View Single Post
Old 06-15-2012, 12:33 PM   #16
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
The biggest deal in "show" is doing it properly. As SL's example indicates, sometimes telling can be better than showing in an awkward way.

I love the moments when a simple described action defines a character so well. In Jurassic Park, Dr. Grant quickly solves the problem of non-matching seat belts in a turbulence-bouncing helicopter by tying two unmatching ends in a granny knot across his waist; that indicates the "man of means" trope, and it was done simply, quickly and effectively.

Many times I deal with show and tell by imagining my story as a screenplay, where you are not privy to characters' thoughts or narrative voiceovers: You want to show; but you want to do it economically, the way Jurassic Park did with Dr. Grant. I prefer this much more than long, drawn-out narrative or exposition.
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote