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The 15-minute 'show, don't tell' rule I keep breaking on purpose
Everyone pushes this prompt to make every description visual, but I've started writing flat, boring action lines and letting the reader fill in the emotion, and my last 3 stories got way more feedback that way. If the character just says 'I left' instead of showing the slammed door, isn't that more honest to how people actually talk, does anyone else find the rule too strict for real dialogue scenes?
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victorhernandez13h ago
Wait, so you're saying three whole stories got better feedback with no visual details at all?
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kevinw9412h ago
Try stripping out every bit of description you can and see what happens. I did that with a few pieces last year and the comments were way more focused on the plot and dialogue. Turns out most people skim over the fancy stuff anyway, they just want the story to move. Keep one or two small details if it really matters, but cut anything that's just there to look pretty. You'll be surprised how much faster the pacing feels.
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