Yesterday, one of my LinkedIn contacts shared this picture:
As much as I love actual Christmas trees, I love this idea, too. It's amazing how our minds can fill in the shape of the tree even though there's really just empty space between the ornaments. Now I'm wondering how long it took the designer to figure out how long to make each string/wire/whatever to get this to look just right.
This reminded me of a quote that's stuck with me ever since I first read it in college:
"One of the marks of great art is not what it portrays, but what it suggests."
-Henry B. Eyring, quoted in this article
This is the whole idea behind the "show, don't tell" rule we hear so often as writers. Anyone can tell something. It takes more (often much more) skill to show something, because instead of stating outright what we mean, we have to choose the best details to suggest or imply that meaning. Here are some examples:
Tell: "It was a beautiful day."
Show: "The sun glittered off the lake's gentle waves. A cool breeze ruffled the thick, green leaves of the surrounding trees."
Tell: "Johnny was afraid of dogs."
Show: "The chihuahua barked, wagging its tail. Johnny's stomach tightened, and he gripped his toolbox tighter."
Here's another way to think about it. You probably remember from high-school English that each paragraph should have a topic sentence, which states the main idea of the paragraph. The other sentences all provide supporting details for that main idea. When we show instead of tell, we're providing just the supporting details and letting the audience figure out the topic sentence for themselves. This means that showing usually requires more words than telling does, but the effect is worth it.
"Show, don't tell" is one of my favorite things to help other writers with. There's something deeply satisfying when we figure out just the right details to convey what the author means. If you're ready to take your showing to the next level, click here to book a time for us to get started.
Write on,
Candice
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