Thoughts on Showing vs. Telling

Sometimes I'll be watching a TV show and somebody will walk in on it and ask what's going on. So I'll say something like, "The cops thought that guy killed a bunch of people, but it was actually his son, but now the father is copping to them to save his son." This usually happens with about 10 minutes remaining in an hour-long show. The only thing left is the verdict and the final thought.

The difference between showing and telling is the difference between watching a TV show and having somebody explain the plot to you. When you show, the audience sees the conversations, the actions and interactions. They see the subtle nuance and all the twists and turns. When you tell, you give the facts and little else.

Telling is like a skeleton. It's just bare bones. It more resembles an outline than a piece of writing. Showing adds all the meat to the bones. It fleshes out the story and makes it fuller and more whole.

This analogy is making me uncomfortable, so I'm just going to stop it there. Make sure you do use showing writing to add flesh to your stories. Just don't try to show too much. Nobody likes a body with excessive amounts of flesh on it. (Gross. I'm gonna be sick.)