Articles

It's "show" time!

How a novelist learned the whole truth of writing's most famous adage

By Bharti Kirchner

Published: July 27, 2005

My heart fluttered. Cradling the beginning pages of a first novel, I walked into the house where my critique group met. The regulars, seated around a large round table, looked up and greeted me, and the group leader announced, "Now we can begin!"

How would they react to my story? This was the first time I had brought fiction to the group.
As we spent the next hour silently reviewing each other's submissions, our blue pencils danced over manuscript pages, marking and scribbling. Then the time came to give and receive feedback, and the atmosphere grew somber. As fellow critics turned to my manuscript, I poised a pen over a pad of paper and leaned forward.

"Meena," one man declared, "she is what you would call a 'plucky heroine.' "I tipped back in my chair and smiled. This fiction stuff was a cakewalk. "Keep going," said another critic. His voice carried a note of dissatisfaction. The third critic glanced at me, then looked down at a page. "Show us!" she'd written in big blue letters in the margin. This, of course, was a reference to writing's most famous adage: Show, don't tell. "But," I mumbled, "I thought I was showing." "No, you're telling, pure and simple." "Good advice," murmured the "plucky heroine" man. I sat there, stiff and puzzled. What did they mean?

By now, the clock on the side table read 10 p.m. One person yawned and the meeting was adjourned. My hands slow and tentative, I collected the manuscript pages. Before reaching home, I had made a resolution: I'd demystify this "Show, don't tell" imperative, pure and simple. And over time, I did. I pored over reference books and novels looking for examples. I discovered there's more to this craft element than meets the novice's eyes. And, acting on my new knowledge, I found ways to improve my first novel, Shiva Dancing, which eventually found a publisher. Following is some of what I learned:

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