Craft Show and Tell: an Interactive Workshop with Shannon Donnelly

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.