Was

In my never-ending effort to figure out this Show v Tell conundrum I've been forced to have to wallow in and wade through since the beginning of the year (practically) there is one thing I know for sure:

WAS is a bad word.

And, I'm super upset about this tiny bit of info (with its major impact).

Had ANYONE said this is the answer MONTHS ago, I wouldn't still be sitting here trying to figure out where it is I'm going wrong, why it is everyone sees it but me, and how it is all of the supposed expert advice purported to be offered online failed to reach me until now.

The last place I'd think to go to 'learn' anything online is Youtube, and yet there I was today, watching a few silly videos that said the same thing yet still managed to teach me the difference between Tell and Show in writing.

WAS (erm) was the key word.

So, I opened AutoCrit, plunked down the first 1,000 words of my latest WIP, and went for the count on WAS.

Turns out that Inigo's name shows up 14 times to WAS's 3.
NOT helpful, but I did notice the WAS's and finally recognize Tell v Show and the error of my ways.






The analysis showed that WAS isn't as big an issue as repetition of names turns out to be, which TELLS me that the critics were misleading, if not wrong.

But, I blame myself for allowing the misleading information to send me into a tailspin, keep me away from my writing for so long, and make me think I'm wasting my time trying to get anywhere as a starving artist.

Here are a few examples of what I learned and what AutoCrit found for me:

...and for purely sentimental reasons, Inigo was willing to let down his guard and allow the man to be who he wanted to be — just this once.

Having to listen to anyone sing his praises or make him feel worthy of it never sat too well with him. It was too much like being forced to believe it was actually true, and he wasn’t the type to believe in anyone’s true worth, much less his own. 

You'll note the repetition as opposed to "lots and lots of TELL", but this is the stuff that I go back and hunt down to kill once the rough draft is finished.

Which I never got to do after having had the wind knocked out of me by that scathing remark from an editor a few months back.

I'm pretty certain I let her know it was a rough first draft, but whatever . . .

as the saying goes

Damn, I feel good.

I feel at least 95% better than I had just a few hours ago at any rate, and that is a wonderful place for a writer to be, isn't it?

Breathing is easier, the air smells fresh, and that limitless fog in my head has begun to dissipate.

Itchy fingers anxious to get back to work, too!

A funny aside  ~~~

While searching for 'online help' with Show v Tell, the bottom first page of Google Search had a picture of me there, with one of my (many) blog post links on the topic.


via GIPHY

With only two days left of work as a Parapro for Autistic preschoolers, I had worried about what to do with myself until school starts up again in September.

Now I know!

I'll be writing, writing, and writing some more.

Us thin-skinned people and our introverted, INFP-T personalities need to concentrate more on getting things done and spend less time seeking advice from people who are sure to bring us down, leave us in tears, and ruin our happy-hour.

And now I go forth in honest pursuit of that true happiness, writing like there's no tomorrow and typing everything that has filled my mind since abandoning this third project all those months ago.

With confidence, a good mood, and a driving need to just DO IT!