The Most Misunderstood Writing Advice

[@JohnAllenRoyce]

Thanks for the perspective, Alyssa! I think that writing rules can be over-generalized, and it is great to hear a deeper explanation.

[@larssjostrom6565]

The worst case of tell rather than show that I have read is: "Olwen was a very entusiastic girl." She didn't come off as particularly entusiastic throughout the story, which is why I remember that part so well. It became an unfullfilled promise about her character.

[@BrianHaddad]

I think that's why I like the "show don't tell" philosophy: it encourages writers to make good on their promises. If I've committed myself to showing the reader what kind of character my protagonist is, then I am going to look for opportunities to make the character's traits known without just telling you (as my reader) and expecting you to picture the character the way I did. It's a simple rule that drives writers to do the most fundamental work of their craft without getting lazy about it. Just like any rule, it is meant to be broken in calculated ways, but it's an excellent rule of thumb that shouldn't be considered a burden on the storyteller, but a gentle reminder that actions are louder than words.

[@marikothecheetah9342]

@@BrianHaddad people are so afraid of telling they avoid descriptions of places, looks etc. (telling) altogether. And I miss that a lot in newer books. A good description can put you in the middle of things without feeling lost or tell you what the character looked like and what was characteristic about them. Everyone knows how Anne of Green Gables looks like because her description is so detailed and her looks play an important role in her life. The same with where she lives, how she adores the simple things, etc. This may be boring to some people but that's one them. Always showing can also put people off.

[@BrianHaddad]

@@marikothecheetah9342 absolutely! I think that the show-don't-tell philosophy needs to be executed in a balanced, measured way. Many things need to be told. A writer is a storyTELLER not a storySHOWER. lol But if you tell me someone has a certain trait without ever showing that trait in action, your character is going to be weak and your relationship with the reader will suffer. Better to just show the trait. No need to tell in the first place. There are definitely some things that must be told, but telling needs to be done right, just like showing. :)

[@marikothecheetah9342]

@@BrianHaddad Couldn't agree more. :) Also - yes, writers should deliver on a promise.

[@zanemarion7211]

It isn't about showing and telling. It's knowing when to use both.

[@BigDaddyJinx]

"Show don't tell" in the confines I had it explained to me growing up, was a vehicle to avoid gross exposition. It was explained to me that as a writer, we have to trust that our readers also have an imagination, and they've been following us along closely, so we shouldn't insult them by telling them much. We should be showing them and allowing their imaginations to do the telling. It was explained to me that everyone reads the exact same words of any book, but few have the same experience reading the same book. We could all read the same passage from the same book, and all have a different experience reading it. If we show and not tell. If we tell, we all read the same passage from the same book and have the same feeling and experience when done. And in screenwriting, this isn't just a thing it's the biggest thing. They drill into you to show not tell. Give your viewer clues to pick up on. Sounds. Sights. Smells. How they're postured. How they placed an item. Don't tell an audience a damn thing. Show them instead and trust that they'll keep up. When you tell an audience, they have your whole story figured out before the opening credits are done. For myself, I'll tell only when I want the readers/viewers to all have the exact same response or reaction. Like a composer, I compose their reaction and hit it only when I need it hit. But that's just me.

[@ObscureImages]

I think you've nailed the advice here, Alyssa. As you stated, a *balance* between showing and telling is the key. I recently reread Ira Levin's "Rosemary's Baby" and read for the first time Cormac McCarthy's "Outer Dark" and neither of them has a problem 'telling' when and where necessary. It's something I pay attention to when reading now because the "show don't tell" advice comes up all of the time in videos about writing. I've actually gone back to my most recent manuscript to find areas where the "showing" can be tamed a bit. As you said, 'showing' can bog down the pace (which is what happened to me) with details that don't even matter to the story. Thanks for all the wonderful writing advice and videos; I truly enjoy your content.

[@LivioSegnini]

Definitely! Just read Blood Meridian and you can see that the novel would lose its quality if he chose to show instead of telling.

[@JJNWSGHOST0299]

This reminds me of a video I watched recently. Brandon Sanderson and another writer were discussing bad/unhelpful writing advice they'd heard over their careers. This one was near the bottom because it can be helpful but is often misapplied. Rats with swords was my favorite from that video.

[@davidw7861]

I believe that was part of Sanderson's Intentionally Blank podcast which he does with Dan Wells.

[@JJNWSGHOST0299]

@@davidw7861 I just checked. It was with Tim Hickson

[@IlseMulAuthor]

The latest he talked about was with Tim Hickson, but he's talked about it with Dan Wells in an episode of Intentionally Blank 😀

[@futurestoryteller]

I like that Sanderson doesn't like it. He said it's usually more words. Which explains why his books are always so short.

[@TheEccentricRaven]

Yes, I want to shout this loud and clear ❤ It bothers me how writers say this advice is wrong because they miss the whole point. Showing helps to convey what you want the reader to perceive and feel.

[@beescheeseandwineplease889]

I recently read a book that told me the antagonist was very ruthless and evil, but this was never shown to us in his actions. So when the antagonist had a redemption arc, it just seemed like he was a good guy the whole time but he just had lots of haters. 😂

[@BigDaddyJinx]

Wow. That sounds very one dimensional.

[@williambarlowii924]

Love your videos, but also want to add a couple of minor critiques here: (1) 3:20-26. Replace “John was scared” with “John’s hand trembled as he glanced over his shoulder.” This approach can lead to characters that over manifest their emotions by physical action. E.g. nervous people always drumming their fingers or angry people always furrowing their brow. Most times we tell someone’s emotion by the context and tone of their voice. Just keep that in mind so you don’t over do it, otherwise your characters will be fidgeting messes. (2) 3:50 Replace “She heard the train coming over the tracks” with “The room shook as the low rumble of the train grew nearer, the steam engine hissing as it passed.” 7 times out of 10, the original version is better because it conveys the same information in fewer words. It is rare that the steam engine hissing is a detail that’s important to move the story forward. The 3 times out of 10 that your revised version is better is when we need a break in the action/dialogue so that the reader can catch their breath/take the scene in. So it’s a fine technique for slowing down the pace, but most of the times writers have problems with pacing too slow rather than too quickly so watch out. General comment: A lot of time the answer is neither telling nor showing, but just deleting. Many times the context will be enough to make the reader guess how the character is feeling, etc. and you often only need to show or tell if the reaction is unusual and/or there could be multiple plausible reactions. Again, love your videos and thought this might help!

[@Exayevie]

Agree in principle. The second example is arguable though, because it leans on the filter "she heard" which distances the reader from the character. If you say something like "The train rumbled closer," it removes the filter and uses a stronger verb to show (ha) that the character knows this via hearing.

[@edsimnett]

Simple is better? The train came over the tracks. The train rumbled past. The 11:55 train was a minute late today (I like this one best, assuming you can do literally anything with the information) On trembling hands completely agree- also that's not something that a 3rd close narrator would notice. Your stomach can churn, or your throat close, or brow sweat, those are all things you notice about yourself, but hands trembling is weird- especially if you are standing / walking- it is the wrong physical manifestation. One you point it's amazing how fast readers go for fidgeting mess- I had an otherwise very capable character start to shake when he was in a super high pressure situation and I got the feedback "why was he such a klutz"

[@futurestoryteller]

If we stick only to information that moves the plot forward what we'll have is an outline. The weird thing is "show don't tell" is all about letting an experience speak for itself. So I don't agree that it's generally wordier. That's a perception people have because it's easier to slow down the pace by adding purple, but it's not a requirement. As I think these replies are trying to convey already. It's also just not true that a focus on telling keeps the word count down. I saw recently Brandon Sanderson hates the advice "show don't tell" and that made a lot of sense to me, because he's known for nothing if not his brevity.

[@marikothecheetah9342]

"7 times out of 10, the original version is better because it conveys the same information in fewer words." - depends on context. If the train is part of a daily life - yes, shorter, neutral comment is great. If it's something that triggers some memories - more punchy description would be better in my opinion. "The 3 times out of 10 that your revised version is better is when we need a break in the action/dialogue so that the reader can catch their breath/take the scene in. " - this.

[@marikothecheetah9342]

@@Exayevie I have hearing sensitivity and every time the train passing is for me rumbling but I try to ignore it. If it's not important to me (I am not waiting for a train) I will detach myself emotionally from it as much as possible. The train will just pass by for me even though I will still hear it. Just hearing something without emotional attachment is how we function during the day. We hear a train and we just hear it pass by, not rumble. However, if the train for example reminds somebody of something (memory trigger) then yes, it will rumble, it will hiss and evoke the emotion. Normally we don't pay too much of emotional attention to things but some things help us navigate in space and time. "She heard 10:00 train in the distance. It was time to go." "He heard the train rumble and hiss, sounds of the enormous machine echoing in his head, reminding him of those days on the front, memories he tried to burry as deep as possible. he thought he was finally free but the 11:30 train shattered his carefully constructed illusion of safety. "

[@IlseMulAuthor]

Thanks for the wonderfully explaining the difference, Alyssa. 😃 Here's an example of my current draft for showing: He tried to speak, but his mouth felt like parchment and he couldn’t bring out a word. When he tried to open his eyes to at least look at her, he felt his eyelids were too thick to open his eyes. For telling: While they walked over to the dragons and the children, the little creature kept chattering to Nejat who began to understand more and more. The more he heard, the more worried he started to get about the little one’s family.

[@gotmikl3075]

His mouth felt like parchment, unable to bring out a word. His eyelids were too thick to open. - (41 words vs. 18 words) The little creature chattered to Nejat about his family's dire predicament. The more he heard, the more concerned he became. (40 vs. 20 words) They're both great examples of what she asked for, I just wanted to send you this word count/tightness observation in the interest of helping one another. I'm sure you can do way better than I wrote, but I just wanted to send you that as a friend in the interest of helping each other. Just because I see it in your examples, doesn't mean I don't do the exact same thing sometimes!

[@pyzziie6712]

What do you think of "When he tried to Open his eyes to at least look at her, he felt invisible weights on both his eyelids, keeping them imprisoned in darkness. I tried to bounce off of the "stuck" feeling your character conveyed to me through your lines

[@edwinleskin3112]

For me showing is the setup and telling is the punchline

[@larssjostrom6565]

Telling is most valid when the character's do something that is repetitive, like discussing something for a long time. No use writing characters saying the same thing in different ways time and again unless someone say something that cause drama.

[@marikothecheetah9342]

Exactly. Sometimes stating things neutrally is needed for the plot to go forward.

[@5BBassist4Christ]

"For over a thousand years, the Jedi Knights were the Guardians of peace and justice in the old republic, before the dark ages, before the empire." -one of the best scenes of tell don't show. This scene in Star Wars A Nee Hope is full of Obi Wan telling us about the glory days of galactic prosperity in the past. We don't get to experience those days however, we only get to hear about them as an idealized state of reality.

[@briankilgore8808]

Star Wars is a great cave from which to mine, but much of that which has been mined is mediocre. They should abandon the direction they’re headed down and return to KOTOR, and Revan.

[@futurestoryteller]

It's entirely justified by the events of the story. Luke is not in a position to know his family's history, so Obi Wan tells him. The opening crawl is arguably a better, and possibly more egregious example of telling. I remember as a small child being pretty bored with that opening, despite the exciting music. But I'd need to study each one on a case by case basis to determine if the information is necessary for understanding those movies. It is kind of beside the point though, since the original goal was to call to mind classic movie serials.

[@jasonsumma1530]

Are there certain scenes where it is almost 100% one way vs the other? In my mind, a battle scene is almost always better showing instead of telling. A conversation could be almost always telling if you are describing how a person is reacting during the conversation. As for your challenge, I would need to go back and do a major rereading for the showing part of it.

[@7DarthValor]

I love your channel and appreciate what you are doing to help writers! Thank you so much!! Any chance you could explore the difference (pro and cons too) between between rotating third person narrative and third person omniscient?

[@amjedaissaoui1123]

I’m writing an epic fantasy story with 4 povs. I’ve pulled some things from the culture and history of my region, being both an Arab and an Amazigh (north African Berber). The story is about the political events between three tribes at conflict and war for many generations; they fight over land and identity. And of course, there is a magic system (low), and the typical existential threat that comes from the south, the uninhabited desert. It's really exciting to write!

[@Anthony-gq7dk]

Super delivery Alyssa , so valuable and you make it sound upbeat and doable , great advice.

[@rowan7929]

Great stuff. When I began writing, so many told me I need to show instead of telling. Took me a bit until I finally grasped it and finding the right balance.

[@Drudenfusz]

Not a current work Telling a summer haiku Unsatisfying All cicadas sing Poetry might feel purple Dusk of painted words

[@thuroria7631]

"The most misunderstood writing advice" as the title -> proceeds to misunderstand said piece of writing advice. Classic.

[@giovannijacobs4496]

I mean I get it, but exposition is sometimes necessary, unavoidable and also sometimes fun.

[@joshpoi886]

Excellent video and advice. Thank you for including the examples to illustrate the idea. Also, you're not single are you? jkjk

[@martymcfly6411]

I let the story decide. I dont let my mind get in the way.

[@briankilgore8808]

Thank you for the examples. Very helpful.

[@Speed202]

"It was the best of times and the worst of times...."

[@robertrdbrooks7658]

Question: Can the character or characters (show) through the dialogue they are best friends, or whatever description? Example 1. Through an introduction, to others. *Everyone, this is ___ my best friend. 2. A long surprise visit at the front door. *Oh my goodness look who it is, I haven't seen ____ in years this is ____ my best friend since high school. 3 A phone call. *Who was that on the phone? Oh, ____. You've been best friends for how many years now? I'm new to writing trying to figure things out. I'm asking because I don't know. Thank You. Rob.

[@Free_Range_Hippo]

Showing is telling, and telling has to be used as a part of showing. When people “tell” and expect telling to be enough to stand on its own is when it doesn’t work. That’s why adjectives and adverbs can weigh down the story - An adjective or adverb by itself is just a conclusion that something “is” something or was done a certain way. Think like a lawyer - Your job is to make the case that something “is” anything, NOT simply declare that it is. Readers don’t read to be told what things are or what happened or how it happened. Readers read to have the case of those things argued to them. So, don’t say, “the sun was too bright.” Say, “I had to squint and hold my hand up to make out Jonny in his boat. The water reflected gold around him. I could only see him as a silhouette on the boat, but I couldn’t see if he was near the place the Sheriff had said to watch out for. I wondered if it might have been better to start earlier.” Not saying my example is exactly how to do it, and you’ll want to avoid belaboring things that don’t add to the story (ie, does it matter that the sun is too bright?) but you’ll paint a better picture describing the experience of the sun being too bright than by simply declaring that the sun is too bright. Basically, you want the reader to be the one drawing conclusions about what things are or how they were done - Writers make arguments and present evidence that lead to those conclusions.

[@psycthom]

Oh a challenge? I think(?) the following two lines are a good show AND tell: Paul looked down at the kid and bit down on a sob. The boy couldn’t have been much more than twelve years old.

[@JoleCannon]

This is from my debute novel, Larger than Love, expected to release on July 31st. Showing: He grabbed a pint of ice cream and a spoon, leaned against the counter, and ate from the tub. Tears mixed with the melted dessert as it dripped down his beard. Ginger sat and stared up at him as he sniffled. He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, recoiling at the ice-cream-splattered man in front of him. Disgust settled in the pit of his stomach as he turned on the tap, splashed his face with water, and scrubbed furiously at his matted beard. Telling: Sophia was the youngest in the group and the only woman. She’d entered college at sixteen, and at twenty-two, was finishing her graduate program. Rory’s heart soared. Warmth enveloped him as his team complimented his achievements. He was contributing to a major project, and they noticed.

[@jdgartkozak]

The fact that the most well-known bit of writing advice is insufficient is the reason I do not listen to writing advice. Listening to writing advice is a way to cop out and procrastinate rather than actually swallowing your insecurities and doing the thing. Read. Learn your grammar. (No, you cannot let the computer do grammar for you.) Then, write. That is all.

[@TJCarpenter]

It boils down to what Junot Diaz describes as the "scenification" of literature. Scenes are what traditional publishers want from their writers. They want scenes because scenes can be adapted into screenplays easily. This gives up on the fundamental advantage writing has over other mediums, the inward eye, the soul gazing, internal thoughts of the writer, a character, the artistic diety, imagination beyond the senses... That's what the word does. But it can't be put on screen.

[@fräuleinniemand1871]

Show: The darkness covers me like a wall and chockes up my throat. The uniform cuts into my Neck. It's suddenly far too tight. I can't breath. Footsteps come out of the dark. Germans? Ouite unlikely. They must be from the english. My Heart ist pounding against my chest. It wants to escape, but it can't. My life will end now. Will they finish it with a gun? A bayone? Or will they suffocate me in the mud? Tell: But the worst thing is the Moment of weakness. When I'm laying helpless in my bed and can't move while everything is washing over me. Like the dead comrades in the trenches, except their bodys are not trembeling. It wasn't possible to burry all the dead. Everyone had to help take them away and burry them in mass graves with plenty of chlorinated lime for desinfection. When the Artillery fire started again, the lifeless remains of or former comrades were torn from the earth and were hurled through the air like contents of a rag doll. These were laying besides us in the trenches, day after day. Slowly I began to feel like one of them. I lost track of truth and reality.

[@andre-hugopretorius9815]

Telling: Howie felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and despair, convinced that no one would ever care about him or his well-being. Showing: Gasping, Brad hunkered in the shadows, praying he wouldn't be discovered. His shaking hands clasped his mother's worn scarf to his chest, as the heavy footsteps grew closer.

[@samp4050]

Show don't tell are three of my pet hate words. There are many successful authors who just tell the story as it is, and I'm one of them. A good story teller doesn't need to add unnecessary silly details to 'show' a story. That's just my own personal humble opinion.

[@BrentPhilpot]

Thank you, Alissa for this perspective. You are helping me so much.

[@mr.e7541]

I read a chapter a friend of mine wrote and his action scene was super boring because he just completely told you what was happening and didn't show you. This wasn't this way the whole book the rest of the book had a lot of description in it. But I told him the fight scenes were very boring because he just told us what happened and didn't show anything. I told him so don't tell or as I saw it another video by somebody describe don't explain. Of course this is a general rule you don't have to explain to me how hard or soft the ground is in every scene.

[@futurestoryteller]

This kind of sounds like your friend might have been writing punchy fight scenes (excuse the pun) to keep the pace up, because it's action. Some readers would prefer that.

[@mr.e7541]

@@futurestoryteller that's a good point

[@robertmurrhee6016]

Showing: "Natalie, her soft voice quivering, quietly said, through fresh tears, "Yes...no, not really.". Telling: The two of them headed out of the secondary control room, back toward the training room where Bast had so brutally died.

[@larssjostrom6565]

The telling gives a lot more excitement, but I would of course need the context to know for sure which is best.

[@marikothecheetah9342]

Telling is great for descriptions when you just have to state the things as they are. And good descriptions are what books miss today. They either have a very little description or none at all, being all the action, no good placement of the story, character and surroundings.

[@Fuliginosus]

I think the reluctance among many writers to use adverbs stems from the idea that's it's telling rather than showing, yet a lot of famous writers seem unafraid of them. I'd love to hear your thoughts on adverbs specifically.

[@rebeccadey]

While I'm not Alyssa of course, I am a writing tutor, and I think adverbs get a bad rap. I think a lot of people also see them as crutch words that repeat something a stronger verb could do better (smiled widely vs grinned) but they have their place to ENHANCE prose too (smiled happily is redundant; smiled sadly paints a very specific picture). Just my two cents :)

[@futurestoryteller]

@@rebeccadey I'd be curious to know if you can think of an example that's not explicitly a paradox. Maybe it's not actually important, but I seem to struggle describing actions that are normally seen as continuous in a way that is brief. A "nod" for example can be both repetitious or singular. I find I reach for adverbs when I want to be this specific, perhaps needlessly.

[@rebeccadey]

@@futurestoryteller I think I get what you're saying here, but I'm not sure that you'd necessarily need adverbs for such an action. It would really depend on context. "She nodded" for instance, makes me think of someone nodding a couple/few times. "He dipped his head in a nod" or "He gave a nod" serves for the singular. As for a non-paradoxical adverb that also isn't a crutch? "Laughed maniacally." That is a descriptive word that enhances the kind of laugh we see, and it's snappier than some other ways you could write it, if you're writing an action scene for instance. Something like "jumped recklessly into love" also gives us a pretty quick and clear picture of what that character might be like in romantic situations

[@2FJeff]

Something I’m struggling with is realizing I am leaning on dialogue way too hard to give exposition or information in general. If anybody has tips that would be awesome.

[@futurestoryteller]

Can you give an example, maybe of a passage you don't like?

[@therobotafroshow3289]

Very helpful….Thanks

[@beescheeseandwineplease889]

I like to put a “story inside a story” to show something that is hard to show. One of the characters tells another character a 1 page story about something that happened previously. This mimics real life human communication and avoids tons of telling.

[@futurestoryteller]

This is like the "turducken" example. My original thought was to warn you that some seem to be under the impression that dialogue cannot be "telling." but in screenwriting, dialogue is the most annoying way to tell, and it's arguably the only way to do it literally, sans narration. Which is a modern rarity. Many prose writers seem to be under the impression that screenwriting is not real writing or something, but it is. Point being: you can definitely tell through dialogue. Then I realized that you were talking about characters telling a story. If telling the story is justified by circumstance, or the story is told well enough, getting its point across without being too direct, as if the information is for the reading audience, then it's kind of living up to the addage. In theory you're showing by telling in a way that shows, hopefully? I like that. I will say this seems to be a device used by some writers already, maybe it would be helpful to remember that it doesn't _need_ to be something that actually happened. It can be allegorical, or even metaphorical, or poetic. The TV show Fargo frequently uses all four, and it's what I immediately thought of. There is a truly unusual amount of characters relaying stories to other characters on that program, and it's arguably been the very best thing on TV since it first aired. I'd recommend you check it out if you haven't already, but I'd probably recommend it to anybody who isn't completely put off by graphic violence. I can give examples from the show, if that's more helpful.

[@stebbigunn7690]

What if we tell what something smells with a more emotional word, like "the stench, scent.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

You can definitely do this! The idea is just to avoid unnecessary filter words - for example, instead of "She smelled the stench rising out of the sewer," you can simply write, "The stench rose from the sewer," eliminating the filter words "She smelled." I have another video that explains this in more detail: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpXVmIhoaNWpjqM

[@Gandalftinky]

I’m starting a novel but I can’t decide if my book should take place in current time or the 80s so I would really appreciate it if someone could give me their opinion on what i should do

[@Maarten8867]

If it doesn't matter to the story, choose whichever one excites you the most. If you choose the '80s, it does involve a lot of worldbuilding.

[@Gandalftinky]

@@Maarten8867 okay, thank you so much for your opinion I really appreciate it

[@joefraracci6748]

One benefit about the 80's is there were minimal security cameras in those days and no cell phones no GPS etc. Much easier for your villain to commit a crime.

[@Gandalftinky]

@@joefraracci6748 that’s a good point, thank you so much for your opinion

[@briankilgore8808]

Can you write some stuff down and figure it out as you go? That’s how I like to do it when I’m not sure which way to go.

[@개혁자-k5d]

The only thing you need to be a writer is to be literate in a human language. There is no advice that can be given on something so subjective. Just write what you want. Express yourself.

[@AlexDurig-ot8pp]

Hey, Alyssa, found you yesterday in a 3-year-old video, joined chapter-read, and now enjoying and contemplating - and grateful~~

[@SulaimanKarriem]

Thanks for these examples. Much appreciated ❤️

[@Maarten8867]

What about showing and telling? For example, 'John was scared; his hand trembled as he glanced over his shoulder.' This way, readers are directly informed of John's fear (telling) while also experiencing it through his actions (showing).

[@edsimnett]

That's exactly how Hemingway would have done it- he was very Tell and Show.

[@futurestoryteller]

Doing both is not a flaw, but it's also not necessary. I've noticed some people with neurodivergence saying they prefer the directness of telling, but I'm unclear about whether this is because they have a hard time picking up the cues, or because they feel like they're filler. If it's the former then this style of writing could be a good compromise for them especially. So I hesitate to just say it's redundant and leave it at that. But on the face of it that's what it is.

[@edsimnett]

@@futurestoryteller related: You are often assuming a lot of cultural commonality with the reader. Viet Thanh Nguyen rails against Show don't Tell because he can "show" you a whole bunch of clear as day Vietnamese cues and a western reader skates past them. Historical fiction runs into similar issues- people internalized and emoted differently in a world bound by religion and dulce et decorum est, never mind the sexual politics of the past...

[@futurestoryteller]

@@edsimnett True, but something will always be lost in translation, or through time, right? There's that saying "the past is a foreign country, they do things a little differently there," it has never seemed more appropriate to me than it does in the case of this conversation. I guess this is a decent compromise, but it might be like building a house on sand too. You can't always know what people do differently elswhere, or will do in the future. One day your words will be written in a language no one speaks, and the explanations won't make any more sense than the inferences do. It just depends on what you prioritize I suppose.

[@edsimnett]

@@futurestoryteller But as an author you can make people do things differently in the past than today. The number of books "set" 50-100 years ago where you might as well be in 2020 in costume feels to me sadly much higher than books where the author made an effort to make me feel like we were really *in* 1910/40/60 whatever.

[@timothywong2776]

Hey Alyssa, a question for AAA. Do you have any tips for overcoming writers block or writers fatigue. I can write a lot, everyday for a few hours a day and I actually really enjoy it. It's a fun and creative expression, like playing music. But sometimes I do get writers block. The characters don't speak to me and I can't see the story in my mind's eye. Any advice?

[@gotmikl3075]

Research something specific to the scene at hand. It may turn the bulb back on ....

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Hi there - I do have another video with some quick fixes for writer's block: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqXIdIGQbNJrnM0 I hope some of those tips are helpful!

[@shanerdude4]

With a single look from her the boisterous staff silenced and continued their work with eyes down. Dryness wicked moisture from her mouth, a cold slithered up her spine as muffled sounds that could’ve been words failed to reach her. The biggest thing that clicked for me with show don’t tell is “showing is the break pedal. Telling is the gas pedal, drive accordingly.”

[@marikothecheetah9342]

Finally someone indicating the importance of telling. Showing not telling has been hammered so much into writers' minds they stopped writing descriptions completely. I want that description of the car, if its an important thing for a character. I want description of walk to somewhere if it's dreaded or enjoyed by the character. Tell me how the character looks so I can visualise them better. He looked like his brother" (an authentic phrase from the book I once read) doesn't cut it. Great video! Keep'em coming.

[@evolutionofvision]

Thank you for the post. :) A beta reader of my book had me laughing because the scenes showed unnecessary details. "Do you need all of this?" or "Really, Robert?" There's a balance; over the past year, it's been a learning adventure as I'm working on the final pass.

[@codingwithguyfranciscopoli9887]

Show versus tell? Like life itself, it just depends on the situation.

[@Jacobenz]

My biggest problem is starting, not the prose, not the conflict, just starting the writing each day. Once I get started, I love it, that world, frame of mind, that warm, brilliant trance. Why won't I just start?

[@JJNWSGHOST0299]

Sometimes it's hard when you're busy. The thing that works for me is to jot notes on my app. If a description or line of dialogue hits you, write it down. Play around it if you have time. The more I do a little writing the easier it is for me to make time to sit down and have a big session.

[@richmondroamer]

I have this same problem. The thing that worked for me on my latest project was forcing myself to make the time, but also making it an attainable amount of time to sit there or a word count goal. Start with 500 words as a goal and when you exceed that, it might help. Also, if you're a plotter, I found that doing chapters that I have less material for first keeps me from getting burned out when I get to those chapters later.

[@BudsCartoon]

11:34 PCT... did you start yet?

[@BudsCartoon]

@@JJNWSGHOST0299 I drive 16 hours tomorrow. I do 90% of my writing with a steering wheel in my hand. The hard part is getting that energy and creativity back to my writing desk.

[@BudsCartoon]

@@JJNWSGHOST0299 I drive 16 hours tomorrow. I do 90% of my writing with a steering wheel in my hand. The hard part is getting that energy and creativity back to my writing desk.

[@BudsCartoon]

Here's a serious comment/question... I'm writing a historical non-fiction/fiction based in 1875-1893. But for story reasons, I'm taking some events (real, but otherwise unknown) and fudging a year here or there between real characters. If her man escaped jail in 1873, I want to put it in her (my character) 1875-1883 timeline, having her being part of his motivation to try such a daring escape.... so QUESTION: Should I avoid even mentioning years or specific dates in other areas? If a guy (real, but otherwise unknown) died in 1879, and I make it 1881(in my timeline) for the story's sake, again....don't mention specific dates ie months and years? There WILL be certain timemarks like a World's Fair or other well known disasters of the time so the reader knows and is reminded. The "historical non-fiction" guy in me wants to use specific dates, but the fiction guy doesn't.

[@fräuleinniemand1871]

What about using letters a mark of time. I mean in top of every letter there was almost always the month and year. Maybe you can include them into your story when needed so the readers will have a sence of time. Otherwise it can get very confusing and your Idea will be overseen, because noone can follow thanks to the lack of timestamps.

[@futurestoryteller]

It's kind of sad just how necessary this clarification seems to be these days. The idea that showing is all about intimacy and immediacy was really the key for me, and it took me way too long to figure that out. I also think a tell told well is basically showing. Like if it's concealed in interiority or otherwise has voice, or personality - and I think that's what show "don't" tell is really trying to convey. And I think of a story as like an interesting dream or memory you're relaying, the things you don't remember or can't be bothered with need to be truncated or left out altogether. All of it is in service of putting you in the moment.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

I love your point about a "tell told well" - I agree that it's all about putting the reader in the moment and allowing them to experience the scene with the characters. Thank you for sharing!

[@somsycamvan191]

This is a great help, especially when to show and when to tell/summarise. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

So glad it was helpful!

[@tomgrant3893]

In my experience, the advice given isn't me, it's vaguely given and I'm supposed to read between the lines to get it right, that's the fault of the deliverer, not the receiver. Sorry to disagree. this has been my experience.

[@LaloMacKenzie]

First view and comment 🤗 glad to be here lol

[@melvindodson6827]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@BudsCartoon]

How do you fold a sundress? CAN you fold a sundress? Seems as challenging as folding a $.10 plastic shopping bag.

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤