Beyond the Moon
Upcoming Workshop Reminder
Why I Despise Anton Chekhov
I had planned to send this quick newsletter out today as a reminder for the Show, Don’t Tell workshop coming up on Saturday.
Then I saw it again this morning.
'Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.' - Anton Chekhov
With some kind of comment like, “A perfect example of Show, Don’t Tell.”
NO. NO. NO. NO!!!! (Insert gif of Dawn raging here.)
Look, I’m sure Anton was a decent dude. I’m sure he didn’t mean to make me hate hearing about the freakin’ moon. From what I understand he was just writing a letter to his brother or somebody and the literary world latched on it as genius.
Here’s the thing: I didn’t understand this quote for a LOOOOOONG time.
It was just repeated to me as if it were law and then veteran writers would nod like wise sages and wander away while I stared at the same paragraph trying to figure out what my crit partner meant by “You need to show this.”
*Takes a deep breath. Counts to ten.*
So…
I have a workshop this Saturday, May 13th.
It’s about Show, Don’t Tell.
It has practical examples.
We’re going to work through those examples live. You will see the transformation from telling to showing and how it draws the reader deeper into the scene and the characters.
Participants will have a chance to ask questions, give suggestions, and offer their own samples if we have time.
I WILL NOT BE TALKING ABOUT THE MOON!
If that sounds like something you need in your writing, I’d love for you to come hang out with us!
If you can’t make the live call, there will be a recording available the week after the event.
I appreciate you letting me rant.