recently, and she commented on a book she was reading. She indicated the book
was difficult to get through because the author didn’t understand RUE: Resist
the Urge to Explain.
the dialogue or actions of his character rather than writing strong action and
dialogue that needs no explanation, and when he strays from a strong point of
view, he ends up talking down to his audience. The authors of Self-Editing
for Fiction Writers compare RUE to a playwright running on stage in the
middle of a scene to explain what is happening.
wouldn’t it?
example of an author running onto the page to explain the scene:
walked down the stairs, “you look beautiful tonight,” he said in awe. He knew
she would be self-conscious in his sister’s hand-me-downs. Sarah had said she’d
given the dress to Mary.
gaze. “Thank you,” she said, hoping if he recognized the dress as the one his
sister had given him, that he wouldn’t make fun of her.
face crinkled when he smiled. “Shall we go,” he said expectantly.
said breathlessly. Obviously, he didn’t recognize the dress.
every little detail, weakening the story with adverbs and excessive explanation,
and switching points of view, telling the reader effectively, “I don’t think
you’re smart enough to understand, so I’m going to tell you what’s going on
here.”?
author to work a little harder to establish point of view and to show rather
than to tell what is happening in order to provide a clearer picture for the
reader. The concept also calls for the author to give the reader credit for
being able to follow the story.
we operated under the admonition to RUE:
hanging open. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “You look beautiful.”
hair tied back and curls escaping to frame her oval face, her beauty would
rival any woman at the Cumberland Opera Fundraiser. Anyone who said that money
could buy beauty had no idea of the true meaning of the word.
I can’t wait to show off the most beautiful woman in town.”
her cheeks accentuated her lovely features. “Yes, I’m ready.” She ran her hands
down the front of her gown as she looked up at him.
He led her outside to the car and opened her door for her.
Mary. You own this dress. It looks more beautiful on you than it ever could my
sister.”
strolled around the car. Yes, sir, he would marry this girl one day. She was as
frugal as she was beautiful.
Tim. Everything the reader experiences is through what Tim does, sees, thinks,
and hears. Tightening point of view is one way to paint a clearer picture for
your audience.
with the character requires the author to work a little harder to show not only
action, but thought and dialogue.
telling signs of author intrusion and explanation. Focus on eliminating adverbs
and dialogue tags that try to explain what the dialogue should show. If the
dialogue, action, or thought isn’t strong enough, punch it up a notch.
reader to experiencing the story through the eyes of the main character for
that scene? Look for telling phrases like he knew, he saw, he realized,
he thought and eliminate as many as possible. Often it is as simple as
leaving off the phrase and changing the tense of the sentence. Other times, it
might mean rewriting the entire sentence to show how the main character knows,
sees, realizes or thinks.