tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post2157613971835177107..comments2024-03-24T13:49:53.099-04:00Comments on Romance Books '4' Us: Guest Blog: Denyse Bridger: Time for Show and Tell Talk...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-8678711798879626792014-06-21T10:36:10.319-04:002014-06-21T10:36:10.319-04:00Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments. ...Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments. I think we tend to get so focused on the words sometimes we forget to "feel" what we're attempting to convey, so we instead tell our readers what they should be feeling, instead of allowing them to feel it themselves through our characters' actions. It's a balancing act, to be sure.<br /><br />The books I mentioned have been exceptionally helpful in a sea of many, so if you happen to check any of them out, I think you'll find them very worth the investment. Marcy Kennedy has a set of 4 that are only $9 total, and they're invaluable, in my opinion.<br /><br />Sandy, I agree, movies and television can certainly help you visualize, but then you have to train your brain to narrow that focus to one POV, which was my earlier battle - don't be the director, pick a single "voice" on the stage and be that person's eyes and sense...<br /><br />Y'know, for a craft that has no rules - and everyone agrees on that one to some extent - there are certainly a lot of rules to remember, aren't there? *lol*<br /><br />Cheers, everyone - and thanks again! Will grab a winner on Monday for the audio book.<br /><br />Have a great weekend.<br />DenyseDenysé Bridgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02275440875115096018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-91424055241088164802014-06-20T17:23:19.696-04:002014-06-20T17:23:19.696-04:00Thanks for a great post, Denyse. I think watching...Thanks for a great post, Denyse. I think watching the characters in movies and on television helps with showing the action and reactions. You still have to work at it. Smile!Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01843816981385732033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-15690674721489514792014-06-20T15:10:17.606-04:002014-06-20T15:10:17.606-04:00I read somewhere if you think or say or do somethi...I read somewhere if you think or say or do something, put down how that makes you feel. <br /><br />Recently, I cleaned my bookshelves and picked up very old romances. I read one and although the descriptions seem to be a bit overdone, the author did have a way of writing this uniquely. I am hoping I extrapolate something thru osmosis and enhance my work.Vicki Batman, sassy writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13846704675542248648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-25964225980191067652014-06-20T14:47:38.194-04:002014-06-20T14:47:38.194-04:00I think showing vs telling is the hardest part. We...I think showing vs telling is the hardest part. We all have a natural talent for showing but get caught in our head with the telling since those are the images we see in our mind's eye. The trick is to get it down on the page. :)<br /><br />Shared!Melissa Keirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10247037321769755660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-43746533597271560822014-06-20T13:52:41.628-04:002014-06-20T13:52:41.628-04:00Thanks for the book references - I'll check th...Thanks for the book references - I'll check them out. I'm always reminding myself to show and not tell - it isn't easy.Judy Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02190725381203763171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-30090763172144027122014-06-20T12:52:03.013-04:002014-06-20T12:52:03.013-04:00Showing instead of telling is still hard for me, e...Showing instead of telling is still hard for me, even after thirty some books. I still have to go back and check every ms. jean hart stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12287808234288499369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-4025865581845475132014-06-20T10:53:57.484-04:002014-06-20T10:53:57.484-04:00Rose, I don't think people always wrote shifti...Rose, I don't think people always wrote shifting POV, and even now it's always more noticeable to us because we fight against it as writers. Live and learn, always.<br /><br />Thanks, and Cheers!<br />DDenysé Bridgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02275440875115096018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-25719416283842597082014-06-20T10:52:20.208-04:002014-06-20T10:52:20.208-04:00Miriam, so true. It's hard to retrain your bra...Miriam, so true. It's hard to retrain your brain to stop telling the story, and making certain the person hearing/reading the story knows everything they need to know for things to make sense. Showing, done well, can make a work come to life, but that "need" tell, to just make sure, is always there. I really did find POV easier to overcome. LOL Once you stop being the director and start being one of the actors on the stage, it's a whole lot easier!!<br /><br />Thanks for coming by. Hugs, DDenysé Bridgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02275440875115096018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-88925542295183468932014-06-20T10:23:12.682-04:002014-06-20T10:23:12.682-04:00I thoroughly enjoyed your post, Denyse. Back in th...I thoroughly enjoyed your post, Denyse. Back in the day those POV shifts were all over the place. I think that's why they reach up and grab us from time to time. We read those books and just got used to it. If the story is showing instead of telling, the reader knows who's talking even with a little head-hopping. <br /><br />Thanks for the book tips and for joining us today, best luck. :)Rose Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04429566802562925080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-43921964970322701802014-06-20T10:19:48.696-04:002014-06-20T10:19:48.696-04:00I think showing vs. telling, along with POV, is on...I think showing vs. telling, along with POV, is one of the hardest parts of the craft. There's a natural tendency when you're talking to someone to spell out background. Cutting that out of writing is a bit like self imposed muzzling!Miriam Newmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05105724854045409335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-36131321350094404032014-06-20T10:09:10.285-04:002014-06-20T10:09:10.285-04:00Hi, Tina. I agree, it's a learned technique, b...Hi, Tina. I agree, it's a learned technique, but one that makes ALL the difference to how effective a story is to readers. I've been working on this a lot recently, and have a much better understanding of why it's so important. My other major problem was POV shifting, thought it was <b>much</b> easier to fix than this area. *lol*<br /><br />Thanks for stopping to say hello.<br />Hugs,<br />DenyseDenysé Bridgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02275440875115096018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5742415355016995707.post-85868333765428573632014-06-20T09:30:38.277-04:002014-06-20T09:30:38.277-04:00Awesome post, Denyse.
When I first started writin...Awesome post, Denyse.<br /><br />When I first started writing, I found that parts of my stories always seemed more alive than the others. Took me awhile to realize that I was showing in those areas, rather than telling.<br /><br />It's all part of the mechanics now for me. But a lesson well learned.Tina Donahuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160021732404091277noreply@blogger.com