Understanding Show, Don't Tell · and Really Getting It

Do you struggle with show, don't tell? You don't have to.

Award-winning author Janice Hardy (and founder of the popular writing site, Fiction University) takes you deep into one of the most frustrating aspects of writing--showing, and not telling. She'll help you understand what show, don't tell means, teach you how to spot told prose in your writing, and reveal why common advice on how to fix it doesn't always work. 

With in-depth analysis, Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It) looks at what affects told prose and when telling is the right thing to do. It also explores aspects of writing that aren’t technically telling, but are connected to told prose and can make prose feel told, such as infodumps, description, and backstory. 

Her easy-to-understand examples will show you clear before and after text and demonstrate how telling words change the prose. You'll learn how to find the right balance between description, narrative, and internalization for the strongest impact. These examples will also demonstrate why showing the wrong details can sound just as dull as telling. 

This book will help you:

Understand when to tell and when to showSpot common red flag words often found in told proseLearn why one single rule doesn't apply to all booksDetermine how much telling is acceptable in your writingFix stale or flat prose holding your writing back

Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It) is more than just advice on what to do and what not to do—it’s a down and dirty examination and analysis of how show, don’t tell works, so you can adapt the “rules” to whatever style or genre you’re writing. By the end of this book, you’ll have a solid understanding of show, don’t tell and the ability to use it without fear or frustration.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy

The Healing Wars. Her novels include The Shifter, Blue

Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was

chosen for the 2014 list of Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read from the Georgia Center for the Book. It was also shortlisted for the

Waterstones Children's Book Prize (2011), and The Truman Award (2011).  Janice

is also the founder of Fiction University, a site dedicated to

helping writers improve their craft. Her popular Foundations of Fiction

series includes Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, a

self-guided workshop for plotting a novel, the companion Plotting Your

Novel Workbook, and the Revising Your Novel: First Draft

to Finished Draft series. Her Skill Builders series includes Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It), and Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means), focusing on common

problem areas for writers.  As J. T. Hardy, she writes fantasy and science fiction for adults. The first book in her Grace Harper series is Blood Ties. Janice

loves talking with writers and encourages questions of all types—even the weird ones. She lives in Central Florida with her husband, two

cats, one yard zombie, and a very nervous freshwater eel. You can visit

her online at JaniceHardy.com or chat with her about writing

at Fiction-University.com.