I was struggling to understand the writing axiom “show, don’t tell.” I read blog post after blog post but I still didn’t get it. That is until I took Erin Dionne’s Show Don’t Tell class at the New England SCBWI. I want to share some of her pearls of wisdom:
- Show Don’t Tell is experiencing a character’s life through their own eyes in order that the reader can come to their own conclusions about this character. It’s first-personish.
- Telling is feeding information directly to the reader such as “I am lonely” or “I am sad.” It limits the relationship between the character and the reader. There’s no “why” to tell.
- Showing = Empathy towards the character.
- Showing allows for multiple interpretations.
- Showing allows the reader to watch and experience what your characters are doing.
- Showing doesn’t label the emotion. Instead, it uses action to convey emotion.
- Use the senses to show.
- Don’t tell us the reason.
- Don’t summarize at the end.
- Add dialogue.
- Use active verbs.
- Use vibrant words and images.
- Be specific.
There are some exceptions to when telling is ok:
- The readers have already seen the event/action.
- Seeing what happens takes the book in another direction.
- It’s not relevant to the story (but why is it there?)
- It’s a summary to give you a hint that will come back later such as When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.
I felt overwhelming gratitude for Erin’s helpful class so when I saw that she was hosting a book party for her latest book, Secrets of a Fangirl, I wanted to be there to support her.
It turns out that I was not alone and for similar reasons! Lynda Mullaly Hunt drove from the Cape to attend as well!
Secrets of a Fangirl is Erin’s 7th book!
Learn more here:
Erin reads from Secrets of a Fangirl here:
Q & A with Erin:
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p.s. Here are some of my lists for summer reading:
Starting Preschool or Kindergarten
Top 10 Diversity Starting Kindergarten or Preschool Picture Books
Top 10 Starting Preschool or Kindergarten Books
By Entering Grade
Going Into 1st Grade Summer Reading List
Going Into 2nd Grade Summer Reading List
Going Into 3rd Grade Summer Reading List
Going Into 4th Grade Summer Reading List
Going Into 5th Grade Summer Reading List
Going Into 6th Grade Summer Reading List
Going into 7th Grade Summer Reading List
Best Books for Middle School by Our Wonderful Middle School Librarian
Personal Recommendations from Kids
3rd Grade Chapter Books from My 3rd Grade Son
Top 10 Best Books for 3rd Graders by Me — A 3rd Grade Girl Who is Very Picky (PickyKidPix)
Summer Reading List for Kids (mine!) ages 8 through 13
Best Chapter Book for 5th Grade by my 5th Grade Daughter
5th Grade Recommendations by a 5th Grader (PickyKidPix)
4th Grade Books I Liked When I Was in 4th Grade (PickyKidPix)
4th Grade Chapter Books by a 4th Grader (PickyKidPix)
4th Grade Books Recommended by a 4th Grader (PickyKidPix)
Favorite Book Ever by 90 6th Grade Students
Josh in 6th Grade Shares His Favorite Books
Ajani in 6th Grade Reviews Chapter Books
10 Favorite Books by my 6th Grade Daughter
Best Books for Kids by Middle School Boy
Best Books for Middle School by Actual Middle School Students
Best Read Aloud Books
10 Multicultural Picture Books to Sing
Best Read Aloud Books for Kids: The E. B. White Award
Best Read Aloud Bedtime Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
10 Perfect Read Aloud Books for 3rd Grade
A Round Up of Read Aloud Books and Resources
Happy Chapter Books for a Young Girl
Summer Reading Lists for All Ages Set During the Summer
20 Great Books for Kids Set During the Summer
10 Best Coming of Age Books for Girls Set During the Summer
More Summer Reading Lists
Best Picture Books You’ve Never Heard Of
Top 10 Beginning Chapter Books
Best Chapter Books for Newly Independent Readers
Top 10 Books Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Funny Books for a 3rd Grade Boy
Newbery Books by Grade Appropriateness
Summer Reading List of Books for Kids
10 Best Chapter Books for Summer Reading for Ages 9 – 12
Best Hockey Chapter Books for Ages 9-12
Best Skateboard Books for Ages 9-14
Top 10 Best Baseball Chapter Books
Best Books for Boy Readers, Reluctant or Otherwise
Top 10 Books For a Florida Beach Vacation
Top 10 Chapter Book with Activity for Boys
World Book Night Books for Kids and Teens
Massachusetts Book Awards for Ages 8 through 14
Best Old Fashioned Conflict Free Families in Chapter Books
Funny Books for Boys with Math or Science Twist
Best Books for Tweens Who Read 2 or 3 Grades Below
20 Gentle Chapter Books for a Young Boy
20 Gentle Chapter Books for a Young Girl
Funny Books for a 3rd Grade Boy
Choosing Books for Advanced Young Readers
Books by Animals or Creatures
Top 10 Crocodile Picture Books
Learn About Different Cultures
Multicultural Books for Children: 40+ Book Lists
Contemporary Native Americans in Children’s Books
Undocumented Workers in Children’s Books
27 Books for Kids About the Arab World
Notable Native American Children’s Author: Joseph Bruchac
Top 10: Native American Children’s Books (ages 2-16)
Top 10: Japanese American Children’s Books (ages 2-16)
Top 10: Best Asian American Books by CoolAsianKids
Bilingual Japanese Books for Kids
Top 10: Chinese American Children’s Books (ages 2-14)
Best Korean American Books for Kids
Multicultural Winners from ALA Awards
Multicultural Books from Multicultural Children’s Book Day
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.
My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award longlist
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Congrats, Erin!! I can’t wait to be back in New England to attend such events! BTW, loved Snowbound–such a fun & funny read with great voice!