SHOW VS TELL : HOW TO NARRATE YOUR NOVEL

Disclaimer : Mga simpleng alam ko lang ang nasa blog na ito. Compilation ng mga naalala ko pa from my college educ pero kung me additional info kayo or correction, palagay na lang sa comment at I will add it here accordingly. Wag sana tayong troll. These info are posted here for TOPpers and writers from TOP. If you are neither, feel free to be high and might somewhere else. Ktnx.


Here we go.

Minsan kasi more more dialogue lang sa story. This is not ok.

Remember that there should be more SHOW then there are TELLs in your story. When you state a fact that is a TELL when you describe the surrounding and the emotion of the characters or make them move a certain way to show how they are really feeling versus the dialogue then you give the reader a mental picture, that's a SHOW.

It's ok to make it long muna then shorten it later. But if your narrative lacks visualization mejo bulag din ung reader mo. Kulang sila sa kakayahang MAKITA ang mundong sinulat mo. Remember that THEY CAN NOT READ YOUR MIND. Sa isip nating mga writers malinaw nating nakikita ang mundong ginagalawan ng ating mga characters BUT unless na isulat mo iyon sa narration mo, hindi un malalaman ng readers.

Maraming mga writers lalo na online na tinitipid ang mga narration ng kanilang kwento. Bad un. I personally write lang mga scenes na sunud-sunod ang dialogue pag me sense of urgency sa conversation nila. 

Usually script like dialogues happen when the people talking are doing it so fast

that the reader must read the dialogues right after each other.

i.e. fictional - away

"I don't understand this. Why would you do this?" naiiyak na tanong ni Ruru kay

Scott.

"Because you are lying to me!" galit nitong sagot sa kanya.

"I am not lying to you!"

"You are!"

"I'm not!"

"Then tell me that you are not in love with my cousin! Tell me and I would stop

hurting. I would stop hurting so much that I want to hurt him too."

Natahimik si Ruru sa sinabi ni Scott. She didn't know that he knew about her

feelings.

"Tell me that you don't love him and I would stay."

"I can't..."

Kitang-kita niya ang paglaglag ng balikat ng dating minamahal. And it tore her

heart. Hindi niya inakalang masasaktan niya ito ng ganun ganun na lamang. She was

hurting too. Pero hindi pwedeng paasahin niya ito sa wala. Nalilito man siya sa

nararamdaman niya para kay Toshi pero alam niyang hindi na niya mahal si Scott.

Akmang hahawakan niya si Scott pero naglakad ito patalikod para iwasan siya. One

step back that ended her resolve. He was giving up on her, nakikita niya sa mata

nitong wala na itong gana pang ipagpatuloy na ipaglaban ang relasyon nila, ang

damdamin nito.

"I'm sorry, Scott."

"You should be." pagkuwa'y tumalikod na ang binata at tuluyan nang nawala sa

kanyang buhay.

***if you notice the script like parts are for rapid and very emotional scenes most

of the time. It is necessary for the lines to be read right after each other

because the narration breaks the flow of the emotion. So don't do this script- like

thing unless in a similar situation

ie. dying person

"Don't leave me." naiiyak na usal ni Sasha.

"I'm sorry I can't stay..."

"Don't leave me...please, Josh! Josh, please...please don't die."

"I'll love you..." napa-ubo ito pero nagpatuloy pa rin, "...always." dahan-dahang

bumagal ang paghinga nito.

"Josh..."

Bumuka ang bibig nito na wari ba ang nagsasabi ng always

"Jooooooooooooooossssssssh!" hindi niya matanggap na wala na ito. Always meant

nothing kung wala na ito sa tabi niya. Always was just another broken promise like

forever.