The key difference between showing and telling in writing is that showing involves describing what is happening in such a way that the readers can get a mental image of the scene whereas telling only involves explaining or describing the story to the reader. A story must have a combination of showing and telling in order to be an interesting and successful story. Showing will make the readers feel as if they are actually “on site,” seeing the story unfolding while telling feels like having another person tell you about something that happened rather than actually being there yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Showing in writing allows the reader to get a mental image of the scene and feel as if they are part of the story.
- Telling in writing involves explaining or describing the story to the reader, without making them feel immersed in the story.
- An effective story combines both showing and telling techniques to create an engaging and successful narrative.
What is Showing in Writing?
Showing in writing involves describing what is happening in such a way that the readers can get a mental image of the scene. In other words, the readers will feel as if they are actually “on site,” seeing the story unfolding. It involves the writer using many sensory data (sights, smells, taste, sounds etc.), dialogues, as well as perceptions.
For example, instead of just saying that your main character is tall, you can narrate or show how other characters have to look up when they talk to him or how he has to duck to go through a door. Likewise, instead of saying a character is angry, show it by describing his flushed face, raised voice, clenched fist, etc. So, this kind of description will help the readers to deduce that this character is tall. Thus, showing allows the readers to gather all the information the writer provides and come to their own conclusion about the story.
Good writers often try to show the major events in the story as much as possible, especially the interesting and emotional parts of the story.
What is Telling in Writing?
Telling in writing involves explaining or describing the story to the reader. Telling feels like having another person tell you about something that happened rather than actually being there yourself. For example,
“Cinderella was a beautiful, gentle, and kind girl who lives with her wicked stepmother and her two daughters. The stepmother and her two daughters treated her like a servant and made her do all the household chores. But Cinderella never complained; she bore her lot with patience and courage.”
However, telling has its own advantages too. We can use this technique to transition between two major events, especially when what happens in between is not very important. For example, if you are describing a past incident that is slightly relevant to your story, you can summarize it in a few lines. In other words, you can summarize background information and boring parts of your story.
What is the Difference Between Showing and Telling in Writing?
Showing involves describing what is happening in such a way that the readers can get a mental image of the scene whereas telling only involves explaining or describing the story to the reader. Therefore, this is the key difference between showing and telling in writing. Moreover, when a writer uses showing in writing readers will feel as if they are actually there in the story, seeing the story unfolding. However, readers won’t experience this feeling in telling. So, this is another difference between showing and telling in writing.
Furthermore, showing involves sensory data (sights, smells, taste, sounds etc.), dialogues, as well as perceptions whereas telling involves a narrative summary. Another important difference between showing and telling in writing is the effect they create. While showing makes the story more interesting and emotional, telling simply helps to summarize. Moreover, writers use showing in major events of the story, and telling to describe background information, unimportant events, etc.
Summary – Showing vs Telling in Writing
A story must have a combination of showing and telling in order to be an interesting and successful story. The key difference between showing and telling in writing is that showing involves describing what is happening in such a way that the readers can get a mental image of the scene whereas telling only involves explaining or describing the story to the reader.
