https://youtu.be/U80FmOSOlA8

Did you know Show vs Telling is the very first rule of writing? It's one of the most difficult things in writing when you are a new author, but if you can learn how to do this, switch that flip from telling to showing, then it might become one of the easiest things.

I recently learned from many traditional published authors' blogs, YouTube channels and whenever they speak about this topic, it's one of the first things agents look for. But with that said, a book can't solely focus on showing. There needs to be parts of telling too, otherwise your book would be so big that no agent would look at it. So show is important but we need the telling part too. I guess as writers we need to find that balance between when to show and when to tell and in these blog posts, I'm going to help you find that balance as I'm learning it right at this moment.

Why is showing in your writing so important?
You put the reader inside the character's shoes and they feel what the characters are feeling, meaning that they can easily relate, it's also fun to read. The formation of telling is textbook style. It's boring as we all went through it for 12 years, some longer to get that degree. The last thing you want your book to be is to sound like a textbook that is full of facts and does nothing for the story.

I also think that agents are searching for books that found the perfect balance with showing vs telling. The ratio is like 90/10. Ten percent telling, 90 percent showing. So keep the telling part to a minimum, know when to tell and know when to show.

This is only a theory though, as I never spoke to an agent face to face. I would love to, and maybe in the future, I would focus on having a few agent posts interviewing on the writing aspect with books. How much should a story show and when to tell? But if you want to hear this directly for agents, there is a nifty agency which I have my eyes on called BookEnds and they have a YouTube channel for authors that wants representation. What to do and what not to do. Those posts are amazing and I've learned a lot. (video above)

To learn more: https://kdpeters.com/show-vs-telling-sensory-and-emotion-words/

Thanks for learning with me.