Show, Don't Tell

In this book, Sandra Gerth draws on her experience as an editor and a best-selling author to show you how to show and tell you when to tell. Each chapter includes concrete examples and exercises that will hone your writing skills. Whether you're a novice writer working on your first story or an established author who has already learned the basics of showing and telling, this book will help you to: Grasp the difference between showing and telling.Understand why showing is such a powerful tool.Spot telling in your own manuscript.Fix bland passages and turn them into compelling scenes.Keep from telling what you have already shown.Avoid the three danger areas of telling.Describe your characters and your setting in interesting ways.Put powerful emotions into your writing.Incorporate backstory into your novel without resorting to telling.Recognize telling in dialogue.Avoid overshowing and swamping your readers with too many details.Learn when telling is actually a good thing.Immerse your readers into your story and keep them captivated from beginning to end.

YOUR NEXT READ FROM THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of ROMANTIC COMEDY, PREP and AMERICAN WIFE 'M essy and delicious' New York Times Editor's Choice 'Sittenfeld is in a league of her own' Guardian ' One of my favourite authors' KATE ATKINSON, author of Death at the Sign of the Rook 'Anything Sittenfeld writes, we'll read' People 'She understands women so well; like having someone look straight into your soul' Reader review***** ______ Razor-sharp, glittering tales exploring marriage, fame and female friendship, from the Sunday Times bestselling author . In this compulsive collection of twelve witty stories, Sittenfeld shows why she’s as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels, as she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends. In ‘The Patron Saints of Middle Age,’ a woman visits two friends she hasn’t seen since her divorce. In ‘A for Alone,’ a married artist embarks on a project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can’t spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in ‘Lost but Not Forgotten,’ Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a new window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an awkward school reunion. Witty, confronting and full of tenderness, Sittenfeld peels back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice. READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF CURTIS SITTENFELD: 'Small windows into modern life and as such highly entertaining. Curtis, you're a star !' ***** 'Sittenfeld understands women so well , it’s like having someone look straight into your soul'***** ' Devoured ! You'll recognise yourself and others in these pages' ***** ' No-one else writes with such precision and amusement' Red Magazine

YOUR NEXT READ FROM THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of ROMANTIC COMEDY, PREP and AMERICAN WIFE 'M essy and delicious' New York Times Editor's Choice 'Sittenfeld is in a league of her own' Guardian ' One of my favourite authors' KATE ATKINSON, author of Death at the Sign of the Rook 'Anything Sittenfeld writes, we'll read' People 'She understands women so well; like having someone look straight into your soul' Reader review***** ______ Razor-sharp, glittering tales exploring marriage, fame and female friendship, from the Sunday Times bestselling author . In this compulsive collection of twelve witty stories, Sittenfeld shows why she’s as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels, as she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends. In ‘The Patron Saints of Middle Age,’ a woman visits two friends she hasn’t seen since her divorce. In ‘A for Alone,’ a married artist embarks on a project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can’t spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in ‘Lost but Not Forgotten,’ Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a new window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an awkward school reunion. Witty, confronting and full of tenderness, Sittenfeld peels back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice. READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF CURTIS SITTENFELD: 'Small windows into modern life and as such highly entertaining. Curtis, you're a star !' ***** 'Sittenfeld understands women so well , it’s like having someone look straight into your soul'***** ' Devoured ! You'll recognise yourself and others in these pages' ***** ' No-one else writes with such precision and amusement' Red Magazine

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - The bestselling author of Eligible and Romantic Comedy "blends acerbic wit, shrewd insight and sharp-eyed observation [in this] bravura collection" ( The Washington Post ), including a story that revisits the main character from her iconic novel Prep "Each of these witty, intelligent stories is a slice of modern life." --People A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she's as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these dazzling stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long held beliefs are overturned. In "The Patron Saints of Middle Age," a woman visits two friends she hasn't seen since her divorce. In "A for Alone," a married artist embarks on a creative project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can't spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in "Lost but Not Forgotten," Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an alumni reunion at her boarding school. Hilarious, thought-provoking, and full of tenderness for her characters, Sittenfeld's stories peel back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - The bestselling author of Eligible and Romantic Comedy "blends acerbic wit, shrewd insight and sharp-eyed observation [in this] bravura collection" ( The Washington Post ), including a story that revisits the main character from her iconic novel Prep "Each of these witty, intelligent stories is a slice of modern life." --People A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she's as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these dazzling stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long held beliefs are overturned. In "The Patron Saints of Middle Age," a woman visits two friends she hasn't seen since her divorce. In "A for Alone," a married artist embarks on a creative project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can't spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in "Lost but Not Forgotten," Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an alumni reunion at her boarding school. Hilarious, thought-provoking, and full of tenderness for her characters, Sittenfeld's stories peel back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice.

A funny, fiercely intelligent, and moving collection exploring marriage, friendship, fame, and artistic ambition--including a story that revisits the main character from Curtis Sittenfeld's iconic novel Prep-- from the New York Times bestselling author of Eligible and Romantic Comedy In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she's as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these dazzling stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long held beliefs are overturned. In "The Patron Saints of Middle Age," a woman visits two friends she hasn't seen since her divorce. In "A for Alone," a married artist embarks on a creative project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can't spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in "Lost but Not Forgotten," Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an alumni reunion at her boarding school. Hilarious, thought-provoking, and full of tenderness for her characters, Sittenfeld's stories peel back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice.

A funny, fiercely intelligent, and moving collection exploring marriage, friendship, fame, and artistic ambition--including a story that revisits the main character from Curtis Sittenfeld's iconic novel Prep-- from the New York Times bestselling author of Eligible and Romantic Comedy In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she's as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these dazzling stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long held beliefs are overturned. In "The Patron Saints of Middle Age," a woman visits two friends she hasn't seen since her divorce. In "A for Alone," a married artist embarks on a creative project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can't spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in "Lost but Not Forgotten," Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an alumni reunion at her boarding school. Hilarious, thought-provoking, and full of tenderness for her characters, Sittenfeld's stories peel back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice.