Your Author Voice, the Writing Rules, and—ACK!—Show vs. Tell

by Rachel Hauck @rachelhauck

I’ve been at this writing game for over 30 years. This summer marked my 20^th anniversary of writing full-time.

Not to brag or anything, (Ha!) but I’ve learned a few things over the years, and top of the list is – I’m still learning! It never ends. As writers, we never stop learning, improving, and defining our craft.

Mega author Kristen Hannah wanted to write the story of nurses in Vietnam early in her career. Her editor told her she wasn’t ready. Twenty-five years later, she wrote the instant bestseller, The Women.

Learning craft takes time. Let’s talk about three things today: author voice, writing rules, and show vs. tell.

Author Voice

Simply put, author voice is you. How you communicate and express yourself with the written word. Even if you’re writing a character who is completely different from you, a bit of your personality, the “unseen” you, pours onto the page through prose and dialogue.

Voice is your personality on the page. Voice is what the reader will relate to within the story. Voice is the one thing that cannot be taught. But it can be “caught.” You can learn to “hear” your author voice with time and attention, as you put your stories on the page.

Recently, I told my husband, “You know, I realize deep down I feel like everyone I meet is my friend.” Maybe not a “Let’s exchange phone numbers and text all day” kind of friend. But a “Hey, I know you. How are you?” kind of friend. Like the servers at our favorite diner.

As I was tying up the ending of my last book, I realized that sense of friendship is on the page! It’s in the town and the characters. Now I know that’s part of my voice.

I’ve known authors to land a contract simply because of their voice. Then they had to roll up their sleeves and learn pacing, plotting, prose, and dialogue.

So, what’s your voice? How do you uniquely tell a story?

Writing Rules

I feel like this part needs dramatic music or something. The conundrum of the craft rules. Deciding whether to say, “he said” or not to say, “he said.”

How about if we change rules to guidelines and toss in a bit of current trends.

When I started out, I had to learn about head hopping and deep POV, the wastefulness of speaker tags, and the criminal use of the word “was.” (I’ve personally let that three-letter offender out of author-rules jail. It’s a good word. Just don’t overuse it.)

When a writer is starting out, it’s wise to follow guidelines. They’re a good training ground. But as you grow in the craft, guidelines can get in the way. I have on rare occasion broken POV for an omniscient observation. One line. One time. I’ve broken the fourth wall and talked to the reader. One line. One time.

In a recent book, my small beach town was a character with a plural point of view – using we, us, and our. I used the technique to tell parts of the story that didn’t quite fit with the pacing and storyline of either protagonist. It was fun and opened up the story world.

Writing should be fun! Use the guidelines to keep yourself in check but don’t let them keep you from fun. And always have the reader in mind. Don’t make them work to understand your creativity. The characters are telling the story, not you.

Always have the reader in mind. Don’t make them work to understand your creativity. The characters tell the story, not you. @RachelHauck #writing #readers #writingrules Share on X

Show vs. Tell

There are hundreds of articles out there on show vs. tell. Is it about emotion? About action? About an external physical response or an internal emotional one? Can the author get in the character’s head and “tell” how she is feeling? Or does the author stay outside and observe, then “show” what she’s doing?

I used to teach that phrases like “she felt,” “she let,” and “she thought” were distancing words and a form of telling. But as I’ve grown in the craft, I realize those phrases can be a powerful tool. The trick is to learn when and how to use them.

Physical action is often described as showing. Lines like “he balled his hand into a fist” is showing anger. Yet often these sorts of phrases leave the reader on the outside with no emotional connection to the character. Used over and over, the emotional journey can fall flat.

Internal emotion/dialogue is often criticized as telling. But in the setting of a scene, it is part of showing. “She’d failed everyone. At least that’s what it looked like. What it felt like.” This is bringing the reader into the character’s internal atmosphere. Letting us know she’s not doing well.

Show vs. tell, at its core, is about setting the stage for each scene to show both the internal and external journey of the character. Show is a balance of dialogue and prose, of physical reaction with internal reflection.

We say things like “he smiled” and “she laughed” to set the stage. Every move of the characters cannot be something deep. Nor can we always stay on the surface.

Here’s an example:

“You’re the most talented singer I know.” Rock gently touched her arm. “If you quit, I’ll jump in the lake.”

She laughed. “Please, you can’t swim. I don’t want to be responsible for the death of my career and you.”

Let’s edit and remove “She laughed.”

“You’re the most talented singer I know.” Rock gently touched her arm. “If you quit, I’ll jump in the lake.”

She pulled away from his touch, hearing every word but feeling none of the truth. “Please, you can’t swim. And I don’t want to be responsible for the death of my career and you.”

Let’s get more personal.

“You’re the most talented singer I know.” Rock gently touched her arm. “If you quit, I’ll jump in the lake.”

“Please, you can’t swim.” She turned to face the recording studio, hearing his words but not believing them. “I don’t want to be responsible for the death of my career and the death of you.”

In this last example, I put her in the studio, which is a reflection of her life and career. I changed “the” to “his,” making it more personal. The reader now sees and feels this relationship is more than manager and artist, but friends, maybe even lovers.

I hope this post encourages you. Writing is a long-haul journey. But you can do it!

Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She is a writing workshop presenter and mentor, and earned the 2013 Mentor of The Year award from ACFW.  A graduate of Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) with a degree in Journalism, she’s a former sorority girl and a devoted Ohio State football fan. Her bucket list is to stand on the sidelines with Ryan Day. She and her husband live in sunny east coast Florida.