Lee Child Debunks the Biggest Writing Myths

[Lily]

Show, Don’t Tell

"Picture this: In a novel, a character wakes up and looks at himself in the mirror, noting his scars and other physical traits for the reader.

“It is completely and utterly divorced from real life,” Child said.

So why do writers do this? Child said it’s because they’ve been beaten down by the rule of Show, Don’t Tell. “They manufacture this entirely artificial thing.”

“We’re not story showers,” Child said. “We’re story tellers.”

Child said there’s nothing wrong with simply saying the character was 6 feet tall, with scars.

After all, he added—do your kids ever ask you to show them a story? They ask you to tell them a story. Do you show a joke? No, you tell it.

“There is nothing wrong with just telling the story,” Child said. “So liberate yourself from that rule.”


Child believes the average reader doesn’t care at all about telling, showing, etc. He or she just wants something to latch onto, something to carry them through the book. By following too many “rules,” you can lose your readers.""


www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/lee-child-debunks-the-biggest-writing-myths?et_mid=567850&rid=233374387

[Lily]

This is bang on the money. There are too many silly "rules" that do nothing to enhance the story, and merely impede the writer. One of the most rigid and all prevailing is the "show don't tell" nonsense. I mean, who made up all this tripe anyway? I believe every writer must tell his own story, in his own way. Otherwise, we become a bunch of dutiful copycat clones, and all originality is lost.

One of the nicest things about self-publishing, is that you can liberate yourself from all this petty tyranny and foolishness. My advice: Keep the "rules" in mind as a guideline only, and use them sparingly. They are by no means carved in stone. Pick up any popular novel and you will notice that the "rules" are broken time and time again.

Readers, are the only ones who matter here, and they couldn't care less about the "rules." In fact, they've probably never even heard of them. All they want is a good story, well told.

Now I'll climb down from my soap box, and wish everyone a great weekend.

[raemorgan]

If a writer doesn't throw the rule book out the window it will put him in a straitjacket.

[greenwriter]

I wouldn't go so far to say we should throw it out the window, but we certainly shouldn't adhere to it like limpets either.

[rennie]

I agree with Child, the rules are the pits and handicap writers rather than help them.

[oracle]

Yeah but with no rules we'd end up with worse rubbish than we do now. Some of those self pubbed books are awful.