Elements of Craft Tell, Don't Show The first rule of writing is show, don't tell. But let's face it -- if we showed everything, our novels would run tens of thousands of pages -- and readers would die of exhaustion. So what do we do? We must decide what information the reader needs. Just because we know everything about our characters and just because we spent weeks researching, it isn't necessary to share everything we know with our reader. We must choose only the details we need to authenticate our story and omit everything else. NARRATIVE is telling what happens. This is useful when the acting out of the story (by dialogue and action) does nothing to further our understanding of the characters or plot. EXPOSITION is explaining why something happened or gives background information. One of the most difficult and most crucial elements in story-telling is knowing when to give play-by-play action and when to back off and summarize. Play with this. If a scene doesn't hold your interest, maybe it is better to summarize it in a sentence or two and go on to something more important. However, if it is a pivotal scene in the plot or critical to our understanding how our character reacts in a given situation, go for it. Give us action, give us dialogue, and let us experience and savor every single moment of it. Want more great tips and techniques? Our Inspiration for Writers Tips and Techniques Workbook is now available for immediate download. Expanded tips, more topics, reproducible worksheets, exercises to practice what you learn and much more--check it out!   Why have we chosen the yellow rose as the symbol for Inspiration for Writers? The yellow rose symbolizes joy, friendship, and the promise of a new beginning. Some sources cite the meaning of the yellow rose as "I Care." We believe that writing should bring joy. We believe the editing relationship must be friendly and should develop into a partnership and a friendship. We believe that through editing, your work takes on the promise of a new beginning-perhaps even a new career. And we take more than just pride in our work. We care that our editing makes your work the best it possibly can be. Check out what we can do for you. (c) copyright 2001 by Sandy Tritt. All rights reserved, except for those listed here. These pages may be reproduced for educational purposes (such as for writer's workshops), as long as this copyright notice and the url: http://tritt.wirefire.com are distributed with the pages. For use in conferences or other uses not mentioned here, please contact Sandy Tritt at Sandy@InspirationForWriters.com for permission and additional resources at no or limited charge. Questions? Comments? Email us at: editor@InspirationForWriters.com If no one responds to your question or comment within 48 hours, please email again. Custom Graphics by: