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Post by Bethany on Apr 6, 2007 20:36:35 GMT -5
A lot of stories on here seem to have issues with this. The 'showing, not telling' thing I've been telling to people, has anyone ever heard of that before?
If you want, I'll try and gather my teacher skills, and I can give a little lecture for you guys on it... but only if people will actually read it.
Anyone interested?
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Post by madandfrozen on Apr 7, 2007 0:00:35 GMT -5
I would like to hear a lecture on 'showing, not telling'.
My teacher is always telling us to do so, but never really explains it very well.
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creamwolfgurl
Decent Member
A moonlit plain~a flash in the shadows~Lunar is winging across the Moon
Posts: 494
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Post by creamwolfgurl on Apr 7, 2007 3:22:34 GMT -5
((sounds interesting.
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Post by Bethany on Apr 7, 2007 20:24:26 GMT -5
Okay, that's good enough for me.
So, here goes nothing... (Feel free to ask questions!)
As you may or may not know, there are two different types of characterization. There is direct characterization and indirect characterization.
Direct Characterization is when the character's traits are plainly stated in the text.
Example: Adia, a knight, walked up to the dragon's lair. She was terribly afraid.
This lets us know that the subject of the conversation is a girl named Adia, she's a knight, she's walking up to a dragon's lair, and that she's terribly afraid.
That's a lot of info, but let's see if we can't find a way to tell that same information (and possibly more) to the reader in a much more exciting way.
To do that, one would typically use Indirect Characterization, which is when the traits of the character are easily implied, but not directly stated.
Example: The steel of Adia's armor made the cold night seem even colder as her feet crunched up the gravel path. The moon light glimmered off of her, exposing the knight's seal engraved on her breastplate. She saw a sign, written in the dialect of the town, which she roughly translated to "Dragon's Keep Ahead; Turn Back Now." She continued walking, however; grabbing her sword with a hand that was sweaty inside her gauntlet. Adia had faced a thousand dangers with a flick of her sword, and a scowl on her face, but now her rosy cheeks were deathly pale, and her jaw was clenched.
Now, didn't that give you a MUCH clearer image of the girl I was talking about?? You found out all the same information from last time, and even more; like the weather, the time of day, the fact that she's in a different town, the fact that she's an experienced knight, and also about how she usually faces danger. ALSO, because she is experienced, and because she's facing this danger with a lot more fear than usual, it shows you just how scary this situation is to her. You also get a nice glimpse at her personality with the last sentence, and the whole thing does a LOT better job of setting up a tone for the reader.
So that's what I mean by 'showing, not telling.' Unless you are extremely gifted or talented, you can't get directly inside someone else's mind. You have to relate to people based on how they act around you.
What you say, what you do, how you present yourself, and even what you wear and what you look like influence what other people think about you. So, while inner thoughts are always an important part of a story; when the majority of your characterization is done in the same manner that the reader does in their own life, the effect is a lot more realistic (regardless of how unrealistic the subject matter is), and also a whole lot more enjoyable to read.
Now... does that make sense to anyone??
Do you want me to come up with an excercise for it, so that you guys can practice?
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Post by Lady Hammer on Apr 7, 2007 21:07:27 GMT -5
I love your lectures. ^^
I think an exercise would be fun. I might even hash something similar out for Character Camp.
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Post by madandfrozen on Apr 7, 2007 21:27:54 GMT -5
that made a bunch of sense ^^ Thanks for taking the time to write it out.
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Post by Bethany on Apr 7, 2007 21:38:45 GMT -5
Oh, it's not a problem. I love to write, and I like to teach. It works.
I'm glad it helps, and I'm glad people love my lectures. ;D
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Post by madandfrozen on Apr 7, 2007 21:42:27 GMT -5
I love most lectures, as long as the person knows what they are talking about.  Could you do a lecture on dialog? I'm not very good at it. |
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Post by Bethany on Apr 7, 2007 21:44:20 GMT -5
Hmm... Actually, I think Lady Hammer might be a little better at that, but if she wants me to do it, I'd be more than happy to.
I can even dig up my old notes from creative writing class last year. Lol.
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Post by madandfrozen on Apr 7, 2007 21:45:27 GMT -5
thanks ^^ lol
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creamwolfgurl
Decent Member
A moonlit plain~a flash in the shadows~Lunar is winging across the Moon
Posts: 494
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Post by creamwolfgurl on Apr 8, 2007 2:59:29 GMT -5
Wow, thats helpful, keep that in mind
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Post by malloryheart on Apr 8, 2007 9:52:49 GMT -5
Thanks Bethany, I think that lecture will really help me.
And, I think an excersize would be nice.
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Post by Bethany on Apr 9, 2007 18:25:54 GMT -5
I'll come up with an exercise later tonight.  |
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Post by madandfrozen on Apr 9, 2007 19:23:41 GMT -5
yayness ^^
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Post by Bethany on Apr 9, 2007 22:20:51 GMT -5
Okay, now for the exercise... I'll post a couple pieces that use only direct characterization, and it'll be your job to come up with a re-write of that using as much indirect characterization as possible. Be creative! Remember that you can use dialogue too! (Refer to Lady Hammer's beautiful lecture for tips on that  ) #1: George tried to open the door, but it was locked. He panicked because he was now trapped inside. #2: Sara walked in the room. The other woman was so powerful that Sara was awestruck. and... #3 Andros was depressed. He hated where he was in life, and took it out on all his friends. Good luck!! |
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