Writing Workshop August 25, 2012

Second Workshop:

What “Show Don’t Tell” Means in Fiction and Creative Nonfiction

A Novel Writing Workshop hosted with award-winning writer and former ABC and NPR journalist Eileen Albrizio

One of the most frustrating phrases we’ve heard as writers will frustrate you no more! Yes, you’ve slammed into the phrase countless times and although it sounds like simple logic, when it comes right down to crafting your novel or memoir, you still end up telling the story instead of showing it. You try to be more descriptive, yet you are, again, told that the writing is telling. “How can that be!” you scream at your computer, head pounding in pain from beating it against your desk in defeat. Here’s part of the problem. Writing a novel is a long process and much of that process is spent working to move the story forward. We spend a lot of time trying to get from here to there, moving step by step through the story to get to the conclusion. What we aren’t doing is making each step of the journey vivid, real, tangible and engaging. This workshop will not only make sense out of “show don’t tell,” but will make the craft of showing your story enjoyable and exciting!