In a recent coaching session with a talented crime novelist, I found myself repeating one piece of advice that strikes at the heart of what makes fiction compelling: “Let the dialogue speak for itself.”
We’ve all heard the writing maxim “show, don’t tell,” but what does it really mean in practice? And why do even experienced writers struggle with it?
The Urge to Explain
Here’s what often happens: A writer crafts a solid piece of dialogue or action, then immediately follows it with an explanation of what just happened. For example:
“I don’t believe in miracles, especially when they come packaged as lawyers,” he thought, skeptical of their motives and intentions.
The explanation (“skeptical of their motives and intentions”) is not only redundant, it actively diminishes the power of the original line. It’s as if the writer doesn’t trust the reader to understand the implication.
This is what I call “keeping your hands on the wheel” – not allowing the story to drive itself. Instead, you’re constantly steering, afraid that without your guidance, readers might veer off course.
Why We Over-Explain
Writers explain too much for several understandable reasons:
- Fear of being misunderstood. We want readers to get exactly what we intended.
- Anxiety about clarity. We worry that what’s obvious to us might not be to others.
- The urge to demonstrate insight. We want to show off our understanding of character psychology.
- First-draft thinking. In early drafts, we’re often writing to discover, so we explore multiple angles.
The irony? This fear of reader misunderstanding actually creates disengagement. By explaining everything, we deny readers the pleasure of interpretation – one of fiction’s greatest joys.
The Power of Restraint
Consider these two versions of the same exchange:
Version 1 (hands on the wheel):
“Is that all you have to say?” she asked, her voice trembling with anger and disappointment.
“Yes,” he replied coldly, wanting to hurt her as much as she had hurt him.
She turned away, devastated by his cruelty. “Fine,” she whispered, fighting back tears.
Version 2 (hands off):
“Is that all you have to say?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Yes,” he replied.
She turned away. “Fine,” she whispered.
The second version may seem sparse, but it actually creates more space for readers to feel the emotion themselves, rather than being told about it. The dialogue and minimal action carry the emotional weight without explanation.
Real Examples From the Editing Trenches
In my coaching practice, I frequently encounter passages like this:
Original:
“You look cute together. Do you have kids?” Tunisia asked. I wasn’t feeling it.
“Not that I know of,” I said sarcastically, trying to shut down this line of conversation.
Revised:
“You look cute together. Do you have kids?” Tunisia asked.
“Not that I know of,” I said.
The sarcasm is already evident in the dialogue. The character’s desire to shut down the conversation is clear without stating it. By removing the explanations, we create a cleaner, more engaging reading experience.
The Reader as Co-Creator
When you take your hands off the wheel, something magical happens: readers become active participants in creating meaning. This is what I call “the reader-writer curve” – finding the sweet spot where you provide just enough information for readers to work with, but not so much that you do all the imaginative work for them.
Think of your favorite books. Do they explain every nuance of every interaction? Or do they leave space for you to inhabit the story, drawing your own connections and experiencing emotions directly?
The most powerful fiction creates what cognitive scientists call “transportation” – the sense of being absorbed into a narrative world. This transportation happens most effectively when readers are engaged in active interpretation rather than passive reception.
How to Let Go of the Wheel
Here are practical steps to help you release your grip:
- Trust your dialogue. If you’ve written strong dialogue, it already conveys tone, intention, and subtext. Let it do its job.
- Use action instead of explanation. Rather than telling us a character is angry, show them slamming a door or clenching their fists.
- Cut the adverbs in dialogue tags. “He said angrily” is weaker than dialogue and action that demonstrates anger.
- Eliminate thought translations. If a character says something sarcastic, we don’t need “he thought sarcastically” to follow it.
- Remove emotional labels. Instead of “she was devastated,” show the physical manifestations of devastation.
- Practice the “So What?” test. After writing an explanatory phrase, ask yourself: “If I cut this, would readers still understand what’s happening?” If yes, cut it.
- Trust your beta readers. If they understand what’s happening without the explanation, other readers will too.
Mastering the Art of Invisible Storytelling
The best narration is often invisible – readers are so immersed in the story that they forget someone is telling it. They’re not reading about characters having experiences; they’re vicariously having those experiences themselves.
This is the paradox of great fiction: the more you try to control the reader’s experience through explanation, the less powerful that experience becomes. By letting go – by taking your hands off the wheel – you actually create a more vivid, engaging story.
As Raymond Carver’s editor Gordon Lish famously demonstrated, sometimes the best editing is simply removal. What remains can be far more powerful than what was cut.
Ready to Take Your Hands Off the Wheel?
If you’re struggling with finding the right balance between showing and telling in your fiction, I’m excited to share my Udemy course, “Show, Don’t Tell: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Vivid Fiction.”
This comprehensive course takes you beyond the cliché advice and provides practical techniques to:
- Identify when you’re over-explaining (with before and after examples)
- Transform “telling” passages into vivid scenes
- Use dialogue and action to reveal character
- Create subtext that engages readers as co-creators
- Edit your work with a focus on reader engagement
For readers of this blog, use THIS LINK for 30% off enrollment.
Remember, great fiction isn’t about explaining everything to your readers—it’s about creating a space where they can discover meaning for themselves. When you take your hands off the wheel, you don’t lose control of your story. You gain something far more valuable: readers who are fully invested in the world you’ve created.
Seth Harwood is a writing coach and fiction instructor with over fifteen years of experience helping writers craft compelling narratives. His one-on-one coaching focuses on finding the perfect balance between what’s on the page and what lives in the reader’s imagination.
