October 5th, 2008
What does show don\\\’t tell mean?
For
instance, Sam walked along the street toward his job interview. That’s
telling and pretty dull telling I’m sure you will agree. All the reader
has learned here is that Sam is walking along the street. There is no
scene? Is Sam angry, nervous, sad, upset, confused, happy, or
thoughtful? Some form of action need to be shown by using each or some
of the senses. Further, the reader neither knows whether Sam is male or
female since Sam could be short for Samantha. Let’s expand on this.