The Ultimate Guide to Harry Potter Fanfiction

The Quickest 'Show, Don't Tell' Tip Ever

I've been posting a lot of advice from other people recently, but it's all really good. Here is yet another thing, which I think should clear up a lot of confusion on this very vague topic of "Show, don't tell," from itstartswithablankpage on tumblr.

'Always show, not tell,' is a big fat lie. If you always show, you'll have half a novel of descriptive words and flowy sentences that will be hard to read.

Here is a quick tip:

Show emotion.

Tell feelings.

Don't tell us 'she was sad.' Show us- 'Her lip trembled, and her eyes burned as she tried to keep her tears at bay.'

Don't show us 'her eyelids were heavy- too heavy. Her limbs could barely function and she couldn't stop yawning.' Tell us - 'she felt tired that morning.'

Showing emotion will bring the reader closer to the characters, to understand their reactions better. But I don't need to read about how slow she was moving due to tiredness.

Likewise, when you do show, keep it to a max three sentences. Two paragraphs of 'how she was sad,' with no dialogue or inner thought is just as boring.

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Thoughts? Personally, I completely agree with this.

I've entered this in the Wattys. Not expecting much, but we'll see!

Sorry this was super short, but it's a pretty important little topic. Speaking of topics, what else should I cover? Let me know in the comments, and as my brother says, "See you on the flippity-flop."