Blog 55: Showing vs Telling

 You probably remember the old show, don’t tell saying being drilled into you at school. But do you remember the way it convinced us that every line in a poem we wrote had to include an image that represented a deeper metaphorical meaning? Or how telling was almost considered a sin? That obsession with always showing and never telling is probably a part of the reason why many adults hate that over-flowery quality they associate with poetry, and consequently poetry itself. The reality is that we as poets need to find that balance between showing and telling personally within our own craft, which can be difficult to decipher.

So, what is the difference between showing and telling?

The art of showing is the art of persuasion. Showing persuades the reader to engage with the poem (both creatively and critically) using their own imagination and experiences to attach significance or meaning to specific images. When showing, the poet utilises surprising yet concrete images, descriptions, actions, or concepts to persuade the reader to understand the intended meaning through sensory language that is tangible without being overt or insistent. Perception is multilayered and interpersonal, but it is also limited. Hence the importance of creating a compelling sensory and physical world to translate experience with precision and surprise. Concrete images, no matter how vivid the detail may be, will always signify a range of connotations that are dependent on the reader's perception. But a good poet will develop continuity through the combination of imagery, theme, tone, mood, and elements of telling to convey meaning and understanding that is similar to that which is intended.

When a poet is telling in a poem, they are asserting their desired meaning, often through abstract language that isn’t tangible in the same way that showing is. They are ultimately enforcing one perspective alone: that of the poet or speaker. Now, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be telling and only showing when you write (ignore the show, don’t tell teachers from your past). Telling can be used to intentionally develop the tone of voice in a poem, for example, one that aims to employ a direct or abrupt quality, or a voice that uses sarcasm, satire, or irony. Telling can also be utilised to assist in pacing and maintain rhythm, provide relevant objective or factual context and exposition, or guide interpretation to aid in the encapsulation of the sensory experience. It’s important to combine both literary approaches to create concise and immersive poetry that allows the reader to exist within the environment of the poem. Finding the balance between showing and telling is finding the perfect point between concrete and abstract concepts.

Poems would be lifeless and quite frankly, too obvious and matter-of-fact if poets solely prioritised the aspect of telling to directly state their feelings or facts. Directly telling impedes on the readers’ opportunity to deduce information or emotion for themselves, therefore removing the need for interaction and interpretation. It removes the space that should be available for the reader to form conclusions, which ultimately makes the poem less engaging and less interesting.

An example of telling in a way that’s too obvious would be stating ‘He was lonely’ in a line of a poem. It’s too abstract; it doesn’t evoke the senses or engage any contemplation. It’s just a statement. We could explore the theme of loneliness further by conceptualising a concrete image or series of images that implies a specific emotional outcome. For example, ‘the seats at the dinner table were empty, a ring held in his palm’. This line has fleshed out the abstract idea of loneliness and transformed it into a set of images that provide space for the reader to derive tangible, material meaning from. If we were to then add ‘he was lonely’ after this line, we would be removing that space already made for the readers’ interpretation and somewhat insulting their intelligence at the same time. We don’t want our writing to feel too expository or be verbose (whether that be with showing or telling). There’s no need for overkill when the images vividly and concisely speak for themselves. Remember, a picture paints a thousand words.

An example of showing vs telling:

You may have heard of the six-word sentence, often referred to as one of the shortest stories ever written.

                                                            For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

The creation of this story is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway, who is said to have been challenged by fellow writers after boasting that he could write a story only six words long. However, this legend is exactly that, a legend. The truth is that versions of this short story existed as newspaper advertisements before Hemingway was writing, nevertheless, we can see and feel what the writer is showing. We are not told what to feel, but tragedy and loss are implied through the evocative and profound imagery. The reader is given space to fill in the gaps because the story doesn’t just summarise loss, instead it employs constraint and implores the reader to explore their own interpersonal emotional response. We are persuaded to construct our own narrative in response to that which isn’t said or insisted.

Let’s summarise when to tell and when to show:

If you’re still confused about when the right time is to tell in a poem (because it can be trickier in poetry, where we have less word to work with, than it is in fiction), think about what it is that you are trying to say. Ask yourself, does this specific line or phrase require a deeper metaphorical meaning or poetic flair? If you have factual, objective or essential information to communicate to your reader, telling can be used to serve the narrative, theme, tone or voice of the poem. It can be used to tell the reader what they actually need to know when it is relevant to what is being shown. You may want to write a political poem that centres around a specific statistic, fact or headline that serves the desired emotional outcome or impact of the poem when included. Just make sure that whatever it is that you are telling isn’t distracting from the sensory experience. Only tell the reader what they need to know and show them everything else that they need to feel, experience and respond to. Utilise material language wherever you intend to evoke subjective emotions, responses or interpretations to the imagery. Show when you want to persuade the reader to immerse themselves in the content and engage their imagination. To show is to convey experience through the senses rather than assert information through objectivity.