Blog for Bristol Services Intl.

Occasionally I see writers who have apparently had it drilled into them to “Don’t use narrative; show everything through action and dialog.” Okay, I grant you that most writers starting out use way too much narrative. New writers tend to tell readers what happened and tell readers what the characters felt:

       “Sally tried the piece of cake and did not like it. Then John ate it and loved it.”

It is infinitely better to let readers experience the actions and the reactions for themselves. For instance:

       “Sally bite into the small cake, and her eyes watered as she grimaced and shoved it to John. He lightly licked one edge, grinned, and then gobbled up the whole piece.” 

We get to see in what way they “tried” or “ate” the cakes. Also we easily understand by their reactions, whether they liked it or not. We don’t need to be told by the author. Instead, we “see” the scene and experience the emotions through active sensory reactions.

So, it is true that showing through action and dialog is better than telling through narrative. But just like any “good thing,” this showing technique must be done in moderation. Avoiding all narrative is a trap many writers fall into and some have a devil of a time climbing back out of it.

There is nothing wrong with narrative; it is a valid way for authors to explain what is happening or how a character is feeling. To avoid it entirely is both difficult for authors to write and difficult for readers to grasp.

I believe it was Ernest Hemingway who wrote “Hills Like White Elephants,” a short story that avoided all narrative interpretation of the events or of feelings. It was (maybe still is) a classic example thrown at students in Literature classes of “Show, don’t tell.” Yes, ol’ Ernest pulled it off. But it requires considerable effort from the reader to grasp what is really going on between these two people when, to be honest, no normal reader wants to work that hard! It is perfect as a “sample” or “case study”  for literature students, but only for that purpose. In fact, it should be presented to students as an example of why a writer should not go too far with any single literary “rule.”

Narrative has a place in writing—use it to your advantage. Like any tool, it isn’t the only one you need and it can’t do everything. It tends to be weak because it doesn’t let readers experience the actions or reactions for themselves. But sometimes narrative is the cleanest and most direct and, yes, most honest, way to explain to readers what a character is feeling, their reactions and attitudes.

Balance is the key. Use direct dialog and action to show scenes whenever it makes sense and especially in tense action scenes. But if you find yourself trying “really hard” to use direct action and dialog to show a certain feeling or action, you are probably forcing readers to have to “try too hard” to understand it too.

There is a place for narrative in creative writing—it is, in fact, one of literature’s most useful tools!

A writer asked: You explained last month about the importance of developing characters through traits that fit the plot too. Can you give an example?

Answer: Sure! Let’s say you have a brother and his dog who eventually get lost in the woods and you want to develop the boy’s character more. Maybe the father has taught the boy many survival type things. Play on that a bit. Show that he not only automatically knows a bear when he sees one, but ALSO knows it is a certain type of bear, maybe some of its characteristics. Let him exhibit his survival/wilderness knowledge a bit early in the story and we’ll learn more about him, his talents and interests. You can this into the plot by showing the inner or personal conflict that involves this trait.

For example:

• Maybe he spouts his knowledge off too much and the others ignore him—they just aren’t impressed, or maybe are bored with his bragging.
• Maybe he hesitates to share the facts he knows, because he has low self-esteem.

Yet that knowledge pays off later as he faces various wilderness challenges and solves the plot problem. More importantly, it helps his character grow:

• If he’d been the bragging type, this experience can show him that his knowledge was never meant for impressing people–but for saving their lives. He learns to respect that knowledge.
• If he’d had low self-esteem, his experience will give him a chance to earn respect for himself, his natural talents, and his acquired knowledge.

Either way, what he does to save them, gives his friends and family a chance — in the end — to truly appreciate the boy’s interest and knowledge and not take him or his knowledge for granted anymore.

In this way, a small trait can play into the resolution of the plot AND into the growth of the relationships and characters too!