Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It)

Do you struggle with show, don't tell? You don't have to.
Award-winning author Janice Hardy (and founder of the popular writing site, Fiction University) takes you deep into one of the most frustrating aspects of writing--showing, and not telling. She'll help you understand what show, don't tell means, teach you how to spot told prose in your writing, and reveal why common advice on how to fix it doesn't always work.
With in-depth analysis, Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It) looks at what affects told prose and when telling is the right thing to do. It also explores aspects of writing that aren't technically telling, but are connected to told prose and can make prose feel told, such as infodumps, description, and backstory.
Her easy-to-understand examples will show you clear before and after text and demonstrate how telling words change the prose. You'll learn how to find the right balance between description, narrative, and internalization for the strongest impact. These examples will also demonstrate why showing the wrong details can sound just as dull as telling.
This book will help you:Understand when to tell and when to showSpot common red flag words often found in told proseLearn why one single rule doesn't apply to all booksDetermine how much telling is acceptable in your writingFix stale or flat prose holding your writing back
Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It) is more than just advice on what to do and what not to do-it's a down and dirty examination and analysis of how show, don't tell works, so you can adapt the "rules" to whatever style or genre you're writing. By the end of this book, you'll have a solid understanding of show, don't tell and the ability to use it without fear or frustration.

Janice Hardy is the founder of Fiction University, a site dedicated to helping writers improve their craft. She writes both fiction and nonfiction.
Her nonfiction books include the Skill Builders series: Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It) and Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means), and the Foundations of Fiction series: Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, a self-guided workshop for planning or revising a novel; its companion guide, Planning Your Novel Workbook; and Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft.
She's also the author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall, from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter was chosen by the Georgia Center for the Book for its 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read." It was also shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize (2011) and The Truman Award (2011).
Janice lives in Central Florida with her husband, one yard zombie, two cats, and a very nervous freshwater eel.
Visit her author's site at janicehardy.com for more information, or visit fiction-university.com to learn more about writing.
Follow her at @Janice_Hardy for writing links.