Theory of Writing

“Show don’t Tell,” say Ms. Darko, Ms. Strolla, Mr. Booth and probably thousands of other English teachers around the world. My middle school self clearly thinks I understand what this means, afterall “showing” is giving the details and “telling” is summarizing. Yet the meaning of this old adage is redefined as the college student version of myself, quickly discovers. It is as I begin to uncover the true meaning of “showing” in my writing that my theory of writing: “the essential nature of creating space for “showing” and analysis while outlining” is created.

Scrambling to finish essays for AP History and Literature class in high school, is a race in which my eyes dart between my outline and my draft. I transcribe the facts written on my outline onto my essay and follow the structure I am planning on executing. But at this time in my life all I’m really doing is “telling” and the only “showing” that takes place is the mandatory sentence that contains the analysis of whatever quote I have included.

Now take this, “JOANNA- JO -JO -JOANNA ayy JOANNA…These lyrics blast out of the speakers. I literally have an Afrobeats song that sings my name (even though I spell it J-o-h-a-n-n-a)!” My opening lines from my first college composition, a narrative essay, is essentially an onomatopoeia created from my name. The transformation from a “teller” to a “shower” is off without a hitch. The amelioration of my “showing” skills in my writing is not self-contained and also improves my rhetorical skills, by increasing the use of pathos in my writing. This observation is one I had made in my reflection to the Narrative Essay, “The shift in rhetorical strategies from my first to final draft involves the use of more colloquial language for the purpose of providing the audience with accurate depictions of the setting.” The specific rhetorical strategy I am referencing is pathos, since the use of certain words, imagery, and analysis help make an argument more evocative.

Showing instead of telling is easier said than done, especially when it comes to outlining and writing more structurally demanding essays. Before writing most of my essays, I plan out each paragraph, my thesis, and the quotations. As I outline the Comparative Metaphor essay, which consists of definitions, quotations and comparison, I am so focused on integrating and comparing both sources that “showing” almost takes a back seat. “Definition-Concrete: Demonic possession, it is something that people know and are used to, it has a specific cause and a specific way it can be dealt with, which is the demon and removed by exorcism.” In this quote from my outline of that essay, there is a clear focus on the structural requirement of the essay, and less emphasis on my opinion and analysis which could contribute by adding depth to the facts in the essay. While outlining provides the guidelines that assist me during my writing process, I always need to actively remind myself to provide analysis and elaborate on my interpretations. When it comes to important writing in my non-academic life, writing in my planner is essential. It provides the same planning and organization that outlining provides, but it also has some of the same struggles. When I am not specific enough in my goals, I tell myself that I’m going to do something instead of telling myself how.

Although it seems deceptively obvious, a new way of “showing” that I use, thanks to Professor Caitlin’s encouragement to the FIQWS class to expand our sources into different mediums, are images. The addition of an image in my Metaphor Essay, allows me to visually portray a physical representation of my essay’s content. The image also allows me to include my interpretation. As one topic idea gives way to the next, and I struggle to grasp the narrative that my research paper will focus on, I am yet to surmount the biggest challenge that I will face with regards to “showing” versus “telling”. Since the prompt behind the research paper is about the change in narrative concerning one’s topic, spewing facts will not be sustainable for an engaging research paper. I turn to the most literal way of “showing” once again by using images, advertisements to be exact. By displaying the images not only is there an opportunity for my audience to visualize what I’m talking about, but I can also showcase my interpretations.