SHOW, DON’T TELL: The art of the story

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I don’t write fiction professionally.  But I sure read a lot of it.  And I enjoy the ones that subscribe to the principle of “show, don’t tell” because aside from getting a story with all its twists and turns, I sort of get a movie theater experience.  I see the scenes and the characters “moving” purposefully in them.  The beginning Ilocano writers, or any writer for that matter, especially those minimally exposed to the theories of fiction writing will do well if they develop the art of showing–creating neatly woven scenes to convey a story–instead of straightforward narrating as on the evening news.

Here’s what some successful writers have to say on the subject:

Robert Sawyer:

“First, what’s the difference between the two? Well, “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.

Both showing and telling convey the same information — Mary is old — but the former simply states it flat-out, and the latter — well, read the example over again and you’ll see it never actually states that fact at all, and yet nonetheless leaves no doubt about it in the reader’s mind.

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.”  Click here for the full article.

Dennis G. Herz:

“Don’t just tell me your brother is funny… show me what he says and does, and let me decide whether I want to laugh. To convince your readers, show, don’t just tell them what you want them to know.

There.  I’ve just told you something.  Pretty lame, huh? Now, let me show you…..

“Writing is emotionally powerful when it engages the reader. Rather than classify and list all the emotions that you felt, use specific details that give the reader a reason to feel the emotions you want to express…..

“Showing” involves more than a long list of adjectives.

Sometimes students misinterpret what I mean by “showing.”  They put all kinds of adjectives in their writing, describing everything from the color of the wallpaper to the shape of their own legs, regardless of whether such details actually advance the story.

The point of “showing” is not to drown the reader in a sea of details. Instead, you should pick out only those details that matter.

Does the detail help establish or intensify the mood? Does it define a character? Clarify an action?”  Click here for the full article.

Sandy Tritt:

“You can’t tell us someone is a wonderful person, a talented musician or a spoiled child.  We won’t believe you.  You must show us.  Throughout your manuscript, look for any opportunity to show us in real time, to act out, to let us feel.  The difference will amaze you.”  Click here for the full article.

Daniel Scocco:

“While “telling” can be useful, even necessary, most people don’t realize how vital “showing” is to an effective story, essay, or even a blog post. Showing allows the reader to follow the author into the moment, to see and feel and experience what the author has experienced. Using the proper balance of showing and telling will make your writing more interesting and effective.”  Click here for the full article.

Barbara Dawson Smith:

“Telling” is a way of conveying facts to the reader–the wrong way.  The right way is to “show” information through the use of action, dialogue, and the five senses…..” Click here for the full article.

Jay Braiman:

“The single best piece of advice I ever got as a writer was when I took a fiction writing workshop in college and the professor, Dr. Markus, said, “Don’t tell me, show me.”  Don’t tell me the character is angry, show me that the character is angry.  Don’t tell me that the character lives in Detroit, show me that the character lives in Detroit…..”  Click here for the full article.

After all, it’s your job as the writer to craft your story to ENTERTAIN me.  Nothing less.

YouTube & iTunes U: Learned Ilocano & earned my college degree there

Time will be when the snippets of educational videos in YouTube, such as the 95-second episode above, and the profound lectures and podcasts of experts at Apple’s iTunes University will achieve some convergence and become accredited as integral parts of various college curricula.  And well, one will then be able to earn his or her college degree in part from YouTube and iTunes University.  What a monumental savings that would be, especially for those who can ill afford to attend college or are severely impacted by the economic downturn, considering how expensive college tuition has become.

Of course, under this soon-to-be new educational paradigm shift (if I had my rathers…), there will be parts of the curricula that require the students to attend some classes in school, such as those requiring lab courses or internship.  But more than half of the curricula in most baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate degrees could probably be rendered in YouTube and iTunes University.  Maybe both discussion and assessment periods could then be scheduled in the classroom for only one-third the norm.  That provides the student-student and student-teacher interactions that seem to be missed in online learning.

We lament the dearth of good teachers. But that problem would probably recede because the best will naturally rise to the top as subject matter experts (SME) who’d develop the best YouTube educational videos and/or lectures/podcasts in iTunes University.  The mediocre creations will quickly be tossed out–something that doesn’t happen expeditiously with teachers poorly qualified to teach, especially if they are tenured.  All students will be the beneficiary of the best designed and most pedagogically effective YouTube educational videos and iTunes U lectures/podcasts–and you don’t have to count the benefits on your fingers to realize that this educational alternative beats the high cost of going to sit and participate in a school classroom.  Not only that, one could replay a YouTube video or listen to an iTunes U lecture/podcast any number of times until one absorbs the underlying concept–an option that would be severely limited in a classroom setting.

Oh, I’m kind of pushing for the day YouTube and iTunes U offer accredited courses in creative writing in Ilocano.  Because that day is certain to usher a quantum leap in the number of writers in Ilocano fiction, poetry and other literary forms, and more importantly, raise the quality of their output.  Based on the experiences of other languages that died, we need that to happen to prolong the life of Ilocano as a language and therefore to guarantee that its proud and enterprising ethnic group continue to survive with their mother tongue intact amid the shortsighted, hegemonic government push to railroad Tagalog, er, Filipino all over the entire populace at the expense of the other regional languages which are slowly but surely fading in the background.

How my brother Leon brought home a wife

IDI YAWID NI MANONG LEON TI ASAWANA

Sarita ni

Manuel E. Arguilla

[Impatarus ni Constante C. Casabar iti Ilocano manipud iti original nga English version iti baba.  Umuna a naipablaac iti Bannawag Disiembre 18, 1961. Naipablaac manen iti Rimat Oktubre 2004.  Naipablaac iti LABAW 2006.  Naadaw ti sumaganad iti naipablaac a copia ti LABAW iti Iluko.com.]

Dimsaag iti kalesa ni Ka Celin. Napardas, a ngem naannad. Napintas.  Natayag. Umis-isem a nangtangad ken ni Manong, ta pagat-ngiwat ni Manong ti mugingna.

“Sika ni Baldo,” kinunana sana imparabaw a silalag-an ti imana iti abagak. Atitiddog dagiti kukona, ngem saanda a napintaan. Nabanglo a kas ti papaya iti agsapa no agsabsabong dagitoy. Ken adda sangkaballing a kallid a nagparang iti apagapaman iti akinkanawan a pingpingna.

“Ket daytoy met ni Labang a nadamdamagkon.”  Iniggamanna ti maysa a ngulayngulayna ket minatmatanna ni Labang, ket saan nga insardeng ni Labang ti panagngatingatna.  Nagalimon ni Labang, immadu ti labutab iti ngiwatna ket kasla naggarangugong a tambor ti tianna.

Iniggamak ti nabaked a tengnged ni Labang sako kinuna kenkuana: “Makudkodam itan ti mugingna.”

Nagammanga ket nakitak a situturong dagiti matana kadagiti nawasnay ken sikkubeng a sara.  Ngem immay met laeng ket insagidna dagiti nawasnay a ramayna iti muging ni Labang, ket saan man la a sinardayan ni Labang ti panagngatingatna malaksid iti panangikidemna kadagiti dadakkel a matana. Ket idi kuan, kudkudkodannan a silalag-an ti muging ni Labang.