Hi all. Is there ever a time when it's ok to tell instead of show? If the story is in the single person and they are actually narrating the story, is it ok to tell more than you would with a story of multiple characters? I'm asking because the story I'm doing now is about a girl who is actually telling the tale. In it she has to explain or give images of certain episodes that have happened to her and relate things that have been said to her. Thanks
Thank you Adrian and Lauren. I'm truly grateful for all the feedback and comments I'm getting on this subject. It was something I really got stuck with. I feel more confident that I can carry on with writing my story without worrying about to much 'Telling.' I will definitely look out for the short story by Jack London it sounds fascinating. Thanks again.
Hi, Elsie.
The short story, 'To Build a Fire', by Jack London is a brilliant story of a mans struggle to survive in the Yukon territory in winter. The story has no dialogue. Jack London's brilliant descriptions of the setting and the man's struggle, are more than adequate compensation for the lack of dialogue. I highly recommend this short story to would-be authors who wish to learn about the effectiveness of Tell.
I believe Tell is both useful and necessary. Nowadays, however, an author should not over-egg the pudding with too much Tell - it should be used sparingly. I quote Elmore Leonard - 'All the necessary information can be given in dialogue.' When looking at a piece of Tell, ask yourself, how can I change this to dialogue, or streams-of-thought.
I hope that helps.
Good luck.
Telling is absolutely ok! I was asking a similar question myself whilst studying Sebastian Faulks novel “Birdsong”. Though the narrator was omnipresent, there was a mix of “showing” but also explicit telling. The main characters recalling of relationships where a mix of cold telling but also description. However, this didn’t hinder the novel’s power to generate sympathy or intrigue in the reader. If anything it added to the realism. Similarly, Mathew Hollis’s “Now all roads lead to France” tells more than it describes - it is a biography and not a novel, granted - but the telling didn’t lessen the tragedy or story of Edward Thomas’s life. Fiction or non fiction I have found telling to be quite powerful if balanced and purposeful. Hope this helps...