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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 17, 2005 18:22:32 GMT -6
Click on the word: "Excerpt" and then click on each page until you have read the first six pages of chapter one. See if this book isn't worth buying.
"Telling" and not "showing" is one of my flaws as a writer. Writers need to take a "telling" manuscript that has potential, and turn it into a "showing" manuscript that publishers can't resist.
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 18, 2005 20:08:13 GMT -6
Those of you from other countries can do a search with the google you have, just copy and paste the following into the search box:
Writer's Examples+Show Don't Tell
Writer Exercises+Show Don't Tell
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 18, 2005 20:20:25 GMT -6
One of my problems in writing is "telling" instead of "showing"... Another problem is that I'm too brief with my descriptions. Some books I've read have taken 10 pages to describe a dress... I don't want to over do it, but I would like to be more descriptive than I am. If anyone knows of books or exercises that can help me in these areas, lay 'em on me.
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 18, 2005 20:37:42 GMT -6
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Post by hollygolightly on Mar 20, 2005 9:13:41 GMT -6
Another problem is that I'm too brief with my descriptions. Some books I've read have taken 10 pages to describe a dress... I don't want to over do it, but I would like to be more descriptive than I am. If anyone knows of books or exercises that can help me in these areas, lay 'em on me.
i know this problem because i have the same. what i do, and this is not an expert advise but my own thing, i take an object or person and describe it as long as nothing is left to describe. something...an indoor plant or the expression of a face on a picture, anything goes. well, i guess it is probably not the best exercise but it helps me and if i find some books or information i'll let you know, and please let me know as well if you find something.
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 21, 2005 18:02:20 GMT -6
I think my problem is that I'm lazy... When the story is flowing, I don't want to take the time to gather the background because I could/would lose what I haven't written down yet. Then once it's written, I tend to view it as "written in stone", and don't wish to edit for fear of losing the "meat" of the story. Editing is truly the "hard work" of writing, I think.
I probably should go through each scene and write what's going on around what I've written and how the characters act/react to what's going on around them and what is being said between/around them, and then add the best of it to the story. But that means I have to really "work" at writing, and it isn't something done for fun. I guess it's time to think of this as a job, and not as a hobby.
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 25, 2005 23:43:23 GMT -6
Okay, I bought this book and got it in the mail today. There are exercises at the end of each chapter, so I'll be adding them to the Exercises Board. I've only read the first chapter, but that alone is worth the price.
I think Books-A-Million is the cheapest, but feel free to check out other bookstores. You'll find a list here. Make sure you get the Second Edition.
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Post by Joxcenia on Jun 29, 2005 17:44:19 GMT -6
When to Show, Not Tell
when you really need a reader to believe something right away, it's better to show it to them than to tell them about it. In other words, show the important stuff.
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Post by Joxcenia on Jul 5, 2005 17:06:16 GMT -6
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