Writing instructors often say, “Show, don’t tell.” Do we really know what that means? Do we know how to do it? Do we know why instructors keep stressing its importance?
If we can understand the goal and why it exists, we have a much better chance of getting there.
“Show, don’t tell” is a modern concept. The need developed as movies and television became more and more realistic. The screen is now so captivating that viewers forget they’re watching. They feel like they’re in the scene. The thrill of victory and agony of defeat are as real as if it’s happening to them. No longer are they distant observers. They’re personally engaged, facing threats that make their hearts skip a beat, at the end, feeling like heroes.
The old, literary style has been acceptable for ages, but not anymore. With an old book, one of the classics, readers are thrown back into their seats as observers. Landscape, weather, and other physical aspects of a scene are described, putting them to sleep because the information isn’t crucial in whether the character will survive.
Readers want to be part of the action.
To satisfy your audience, you must write your story from the perspective of the main character in the scene, not as an observer.
I’m still trying!