 Hello, hello, writers. I'm Christine Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources. And you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast, where I share insights, encouragement, and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life. Always in 30 minutes or less, so you can get back to writing, of course. Ready for the show? Let's get talking. Well, well, well, if it isn't another episode of the Well-Sturried podcast. Thank you for joining me again today, friends. I am so thrilled to dive back into an old technique with you guys today. To be specific, the show don't tell technique, as you can probably guess from today's episode, is one that we've previously covered pretty in-depth in an old episode of the podcast. In that episode called How to Balance Show Don't Tell in your writing, I explained how you can use this popular piece of writing advice to craft immersive sensory descriptions that really help bring your story to life. But what I failed to address in that episode is the true scope of how you can apply show don't tell to your fiction. As I'll explain in today's episode, I received an amazing email from a reader that really opened my eyes to all that show don't tell can teach us in our writing. And today I am going to show you how you can use this particular writing technique to resolve some of the big issues that are commonly found in our stories, especially if you're a new or inexperienced writer. But first, in today's behind the scenes update at Well-Sturried, I don't really have anything particularly new or exciting to share. It's been a pretty low key week here at Well-Sturried, guys. But just in case you missed last week's episode or missed the big newsletter announcement, then allow me to share that Build Your Best Writing Life, my upcoming book for writers, will be published on January 2nd, 2020. This book is essentially a self-development guide for writers. If you are at all dissatisfied with your writing life, if you are struggling with your creative mindset with a lot of doubts and fears about your work as a writer, if you are struggling to build a writing habit that you can actually sustain and that's actually helping you reach your goals, if you are frustrated with the quality of your writing abilities and you want to improve your skills, or if you just aren't sure what you want from your writing life and how you can actually work to achieve it, this is the book for you. So if you are interested in being the first to know when Build Your Best Writing Life goes live and if you would like to gain the opportunity to download an advanced reader copy of the book later this year, and if you would like to download the first four chapters of the book today, make sure to follow the link I've included for you in today's episode description. In fact, I'll share that link with you right here and now as well, head on over to launch.well-story.com to sign up for the book's launch team list and you will gain access to all of those opportunities I just mentioned and be the first to know when Build Your Best Writing Life officially goes live this January. All right friends, now to dive into the episode proper. Today's episode of the podcast translates the latest article from the Well Story blog into audio titled Resolving Common Story Issues with Show Don't Tell. You can find the article that also serves as the episode transcript at www.well-story.com slash show don't tell. Now let's dive in. Don't tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass. This quote, often attributed to Anton Chekhov, is frequently used as an example of the show don't tell technique that can help writers craft descriptive sensory language. Thanks to the rise of film and television, the use of such language has grown popular in recent decades. With readers favoring fiction, they can visualize as clearly as a movie in their mind's eye. I first discussed this shift toward filmmaking principles and, away from fiction's previously popular all-knowing narrator, in my first article and episode on the show don't tell technique. But today I want to re-examine show don't tell in a new light. Taking a look at how this popular method can prove just as impactful when applied to some of our story's most important elements. Utilizing show don't tell on a macro level. After writing my initial article and episode, I received an email from a long-time well-stoyed reader and friend named Lefty Og. In her email, Lefty shared how she uses show don't tell on a macro level to craft believable characters and story worlds. To provide an example, Lefty explained how George R.R. Martin uses the technique to explore John Snow's character in A Game of Thrones. Martin doesn't tell readers that John believes himself to be a better person than the other recruits on the wall, most of whom are sent there as a form of criminal punishment. Instead, he shows readers by crafting a scene in which John uses his superior swordsmanship to demean the other boys during a training session. Before receiving Lefty's email, I had never considered how the show don't tell technique could be applied at this level. My study of the topic had always focused on using show don't tell to craft immersive descriptions, which is exactly what I shared in my first article and episode on the topic. But Lefty's email got me thinking about how utilizing show don't tell on a macro level could solve many common reader critiques, such as, I know they were supposed to be in love, but I just didn't feel the chemistry between the romantic leans. This book featured so many boring info dumps, I skimmed like crazy. The themes in this book were way too heavy-handed. I felt like the author was preaching. When considering such critiques, it occurred to me that they often result from a distinct lack of showing. After all, readers can't believe in your character's chemistry. If you don't craft scenes that show why the characters are attracted to one another. Similarly, readers will always enjoy a scene that shows them how your magic system works, rather than a lengthy info dump that explains it. And allowing readers to draw their own conclusions about your story's message from the plot and character arcs you've shown them is a surefire way to keep your themes from feeling preachy. Make sense? Utilizing show don't tell on a macro level is all about inviting readers into your story world, allowing them to see and experience your character's lives as if they were right there beside them, or even in the character's shoes. By crafting scenes that serve as examples of the larger points you're trying to make, you keep your storytelling present and immersive. But can telling serve a purpose on a macro level? Despite the virtues of showing in modern fiction, there is a place for telling as well. As I explained in my original episode on this topic, telling is a far more expedient approach to relaying information, making it invaluable in scenes where brevity is needed to maintain the pace you've established. Telling can also be the better option when relaying backstory and other forms of exposition that would otherwise require you to deal with flashbacks, unnecessary shifts in point of view, and other deviations from your present story. The key to telling effectively lies in telling with purpose. Lengthy info dumps aren't always a bad thing, but if cutting them wouldn't change the outcome of your story, they need to go. Telling readers about a character's dark past, the passage of time, or other pieces of context isn't bad either, so long as you've explored ways to show this information and found telling to be the better option. But let's talk about when telling turns patronizing. The trouble with using show don't tell on a macro level, or even when crafting sensory descriptions, is that showing requires the use of subtext. Rather than telling readers exactly what you want them to see or understand, subtext paints a picture from which readers must draw their own conclusions. But what if readers don't pick up on what you're laying down, drawing conclusions that contradict your intended meaning? This fear has led many an inexperienced writer to shy away from using subtext in their stories. Unfortunately, doing so most often results in writing that's not only boring, but patronizing. Imagine if George R.R. Martin had told readers what was going on in John's head, rather than showing John's mindset through his words and actions. If Martin had, we might have ended up with a passage that read like this. John knew he was far superior to the other boys. They were petty thieves after all, criminals. He might be a bastard, but at least he wasn't one of them. He lifted his sword. He was going to make sure those boys knew just how much better than them he was. Doesn't this phony passage feel cheap and patronizing? It treats the readers if they couldn't possibly understand what John was thinking if his thoughts weren't spelled out for them word by word. By instead using subtext to invite readers inside his story world, Martin crafted a far more immersive and well-written story. So how can you utilize show don't tell in your own story in this way? The next time you sit down to write, consider the major elements of your story. Ask yourself, what traits define each of my major characters? What is the core conflict at the center of my plot? What are the motivations and stakes at play in my story? What do readers need to know to understand my story world? What statement do I want to make about my story's themes? With your answers in mind, consider how you can craft scenes and story arcs that will show readers these elements. George R. R. Martin used John's actions on the training ground to show readers that John felt superior to the other boys. George Lucas used Luke Skywalker's first experience with the lightsaber to show viewers how Jedi's use the force. And Suzanne Collins used the televised glamor of the Hunger Games to make a statement about the horrors of violence as entertainment. So tell me, writer, how will you use the show don't tell technique to show readers what matters most in your story? Thank you for listening to today's episode of The Podcast Writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode and to give the podcast a quick rating and review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout out directly on Twitter at christen underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's w-e-l-l-s-t-o-r-i-e-d dot com. Thank you again for tuning in to today's episode my friend. Until next time, happy writing!