, who just plopped down next to you at the corner café to chat about writing and the world in general?

#p2p16 – By the Numbers!

Blog author’s note: I originally published this post for the #p2p16 March contest. All of the analysis that follows is for the March p2p16. However, this gives us an important glimpse at what to expect for the October p2p16.

Hi there,

The #p2p16 (Pitch to Publication 2016) contest submission started up this past weekend and it’s already been a lot of fun. The submission window was open for two days only (Saturday and Sunday). Writers submitted their completed manuscript to a panel of 15 editors with the hopes that one of those editors would take them on for a month of free mentoring. The editor’s selections will be coming out in a few days on March 12^th.

In between the time when the submission window closes and the editor pairings are announced, there is a flurry of twitter activity. Many of the editors will tweet teasers about the entries they are reading and if they are going to “pass” or “request” more material. The teases are intentionally vague so the contestants can’t tell which entry the tweet refers to. As you can imagine this is like a delightful bit of torture for the contestants as they try to guess. I’ve been through it and it’s a strange mix of emotions.

I’m not in #p2p16 this year, but I am very interested in that flurry of twitter activity the contest generates. While the teases may be deliciously tantalizing on their own, they can also be extremely educational. Particularly when we take a look at some enlightening trends that run through them.

Here’s what I did – hopefully you find it interesting too:

Why #p2p16 can be so much fun – if you let it be.

Bloggers note: I originally published this post for the #p2p16 March contest. I have since updated with information for the #p2p16 October contest.

Yes!!!

October 22 and #p2p16  are almost here and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Fair warning though – If you enter, you may also want to prepare yourself for a case of the nerves. How bad can it get?

Well during last summer’s contest, I suspected I might be getting a bit obsessed with refreshing my twitter feed. Good thing for me there’s a nice little park within walking distance of our house. So I grabbed the dog and the kid….gave my darling wife a peck on the cheek and took off to clear my head. Or so I thought.