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Do you know when to show and when to tell? Learn when with Shannon Donnelly

Craft Do you know when to show and when to tell? Learn when with Shannon Donnelly

Level
Mixed
Basic and Premium Members Prices
Premium Members $30 & Basic Members $40
Category
  1. Characters
  2. Editing
  3. Structure
  4. POV
Both showing and telling are valuable tools for any writer--writers need both narrative passages as well as dramatic scenes, so each has its own place within any writer's skill set. In this workshop, we'll use writing examples to figure out the truth hidden in the advice to "show, don't tell." Learn how "show, don't tell" really means "show more with dramatic scenes, and tell only when you need to move the story along."

The "showing" part of the workshop blends a set of exercises to strengthen an understanding of what makes a scene come to life by using more vivid descriptions to reveal characters--their thoughts and emotions--by showing them in action and using deep POV.

The "telling" part of the workshop includes tips, tricks, and techniques to help strengthen narrative and identify when it's time to "tell" your story to the reader to compress information, smooth transitions, or otherwise better establish settings and scenes for the reader.
Other events or classes in this series
Shannon will present the following workshops at SavvyAuthors,
Wounds and Warriors — May, 2017
Point of View — October 2017
Syllabus
Topics we'll cover:

1) Definitions -- what is showing, what is telling
2) Telling: Use of the Narrative Voice
3) Breaking it down part 1: Showing to Pull a Reader into Your Scenes
4) Breaking it down part 2: Better Narrative (so a reader doesn't skip this)
5) Going Deeper in Viewpoint to Better Show a Character's Inner World
6) Transitions & Word Count--Where Telling Really Helps
7) Showing and Telling--Mixing it up Again

Latest reviews

The content of the notes was good, and Shannon's feedback was helpful. The notes were set out in a logical order that was easy to follow, and backed up with examples.

I found the exercises about light on, because the 1st one didn't require feedback, and I missed the deadline for the 4th due to family commitments. A 4-day turnaround to post homework is difficult week after week. Life happens and a bit more flexibility would have been good.