show don't tell

I am taking a methods for teaching secondary English class this semester. The class requires us to get into groups and teach different lesson plans for the rest of our classmates. The group that presented this past week created a lesson that revolved around figurative language. They asked us to think about a place that is special to us and to write about it in exaggerated metaphors, similes and personification. I was initially reminded of Elbow’s previous chapter where he said that writing in extended metaphors helps to avoid “writers block.” It was one of the most cathartic experiences I’ve had in a long time. At the end of the class, we all had the chance to listen to and share our work with everyone else. It was a great experience. I love listening to others share their work, and I was surprised at how inspired my own writing was. Afterwards, a friend of mine in the class who felt the same way about the lesson said that it would be fun to start a writing club. Elbow’s chapter leads me to believe that I now must become involved in a teacherless writing class. Who wants to join?!
This has been my favorite Elbow chapter so far. I like that he specifies that the group is not purely a poetry club or a short story writing workshop. Elbow encourages us to bring a diverse variety of writing to these groups. He writes, “The poet needs the experience of the businessman reading his poem just as the business man needs the experience of the poet reading his committee report…Whenever people work in only one genre , they gradually become blind to certain excrescences” (79). I completely agree. I feel that diversity in writing and audience only strengthens a writer’s skill and wisdom.

I really like the ideas and prompts that Elbow lists to write about if one cannot think of a topic. This could be a great way to incorporate a writing workshop or club within the classroom. These could also be simple exercises for students to do in journals and freewrites. To mix it up a bit, the teacher could change the subject or genre of the writing exercise. One day the topic could be “You walk into your house after school and David Hasselhoff is sitting at your kitchen table.” The next day the topic could be a frequent question that might appear on a standardized test.

I love that Elbow makes the distinction between showing and telling. He explains it really well in this quotation, “Telling is like looking inside yourself to see what you can report. Showing is like installing a window in the top of your head and then taking a bow so the writer can see for himself” (92.) I had a creative writing teacher who would always tell my class to “show and not tell.” He wanted us to express ourselves in more abstract ways rather than just simply state every little thing throughout the story. Part of reading is being able to interpret and create meaning on one’s own terms. Showing allows readers to be able to do so. Additionally, showing a writer one’s opinions and reactions to the writer’s work can result in a similar way.

From now on when I read someone else’s work, I want to make a noise or compare it to a
vegetable. I’m serious. Elbow is a genius. His method of giving a writer feedback through metaphorical “showing” is weirdly awesome. And it actually makes a lot of sense to me. If I had the chance to give feedback to some of my favorite authors this is what I would say…

Raymond Carver: “Cathedral” made me feel like I was staring up into a rising sun through closed eyes. The yellow and pink were both transparent and opaque at the same time.

Maya Angelou: When I read your prose, I eat it. It’s a big bowl of vegetable soup, and it slowly drips down my chin as I take a big bite.

This is such an inspiring way to give and receive feedback on writing. It challenges a person’s mode of thinking. It forces people to write and create in their responses. I could go on and on about this chapter. I am eager to see what the discussion’s group activity will be for the class.