[Referring to passage by Alice Munro] Finally, the passage contradicts a form of bad advice often given young writers — namely, that the job of the author is to show, not tell. Needless to say, many great novelists combine “dramatic” showing with long sections of the flat-out authorial narration that is, I guess, what is meant by telling. And the warning against telling leads to a confusion that causes novice writers to think that everything should be acted out — don’t tell us a character is happy, show us how she screams “yay” and jumps up and down for joy — when in fact the responsibility of showing should be assumed by the energetic and specific use of language.

[Referring to passage by Alice Munro] Finally, the passage contradicts a form of bad advice often given young writers — namely, that the job of the author is to show, not tell. Needless to say, many great novelists combine “dramatic” showing with long sections of the flat-out authorial narration that is, I guess, what is meant by telling. And the warning against telling leads to a confusion that causes novice writers to think that everything should be acted out — don’t tell us a character is happy, show us how she screams “yay” and jumps up and down for joy — when in fact the responsibility of showing should be assumed by the energetic and specific use of language.

– Francine Prose –

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them

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