{"id":3400,"date":"2019-09-23T09:00:09","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T13:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WP\/?p=3400"},"modified":"2019-09-23T09:00:09","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T13:00:09","slug":"show-and-tell-cheat-sheet-from-writers-digest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/writing\/show-and-tell-cheat-sheet-from-writers-digest\/","title":{"rendered":"Show and Tell Cheat Sheet From Writers Digest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Show and Tell Cheat Sheet <\/span><\/h1>\n

From Writer\u2019s Digest <\/span><\/h1>\n

July – August 2018 Issue
\n<\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

C<\/span>reating characters can be a pleasure or the bane of writers everywhere. Below is a terrific aid from Writers Digest. While we’re talking about characters. do you keep a file of names? I’ve gotten names from:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • license plates<\/li>\n
  • street signs<\/li>\n
  • newspapers<\/li>\n
  • product names<\/li>\n
  • misspellings at the keyboard – Ufudi, is from a tangle of typing. He’s an Egyptian in my historical novel.<\/li>\n
  • from words that pop into my mind<\/li>\n
  • anywhere is fare game<\/li>\n
  • be sure to carry some paper and a pen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    A character\u2019s emotional
    \nresponse<\/td>\n    		Show<\/td>\nDon\u2019t tell readers a character was ashamed or joyful;
    \nshow them reactions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A characters Attitude<\/td>\nShow<\/td>\nRather than explain a character is uptight or
    \njudgmental, show them acting that way or reveal it
    \nthrough lines of dialogue.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A character\u2019s special
    \nskills of abilities<\/td>\n    		Show<\/td>\nDon\u2019t tell readers what a great fighter the character is; render a fight scene in which something meaningful is at stake.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Status (dominance \/
    \nsubmission)<\/td>\n    		Show<\/td>\nInstead of telling readers which character is in charge of
    \nwho has the highest status, reveal it through stillness,
    \nself-control, confidence and self-assurance.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Tension and suspense<\/td>\nShow<\/td>\nThe more you claim that something is suspenseful of
    \ntense, the less it will be. Instead, build tension through
    \nengendering reader empathy and concern for characters
    \nin peril.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Desire (a character\u2019s
    \ngoal or intention within
    \na scene)<\/td>\n    		Show
    \nor Tell<\/td>\n    		If you show, do so quickly and clearly. Otherwise, just
    \nhave the character state what she\u2019s trying to accomplish.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A progression of events
    \nthat doesn\u2019t change the
    \ncharacter\u2019s attitude,
    \nstatus or situation.<\/td>\n    		Tell<\/td>\nIf nothing tilts the core scenes of your book. Play them
    \nout. Show your characters facing struggles, taking
    \naction, meeting setbacks and recalibrating before
    \nmoving forward again toward their ursuit.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Stakes<\/td>\nTell<\/td>\nTell readers what will happen if the characters are
    \nunsuccessful. Be as specific as possible, calling attention
    \nto deadlines when appropriate. <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A character\u2019s
    \nappearance\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n    		Show
    \nby
    \nTelling <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n    		Tell readers the details of a character\u2019s hair and clothing,
    \nbut keep it relevant; the details you include should
    \ndemonstrate to readers something about the character\u2019s
    \nculture, class or individual style. <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Decisions <\/span><\/span><\/td>\nShow
    \nor Tell <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n    		Often, it\u2019s best to just tell readers what your characters
    \nhave decided to do; however, context might provide you
    \nunobtrusive ways to show them. <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Show and Tell Cheat Sheet From Writer\u2019s Digest July – August 2018 Issue   Creating characters can be a pleasure or the bane of writers everywhere. Below is a terrific aid from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3400\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wayneaenglish.com\/WordPress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}