Eliza Doolittle Had It Right! Editor: fyn 
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Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. ~~Oscar Wilde
And if I'm guilty of having gratuitous sex, then I'm also guilty of having gratuitous violence, and gratuitous feasting, and gratuitous description of clothes, and gratuitous heraldry, because very little of this is necessary to advance the plot. But my philosophy is that plot advancement is not what the experience of reading fiction is about. If all we care about is advancing the plot, why read novels? We can just read CliffsNotes.
A novel for me is an immersive experience where I feel as if I have lived it and that I've tasted the food and experienced the sex and experienced the terror of battle. So I want all of the detail, all of the sensory things - whether it's a good experience or a bad experience, I want to put the reader through it. To that mind, detail is necessary, showing not telling is necessary, and nothing is gratuitous. ~~George R R Martin
We see her go through dangerous mood-swings, but I tried never to come right out and say "Annie was depressed and possibly suicidal that day" or "Annie seemed particularly happy that day."If I have to tell you, I lose. If, on the other hand, I can show you a silent, dirty-haired woman who compulsively gobbles cake and candy, then have you draw the conclusion that Annie is in the depressive part of a manic-depressive cycle, I win.
~~ Stephen King
Telling means that you—the author—give your readers conclusions and interpretations; you tell them what to think instead of letting them think for themselves.~~Sandra Gerth
Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please, will you do my job for me?”~~C. S. Lewis |
That old refrain of 'show, don't tell' is so well known for a reason. Don't tell me the roses smelled beautiful; show me where my mind went when I inhaled their fragrance! Whether writing poetry or novels, it is important to put the reader right smack in the midst of whatever is going on, be it that view as the sun rises atop a mountaintop or being half buried in the garbage truck you chose to hide in. Let the reader have the opportunity to experience it, give their imaginations the chance to get a good workout. Make them think! Just don't tell them what to think.
While the song 'Show Me Now' from My Fair Lady is Eliza telling Freddy to show her, versus his telling her how he feels, the same idea applies. Let me drink that dew glistening on the Queen Anne's Lace, let me collect the diamonds that fall from the flower when a breeze ruffles the morning.
I read a poem the other day about someone going through a break-up. Clearly they were unhappy. But they never drew the reader in enough to let them feel what the writer felt. We were told the writer 'cried all night' yet never saw or felt those eyes swollen shut, the grittiness one experiences after a prolonged crying jag, or the sight of those red, puffy eyes looking bruised. We weren't given the opportunity to experience any of the feels that go with a night of heart-wrenching sobbing, let alone develop any empathy to the situation. Indeed, I more began to wonder why this breakup hadn't happened sooner rather than feeling pity or something for the situation. The word 'very' in this particular case was massively overused. Very sad. Very heartbroken. Very alone. 'Very' is one of those words writers should almost strike from their vocabulary. It not only doesn't make the sadness (or whatever) more so, it takes away from what the writer is actually trying to do.
Description is so important when writing. The reader needs to be drawn in, inescapably, to the situation, immersed in the current pathos. Otherwise, it is just a string of words: as is said in Macbeth, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Mastering the techniques of using your words to describe a setting and a character and then letting them show the reader their experience is crucial for, as Spring Nguyen says so well, "crafting compelling narratives and captivating your audience. Remember, the goal is to allow the reader to experience the story, not just be told about it."
A poetry writer is writing for the ages. All ages, usually. Both the experienced liver of life and the neophyte. What makes the difference in someone NOT reacting is a 'been there, done that manner, is the way in which the moments or memories are described, the emotion shown that, in turn, resonates with the reader.
As Eliza saysDon't talk of stars burning above; If you're in love, show me!
Tell me no dreams filled with desire. If you're on fire,
show me! Here we are together in the middle of the night!
Don't talk of spring! Just hold me tight!
Anyone who's ever been in love'll tell you that
This is no time for a chat! Haven't your lips
Longed for my touch? Don't say how much,
Show me! Show me! Don't talk of love lasting through time.
Make me no undying vow. Show me now!
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Poetry: July 29, 2026 Issue [#13869]