New: Informal Writing Workshop

Hello Writers: 

On May 28 at  2 PM, you are invited to attend the very first Whitesboro Writers Group Informal Writing Workshop. Today's exercise will address various ways in which we can "show" rather than "tell" something in a story we are writing.  Please bring a notebook and some ideas and/or written excerpts you would like to work on.

Most of us can tell a story after it happens. This is called narration, and if we read it in the paper or hear it during the nightly news, it's called  journalism.  It is also the half of our equation called "telling". Many times it is more expedient to simply "tell" what happened, such as when the events you're explaining aren't the main event you're leading up to. On television, "showing" is done with video clips of an event, and you become a witness as if it were happening in present time. 

Many creative writers prefer to "show" what is happening, or what happened in the past. Often this is accomplished through dialogue between characters who are experiencing the event, or by embellishing the event in descriptive rather than objective terms. You read what is written, and visualize or witness the events as the author presents them. In general, "showing" evokes more of an emotional response from readers than "telling" does.

Both showing and telling are important parts of the writing process. We will explore situations when it's best to employ one of these methods versus the other. Our goal is to make our writing more dynamic and creative, and to mix the two methods for optimum results.

Example #1: Describe the weather:

Telling: The temperature had fallen overnight and the heavy frost reflected the sun's rays brightly.

VS

Showing: The morning air was bitter ice in her nose and mouth, and dazzling frost lay on every bud and branch. 

Example #2:  Describe the character: 

Telling: The taller man was a carpenter, complete with the tools of his trade.

 VS

Showing: A saw and hammer dangled from his belt and an adze was hooked into it, one thumbnail was black, and when he bowed she saw several long wood-shavings caught in his curly hair.

Can you see the difference in these two examples copied  from this website? To see more, click and read: 

 http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/showing-and-telling-the-basics.html

At this time we plan to offer new workshops the last Thursday of each month unless otherwise noted.

As always...keep writing!