I feel like a better rule than “Show, don’t tell” is “Express, don’t state”
Because a lot of people interpret “show don’t tell” as “use visuals instead of dialog” or “play out scenes instead of referencing/describing them” which is an arbitrary rule that doesn’t communicate well what the issue is.
What I mean by “Express, don’t state” is that the facts of your story should be conveyed through the story’s elements instead of stated in the story.
If a character is depressed or guilt ridden, it should be expressed through their attitude, their actions, their decisions, their reactions, etc. instead of stating “this character is depressed”. Whether it’s done through dialog or a visual of a rainy cloud doesn’t matter, because it’s still conveyed directly to the audience instead of being evident in the text itself.
In fact, sometimes having a character describe a scene or a diagnosis or whatever using dialog can express a lot more than showing the scene itself.
The biggest illustration from my new Destiel fic The House That Wanted to Be a Garden !! It’s a magical, domestic AU wherein Dean accidentally moves in with his neighbour, Cas, who is surprisingly okay with it.
Illustration of The Sun card featuring Charlie Bradbury. Right side up: fun, warmth, positivity,vitality. Upside down: temporary depression, lack of success #spntarot
A long time ago I took a course on the sociology of marriage and my professor said “With compromise, you both lose. As a couple, you must collaborate on the best possible outcome.” Ever since, I never prioritize compromise in a relationship, only collaboration.
I wanna share something one of my patrons said about this Destiel Christmas fic, which touched the very core of my caramel heart:
Alex commented:
[…] I’ve had so many terrible Christmas in my life, it’s pathetic. But I’ve always had movies, and I still watch them religiously to at least have some kind of… well not happiness but something. Really, I’m basically worse than the Grinch. But this story? It brings me so much joy. It’s basically my favourite childhood movie but with the things I care about now (Destiel). It feels like a good Christmas for the first time in YEARS and I’m crying. A lot of your stories have positively impacted me but this is basically a whole meteor going boom and making me genuinely feel something again. Thank you so much.
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I just!!!! I have so much love for the people supporting me right now, and I wanna dedicate every last smidgen of this fic to those special, precious people who are enjoying the thing and telling me all about it in the comments (whether on patreon or on ao3) ;u;
