Blogging Insights – Showing not telling

Blogging, prompts, You Asked

Tanya is the host of Blogging Insights

writing quote EL Doctrow

“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” — E.L. Doctorow

I think this is what it means to “show and not tell”.
What do you think?

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First off, if you find the font in this post too small, it’s not a fault on my side. WordPress in its infinite wisdom has decided that it would be so!

Now on to the quote;

Good writing is supposed to involve the reader in the story/ poem in an immersive way. In fact, it is the hallmark of a good story or poetry that it evokes emotions in the reader which the writer or their character is experiencing at the moment.

But not everyone can do this. This needs a lot of practice. We also need to write straight from the heart. Writing with emotions and feelings that are real brings out this effect on the paper ( so to speak) as well.

One can write of a heartbreaking scene but if the writer is not able to transmit their emotions in the story/ poem then the reader won’t feel the intensity of the situation at all. The same goes when writing of a joyous or hilarious moment. And I believe that making a reader cry is easier than making them smile or laugh out loud!

These are my observations regarding this quote. What do you think?

Thank you so much Tanya for giving us the opportunity to express our views regarding this quote!

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#Keepitalive

#BloggingInsights

Published by Sadje

I am writing to express my opinion, share my experiences and to maybe provide some insight. My blog is addressing women at 50 ( but men are welcome to read my posts) ,their issues and the questions that come up at this stage in life. I don’t aim to teach, but to learn together.

Published

25 thoughts on “Blogging Insights – Showing not telling”

  2. I was reading something from a new author last night and four pages in, I was feeling aggravated for the heroine. It’s a real knock to be able to do that.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Absolutely! If you can’t make the reader “feel” every word in your story or poem, it will only fall flat. Readers must be able to relate to whatever you’ve written. This is such a great post and reminder!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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