A well-told story is a combination of showing and telling. As readers, we want to experience the story through the main character’s eyes, but we don’t want to get bogged down in details we don’t care about. After all, it’s much easier to skim through to find the more interesting bits. But we also don’t want to be told why something is happening. We want to see it happen. Showing and telling both have their place in a story. So, how do we know which to use?
Description
How to Find the Perfect Pace for Your Story
Have you ever noticed when you’re doing or reading something you love, time seems to fly by? And before you know it, it’s over, and you’re left wishing it had lasted longer? The opposite could be said for the things you hate. Time seems to drag, and you wish it would just end already. The speed of your prose can have the same effect.
Three Ways to Use Description to Immerse Readers in Your Story
Finding the right amount of description can be a tricky thing. Too little and the story won’t feel real. Too much and the reader starts to skim. Either way, we lose the reader’s attention. And once lost, it’s hard to get back.
How Do We Use Tone to Evoke Emotion in Our Readers?
The story elements we use determine whether our readers will laugh, cry, or be sickened or excited. Tone is the emotion you want to convey to your reader. How you want them to feel when they read your novel. It affects the story’s mood and draws attention to your word choice. Portraying the wrong emotion can turn a horror story into a comedy or a romance into a thriller.
Renea Guenther 