Show and Tell

 A while back I completed a WIP that finally gave me that feeling of being something special.  After typing “The End”, I allowed it to sit and marinate before reopening it for a harsh edit.  I focused on tightening the pace and polishing it to a decent draft shine.  With a smile, I shipped it off to my first non-family beta and prayed for a glowing response. 

What I got was an education in the difference between showing and telling:

“The ratio is too high on the side of telling. Yes, you have an intricate and different world. No, we don't need to be told all about it up front, and we never need to hear about it as though we're sitting in a lecture hall. Your MC lives in your world. There are a lot of things he's going to take for granted and not talk about, and other things the reader can pick up from interaction and dialogue.”*

Ladies and gentlemen, truer words have never been spoken.  Show, don’t tell.

Telling it easy. It’s the boom-boom that gets an emotion or plot line out in the open. And sometimes you simply have to tell some stuff. 

The question is how much is too much? When do you cross the line? How do you know the difference? 

Movies are a good educator for show vs tell. What does the MC look like when he/she is seething with anger? When they are sad? The subtlety of a look or slight change in posture telegraphs their emotions to the viewers with more emphasis than simply stating how they feel.  It is artful and viewers connect with the characters on a deeper level.  

Readers are no different. We want to be enticed, wooed, and surprised. We want hints of what is to come and experience the joy, sorrow, or frustrations along with the characters. We want stories that envelope us in the world or plot, so much so that we cannot put the book down at 2 in the morning. Many of us are picky and our once interest is lost, we may set a story down for good.

Luckily, showing can be learned. Our stories might tell more than show, but it is something that can be overcome. Those of us behind the keyboard may not always realize the difference, but between experience, education, and some helpful outside eyes, we will eventually point ourselves in the right direction. 

*Quoted with permission from the reviewer.

Betas: The Unsung Heroes of Writing

Prior to joining Absolute Write, the only time I'd heard the term "beta" was in relation to testing computer systems.  Microsoft would "beta" a new operating system or Blizzard would offer "beta realms" for players to test updates, patches, and overall playability. 

But writing? No way.

Now, however, the word carries a great deal of weight and shadows the previous definition.  A Beta Reader is one who will take your draft and apply their outside eyes to it.  A good one is golden and invaluable to improving a manuscript.  Yes they catch spelling and grammar errors (curse you spell-check!), but more importantly they can find things like small plot holes, messy dialogue tags, showing versus telling, and pace issues.  Much of what they discover are elements that diminish the story as a whole.  Whether it be flow, tempo, or simple "rookie" mistakes, they are problems that the writer often overlooks because they are so close to the work.  Betas, however, bring an external viewpoint that is often critical when trying to take a story from decent to excellent.  

Granted, there are horror stories from would-be writers about awful or crooked betas and determining the difference between bad and good can be tricky if you don't know the person.  A way around this is by cultivating professional friendship in the writing arena.  Getting to know others with a similar passion who are willing, able, and most importantly, capable is a big step in the right direction.  AW is a great place to look, but they can be found in writing/critique groups, other forums, etc. 

A person doesn't need a beta to make a story great, but they are often an invaluable, and free, "service" that I highly recommend.  Additionally, it's worth the effort to try your hand at being a beta as well.  Not only is critiquing someone else's work an excellent and professional return favor, but it can also help you avoid some mistakes in future endeavors.   

Ultimately, betas are some of the greatest unsung heroes of the writing world.  They read our slop and then help us polish it into a shine.

And usually for no other reason than the love of writing. 

For that, we thank you.

(Indeed, you are.)

Contest - Spreading the Word

For those interstested, Shelley Watter's is hosting a Twitter Pitch contest: 140 characters to pitch your MS.  It's only open to unagented writers with a completed MS. Winner gets a full MS request from Suzie Townsend (Fine Print Lit).  The games begin on April 1 and 2 with final submission to her blog on April 3rd.

Sounds like an interseting idea. 

For complete rules, regulations, and other amazing details, here is the LINK!