Kerry wrote:
My point is that I think "show, don't tell" is almost a
characteristic of hard boil, and frequently, if perhaps a
little less so, of noir.
Yet, basic as "show, don't tell" is, my own reading
experience tells me that many publishers and editors
(not all) seem to prefer to tell. It also strikes me that a
lot of novels are fleshed out with "show AND tell": present
the scene then tell the reader what is to be drawn from
it.
************** Maybe not exact, but I parallel show and tell
with objective and subjective, with the "tell" part often
consisting of the thoughts of a protagonist. Jack O'Connell,
in THE SKIN PALACE, would offer a couple lines of dialogue
followed by two pages of inner ramblings. I got tired of
it.
The most notable "show" novel I can think of is Hammett's
MALTESE FALCON. It was left to the reader to make conclusions
about the characters' motives and thoughts, generating a
rewarding and entertaining layer of ambiguity into the
novel.
That said, there are readers who enjoy the revealed thought
process of the characters, and sometimes I number myself
among them.
miker
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