Inside the Wonder World, Lesson 22

Show Don't Tell: Dialogue

Welcome to my Friday edition of Substack, which features my paid posts: Inside the Wonder World.

Those paid subscribers who stick with me for a year will get a free copy of the book as soon as it’s out.

Inside the Wonder World is the working title of my developing craft book on writing and publishing for young readers. I’m bringing it to you in pieces, both to help you learn something more deeply (lessons and exercises included) and to push me to finish this lofty goal.

Here’s the next lesson!

Show Don’t Tell: Dialogue

I’m certain that you’ve heard the phrase “show, don’t tell”. When I first heard it, I thought, “Great, but what the heck does it mean?” It’s pretty simple on the one hand, but on the other it means dealing with specific craft elements, which need a little more defining.

When you “show” you are giving the reader information in an active manner. When you “tell” you are relating information as if you were giving instructions.

I want to introduce you to the four basic ways to “show” in your storytelling.

They are dialogue, gesture, sensory detail, and interiority. We’ll take them one at a time.

It’s a common thing in dialogue written by beginners, to think that you need to tell your reader information by having one character convey it to another.