Vent: That 'show don't tell' rule I kept ignoring backfired hard

Honestly, I spent 6 months writing a fantasy novel where I just told everyone how sad the main character was. My critique group finally sat me down after the third chapter and read a few lines out loud, and I realized my writing was dead on the page. Has anyone else had a basic rule they thought was overhyped totally wreck their story when they finally tried it?

2 comments

2 Comments

keithbutler15d ago

Tbh, @stella_lane just called me out and I feel personally attacked by those clenched fists.

stella_lane15d ago

Wait, did you actually keep telling instead of showing because you thought the rule was overhyped? Because I used to think that too. I thought people were just being picky about style. Then I wrote a scene where I literally wrote "he was angry" and my beta reader said "okay but how do I know?" and I realized the rule isn't just for fancy literary stuff, it's literally how you make the reader feel things instead of just reading a list of emotions. It took me rewriting one paragraph with actual clenched fists and slammed doors to see the difference.