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I got into a big argument at a writer's group in Portland about the 'show, don't tell' rule.
It was last fall, and someone said my draft was weak because I 'told' the main character was sad. I argued that sometimes, a flat 'he was sad' is the right choice for pacing and tone. The group leader, a guy named Carl, said I was missing a fundamental tool. Now I actively look for places where 'telling' works better than a long, drawn-out scene. Has anyone else found a spot where breaking that classic rule actually improved a piece?
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riley9562mo ago
But that's just lazy writing (sorry). The whole point is to make the reader feel it, not just be told about it.
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the_jesse22d ago
Why does every bit of writing need to wring emotion out of the reader? Sometimes you just need to state a fact and move the story along without trying to make every single sentence a masterpiece of feeling. Calling it lazy ignores that different scenes have different pacing needs and a flat statement can be exactly what works.
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the_amy2mo ago
Carl sounds like he runs a tight ship. In my own writing, a flat "she was tired" after a long action scene works better than describing droopy eyes for the tenth time. It gives the reader a quick breath before the next thing happens. Sometimes you need that blunt tool to keep things moving. Calling it lazy misses how pacing actually works on the page.
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