How much do you show?
Oct 14, 2022 2:11 pm
No one wants to see your character pee
The advice "show, don't tell" is such commonly well-known advice that even people who have never written a story know it. What it means is, basically, if your character gets in a shipwreck, don't cut to them washed up on shore, remembering the storm. Start with the worried looks on the sailors' faces, the ominous creaking of the mast, the waves washing up over decks.
It seems like good advice on the surface. But the fact is, deciding what to show and what to tell is a crucial choice. You don't want to bore your readers by showing then unnecessary scenes which don't forward the plot. But you also need enough detail that it makes the setting real, and enough extraneous detail that when you put that clue to the real murderer in the first chapter, not everyone notices at once that it's important. Making these decisions makes the writer.
Another difficult decision for writers? Picking favorite books. I was asked to share a list of five books I liked for a new service that offers recommendations to readers.
They let me promote one of my own books to fit the category, so I chose Mulberry Wands.
I swear when I wrote about these shapeshifting owl-witches, I had not yet read about the legend of la chusa.
I hope this helps some people find new books. Sometimes readers (myself included) are at the mercy of the big retailers' algorithms. This is part of why I love getting books from the library; there's a randomness to my reading selection, since I'm picking things that happen to catch my eye on the shelf rather than whichever author spent the most on advertising. (Maybe this is a good time to remind you that your reviews and recommendations really, really help me!)
This week's question: how do you find books to read?
Solomon Ivy owns a bloody track record of killing monsters. With magic in one hand, a gun in the other, there hasn’t been a beast he’s failed to take down. But when Ivy's past finally catches up to him, he has unfinished business to take care of. (Free)
Stuck on Earth, Sasha has nowhere to hide from the demons and vampires who desire her rare fae blood, including the sexy vampire Killian. Sasha and Killian are working together to seek a magical amulet with untold powers. But Sasha must find the amulet for her own protection—before she ends up on the wrong end of a demon’s blade or, worse, has her throat ripped out by the vampire she calls hers. (Wide)
Liz thinks she is a typical woman working herself into the ground. After she moves to her grandmother’s old cabin, she uncovers the family secret hidden in the woods. Liz finds herself in the local mountain lion shifter clan and then a princess of the Fae. Enemies lurk in every corner from a jealous sibling to a power-hungry ancient being. (Amazon)
Being a witch is a blessing. Learning how to use my gifts will take a miracle. When an opportunity to attend the Witch Academy of Ash presents itself, no one is more surprised than me when I’m accepted. But something dark and dangerous lurks on campus grounds. Now, all that matters is I find the killer and try not to fall for three distractingly hot mages. (Amazon)
Dream Casters Light
When a mysterious, light golden sand appears in her hands, a sand that has the power to send anyone it touches into a deep, sound sleep. Seventeen-year-old Chastity is forced to return to her true birth place, Revera – the world of Dreams.
However, in Revera there is no balance between good, the Light Casters, and darkness, the Shadow Casters, and Chastity is caught square in the middle. She soon learns that there is no place for anyone containing both the light and the darkness within them, and the shocking truth that if anyone in Revera ever discovered her shadow self, Chastity would be thrown into the Oblivion – the world of Nightmares.
Dreams are always more than they seem, and this time Chastity is going to discover just how different they can be.
Gratuitous Cat Picture
Pink-o Zinko
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