Before I ask the question yes I do understand what it means, my question is can it be overdone. I have written my novel and rewritten and edited, over those tasks I have changed a lot of my "tells" into "shows" but I could go on and on, surly sometimes we need to just tell or the story won't move along. Or am I way off the mark here?
Regards Paul
Thank you Adrian, but as I pointed out I understand the principle it's just that sometimes in an excerpt the reader sees maybe a fair bit of tell that needs to be there, but the next part that isn't posted because of the limitations in the site, ?(which by the way I understand the need for brevity, something not obvious in my posts!) has the shows and is enhanced by the former. I was just getting confirmation of my own understanding on the useage of tell. but I do genuinely appreciate the obvious amount of time and thought you have put into helping me with this particular area of writing. Thank you Adrian.
Regards Paul.
This is one problem with 'rules'. If you stick to all of them rigidly you end up not being able to write at all. The trick is judging which are necessary, which simply desirable and which should be used with some flexibility.
To coin a phrase, the rules are...'more guidelines than strictly rules'. Savvy? ;)
Sometimes Tell is the best way forward. Its knowing when to Tell. A tip when to tell is if you're convinced Show won't work. You may need to Tell to advance the Plot and Storyline. You may need to Tell between dramatic scenes, or at the beginning of a chapter. But if you can keep Tell brief and combine it with Show.
Tips on when to Show.
You should Show everywhere it's possible to do so throughout a novel. To much Tell makes a novel read like a synopsis. Another danger with Tell, is that it can make a novel flat and lifeless.
Show not Tell grounds a novel in reality. It brings the scenes and actions to life, through the minds, speech and actions of individual characters. It’s especially effective when an individual uses his or her sensory perceptions to describe their surroundings and what they’re physically experiencing.
It can be tricky when to Show not Tell, because Tell can be used to good effect as well. Tell can be used in conjunction with Show. But Tell should only be used when it’s not possible to Show.
Dramatic scenes are mostly Show not Tell. How you define your characters by their actions. What did your characters see, hear, smell, taste or feel.
Dialogue is an action. It’s mainly Show not Tell. How your characters speak. How they reveal things about each other. An effective trick is to have your character reveal information to the reader by talking to another character. This adds to the intrigue and advances the plot and storyline.
For dialogue to Show, it’s essential the dialogue sounds natural and isn’t used to explain or convey information that is obviously known to the characters. Otherwise the dialogue will sound stilted or flat. In good dialogue the onus is on the reader to use his or her intelligence to fill in the gaps and work out what is likely to happen next.
Stream-of-thought is mostly Show not Tell. Character’s streams-of-thought let the reader know their inner world. Characters thoughts can reveal things about themselves and relay information that cannot be revealed in any other way.
Descriptions should be Show not Tell. It’s better to describe the landscape weather, objects and individuals using a characters sensory perceptions and sharp prose.
I hope that helps.
Good luck.