Maria Tureaud Profile picture
Mar 15, 2022 11 tweets 5 min read Read on X
Alrighty, folks. I'm still sick in bed, so it's time for another #RevPit #RevThread and today we'll tackle "Show, Don't Tell" (quit ur eye-rolling!)

For the purpose of today's thread, I'll be referring to it as SDT for short. Buckle up!

#writingcommunity #writetip #writingtips
Let's address a common misconception that gets people ALL kinds of riled up:

SDT is NOT about mundane description. I REPEAT: SDT is NOT about mundane description.

When you start describing the scene, and every little thing your character is doing...that's all "telling." #RevPit
Your faces right now:
So, what IS SDT?

My good friend @SouffleLumiere described it as follows (and it's the perfect description):

SDT should be renamed as Express (emotion, evoke feeling) Don't Explain (list description, over-act a scene)

#RevPit
How do we express? To express, you need to immerse your reader in the story. To do this, you need to write using the five senses: touch, smell, sound, taste, sight. Don't tell us they're in a restaurant...how does that restaurant smell, taste, sound?

#RevPit
How else do we express? Through use of visceral show: body language--external and internal.

External (action): He balled his fists (physical anger)
Internal (conflict): pulse pounding in his temple (feeling inside)
External (reaction): and exhaled (attempt to control)

#RevPit
Put it together:

He balled his fists--pulse pounding in his temple--and exhaled.

What does this evoke? This is what is meant by "write what you know." You know what anger looks like, feels like, and how you react to it to control the situation. So does your reader. #RevPit
Instead of saying: "He was so angry he could barely control himself," we've made the reader feel the situation, and evoked a memory of a time when they were angry. Now they empathize.

That's what SDT is all about #RevPit
So, when should you use SDT?

Easy answer: When you want to elicit a feeling from the reader/when an event is significant.

There's no need to highlight every little thing in this way. Balance with tell! #RevPit
When I teach workshops or work with clients, SDT is the most popular subject/most common opportunity. And that's okay! Honestly, publishing uses so much vague language/obscure phraseology to try and describe craft that it makes it confusing #RevPit
So, in conclusion:

1. Show when something is important
2. Tell when it's not

That's it. Keep it simple! #RevPit

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More from @Maria_Tureaud

May 10
On the back of the MG discourse, I've been asked why US kidlit and UK kidlit are two very diff scenes right now...so I think it's time for a 🧵 #WritingCommunity

Let's start with actual rejections I received from major US publishers on sub:
"middle grade is a challenging space and there is still a lot that we are trying to figure out with our program."

"we’ve been discussing our fiction program at [REDACTED] as it’s not been as successful as we’ve hoped and we’ve tried a lot of pivots."
"So at this time, I’m definitely on a pause for acquiring any middle grade fiction, as account placement and sell through has been ever harder in a more challenged retail landscape."

Why is this happening?
Read 14 tweets
Apr 8, 2022
Good Morning #RevPit and happy FriYay! It's time for another #RevThread off the back of yesterday's #10Queries, and today we're going to talk about Deep POV ... DUN DUN DUUUNNN!
Firstly, what is Deep POV?

It's the process of bringing the reader inside the MC's head until their thoughts become your thoughts, and you are living/breathing their life #10Queries #Revpit When is it important, and why? (2.
If you're up to date on current publishing trends, you'll have already seen Deep POV in action. It's essential in those opening pages to create reader/character connection. Without it, even if you've mastered show, and internal dialogue/voice is present...#revpit #10queries (3
Read 4 tweets
Apr 6, 2022
Hello fam and happy Tuesday. I saw a lot of tough threads yesterday re: querying, and realized the only thing anyone can control is the query itself--not the outcome. As this is one of the opportunities in my #RevPit subs, I thought I might #RevThread about this important doc (1
You have 4 seconds. That's about the length of time to read a text message. In those 4 seconds, you need to hook the agent. Why? I timed myself reading subs for #Revpit to get the calculation right. It took, on average, 10 minutes for me to read the query, then pages (2
That's 17 hours to read 100 subs. Agents can receive on avg 50-100 queries PER DAY. Think about that. The query should take time to write and perfect. It's the single most important document you'll ever compose when it comes to trying to sell an agent on the idea of your mss (3
Read 15 tweets
Mar 14, 2022
All right folks. I'm sick, in bed, unable to work, so it's the perfect time for a #RevPit #RevThread! There were a lot of calls for this one, so today, let's talk about the dreaded...SYNOPSIS! #amquerying

Fact:
😭 You still have to write them even when you land an agent (sorry!)
Step One: Open a blank document
Step Two: **stare**
Step Three: **stare**
Step Four: **stare**
Step Five: **sob**
Step Six: Repeat steps two-five

LOL jk. First things first. In a synopsis, everything from your main plot MUST be revealed #RevPit
This does NOT mean every twist and turn/arbitrary thing/fun event that happens from main plot to sub plots are revealed.

It means you have to focus ONLY on the main plot, and give everything away. Think of a synopsis like a business plan. #RevPit
Read 23 tweets
Dec 10, 2021
It's time for some real talk on this Friday morning. Publishing might be opaque AF, but if you want some peace of mind about what's been going on in the query trench for the last **checks wrist** two yrs, read on. Some are NOT going to like what I have to say #writingcommunity
Let's start with the following: The reason it feels like querying and pitch contests are "dead" is NOT "because writers aren't writing good books right now." If anything, competition is fiercer than ever because you are all so damn talented #writingcommunity
To get to pitch contests, and address that discourse, we first have to talk about wtf is going on. Let's start with the pandemic, and the impact of it. News outlets and crap online use the word "pandemic" like it's something that happens. It doesn't.
Read 41 tweets
Apr 15, 2021
Alright fam. It's Thursday, and it's time for another #RevPit thread. On the back of yesterday's #10queries , I think it's time to discuss the query itself #amquerying #writingtips (1
You have 4 seconds. That's about the length of time to read a text message. In those 4 seconds, you need to hook the agent. Why? I timed myself reading subs for #Revpit to get the calculation right. It took, on average, 10 minutes for me to read the query, then pages (2
That's 17 hours to read 100 subs. Agents can receive on avg 50-100 queries PER DAY. Think about that. The query should take time to write and perfect. It's the single most important document you'll ever compose when it comes to trying to sell an agent on the idea of your mss (3
Read 14 tweets

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