Show and Tell Time Class

I used to – well, I probably still do because whose perfect – have a problem with ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’.

“Robert was sad” is telling.

“Robert’s wet eyes were empty” is showing.

It’s not a perfect example but you get the point.

I’ve become much better at ‘showing’ in my writing  because of a great gift I got for Christmas. I mentioned it before but I’m returning to the subject because, after just shy of three months, the impact it has had on my writing is tremendous.

‘The Emotion Thesaurus’ is a must have for any writer and, for the price, is an amazing investment in your own writing.

Every time I come to a place where I would have ‘told’ before, now I am automatically reaching for the book. I don’t always use a direct example from the list, but I read through the possible descriptions and it helps form a picture. I can then describe that picture using my own words molded from the ones suggested. Sometimes a phrase will jump out from the page, and you know that’s the one to use in that instance. Either way, the effect on my writing is dramatic.

With this book it becomes a fun and interesting challenge to ‘show’ and the thought of ‘telling’ becomes dirty. Do yourself a favour, especially if you are just starting to get serious about this thing called writing, get this writing aid.

The Emotional Thesaurus at Amazon

Filed under: Writing Tagged: characters, emotions, scene, thesaurus, world building, writer, writing