Don’t tell me – show me
October 5, 2009How do you tell a good story? Here’s a great creative writing tip: don’t tell me—show me.
If that sounds like vague instruction, here’s an example. We’ll revisit our friend James Dyson, the ĂĽber-cool vacuum cleaner guy. I talked about his story in my last post.
Now let’s put you on TV. You have your own series as a superstar trial lawyer. You’re giving your final argument to the jury, and you need to impress the hell out of them. Your client is Mr. Dyson, and you’re task is to convince a dozen of his peers he’s the real deal.
How would the TV lawyer do it?
“James Dyson is an inventor who believes in doing things right. He threw out 5127 prototypes before he introduced his first bagless vacuum cleaner to the marketplace.”
As far as marketing goes, the first statement is a throwaway. That’s the tell-me statement. Everybody says they do it right; it’s not going to impress the jury.
The powerful statement is the proof: 5127 prototypes. You just showed them his dedication to his business.
You have 20 years experience in your field. You’ve won awards. You have critical acclaim (check your resume or CV for ideas). If you’re a new kid on the block, you can play up your specialties. You’re a detail fanatic. You guarantee turnaround times on certain services. (But remember: this is for writing purposes; you have to live up to your claims or your good storytelling turns into a big fat fairy tale.)
If you’re still not sure if you’re telling or showing, write your ideas down. If your reaction is, “Pfft, whatver,” it’s a tell-me. A show-me doesn’t have to be spectacular, but it will get your attention.
Inspired? Still confused? Leave a comment below, or get in touch.
[...] than what I did by accident—describe my style using my style. I inadvertently told them and showed them at the same [...]