Please welcome Elizabeth Arroyo, author of The Second Sign!
Thanks for having
me Livia. I'm so excited!
My mom used to tell
me I was hard-headed. Life advice usually flew over my head. I had to learn
things by experiencing them. Well, duh... Okay, so I learned that I don’t have
to experience everything. I grew up.
But I don’t have to
grow up in the world of books and make-believe. I can experience everything in
the comfort of my living room. I can cry, be afraid, cheer, and be moved
without risk.
Readers want to
experience your book. We want to cry, laugh, cheer, and/or be afraid, and the
best way to do that is through the art of showing.
There are many
facets to writing, many indicators of showing and telling. I’m only going to
skim the surface here with what I look for when deciding whether to show or
tell.
I ask myself two questions…
1. How do I want readers to feel?
2. What do I want readers to know about my character?
Example
Big picture showing
In The Second Sign, Gabby is being
stalked by a demon. During revisions I designed a scene to show the readers 1)
how scary demons can be; and, 2) to show how Gabby is clueless when it comes to
demons.
It wasn't enough to
tell readers. I wanted them to feel afraid and to feel afraid for Gabby.
Showing is in the details
Think about friends
or family members when they are angry. Some are quiet, their face a slab of
stone except for the small movement of their brow, barely noticeable,
indicating they are beyond pissed. Then there’s the Rage-Quiter. This is the
person who throws the remote controller clear across the room, stomps out, and
slams the door shut. Yes, I've seen both in action.
There are so many
ways to show someone who’s angry, afraid, in love. It wouldn't convey much to
the reader by telling them.
Take your readers
on a journey, move them to action. That can make the difference between a good
story and a compelling one.
Thank you Liz!
* * *
And an awesome giveway!
Move them to action - check!
ReplyDeleteThinking about the writing and how the reader is experiencing your words is great advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me Livia!
ReplyDeleteWords are very powerful tools. =)
Congrats Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteSome wonderful writing advice.
Waving at Livia.
Elizabeth is all over the blogosphere at the moment! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI was hard-headed, too. Still am. :P
ReplyDeleteBest of luck.
lol. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI certainly had to learn from my own mistakes, and I'm afraid my son is the same way. Some great tips for showing here, too.
ReplyDeleteThe books is gonna be a hit!
ReplyDeleteSo true. Every character is different. I have a character who does nothing to show his anger, but everyone knows it's there. It's actually a ton of fun to write a scene with that happening, because it makes for some interesting "showing".
ReplyDelete:-D
Showing does create interesting characters. And they are fun to write. Thanks for all your great comments! =)
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! Thanks so much for this Livia!
ReplyDeleteVery specific writing advice..thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! =)
ReplyDelete