Creative and Critical Thinking: What If?
Creative and Critical Thinking
Showing vs. Telling
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Learning Target(s):
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"Don't tell us that the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream." -- Samuel Clemens
Showing vs. Telling.
First, what's the difference between the two?
"Telling" is the reliance on simple exposition: Mary was an old woman.
"Showing," on the other hand, is the use of evocative description:
Mary moved slowly across the room, her hunched form supported by a polished wooden cane gripped in a gnarled, swollen- jointed hand that was covered by translucent, liver-spotted skin.
Why is showing better? Two reasons. First, it creates mental pictures for the reader. When reviewers use terms like "vivid," "evocative," or "cinematic" to describe a piece of prose, they really mean the writer has succeeded at showing, rather than merely telling.
Second, showing is interactive and participatory: it forces the reader to become involved in the story, deducing facts (such as Mary's age) for himself or herself, rather than just taking information in passively. Source.
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Telling |
Showing |
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I was nervous. |
My palms were sweaty. I popped my knuckles. I looked in my backpack three times for no reason. My leg kept shaking, and I turned my head to look at the clock every few seconds. |
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She was angry. |
“She kicked open the screen door, letting it slam against the wall as she dashed outside. Down the steps and into the yard she flew. Grabbing the first rock in her path, she hurled it back toward the house. It crashed through the living room window with an explosion of shattered glass.” (Marion Dane Bauer, What’s Your Story) |
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My sister is talented. |
My sister competes in weightlifting championships, sings lead vocals in a rock band, and speaks five languages. |
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The runner was exhausted |
As the runner staggered across the finish line, chest heaving, sweat dripped from his body and he suddenly collapsed. |
How to “Show,” not “Tell”
1. Use descriptive details. (Think about your five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch.)
2. Use action. (Strong verbs!)
3. Use dialogue and character thoughts.
Examples of Effective “Showing”
Read these examples of descriptions that create images and generate emotions in the reader. What are the main ideas, emotions, and impressions that you get from these descriptions?
“Whenever puppies in the pet store window distracted me from our walk, Fido flattened his scruffy ears, growling. But he always forgave me. As his sight faded, the smell of fresh air and the feel of grass would make him try to caper. Eventually, at the sound of my voice, his tail thumped weakly on the ground. This morning, I filled his water bowl all the way to the top–just the way he likes it–before I remembered.”
“When the recess bell rang, I grabbed my chess set and dashed to freedom, eager to win the daily tournament of outcasts. I didn’t look, but I knew Lucinda was watching. I could feel her curly locks swaying as her head tracked me. Of course, I tripped in the doorway. Tennis shoes and sandals stepped around me as I scrambled after pawns and bishops. And there was Lucinda, waiting for me to notice her. She smiled, lifted her shiny patent-leather shoe, and slowly, carefully ground her heel right on the head of my white queen.”
(examples from Jerz’s Literacy Weblog: http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/showing/)