Show and Tell

A common bit of advice given to writers is "Show, don't tell." Let's say I'm trying to establish that my main character Bob is afraid of cats. No, on second thought, the way my novels run it's more likely that cats are deathly afraid of Bob. Either way, I can state the fact in a simple sentence or I can construct a scene in which Bob is locked in a small room with a cat. Either makes the point, but guess which will have a greater impact on the reader.

Of course, you can both show and tell. When writing the scene in which Bob and the unfortunate feline are about to have some quality time, I can begin with a statements like "It's a curious fact that cats are terrified of Bob. Ever since his parents first gave him a kitten when he was a child. It wasn't that Bob was mean to the poor kitty. It hid under the sofa before he even had a chance to say hello." All these statements tell the reader stuff directly. They are a nice set-up, but they still are not as powerful as a scene of Bob dealing with a cat in real time.

This combination of showing and telling has the nice effect of introducing a concept and then reinforcing it in the minds of the audience. But sometimes, just showing is stronger.

The realization the reader comes to on his or her own is particularly powerful. But you have to set it up carefully and trust the intelligence of your audience. Let's say I have a happy married couple at the beginning of my story. There are a number of scenes early on that show that the wife responds positively to being treated with respect. Somehow, over the course of the story, the husband changes. He gets involved in something dangerous, or is seduced, or picks up an addiction, or whatever. I then show scenes of him being disrespectful to his wife and eventually she decides to leave him.

In the tearful break-up scene, I could have the wife say "You don't respect me anymore." But if I've done my job right in the first place, I don't have to. She can leave him without a word and the reader will know why. If I'm really good, half the scene now takes place in my reader's head as he or she fills in the unspoken words on my character's behalf. Now that's reader involvement.