By Mary Jaksch

Ok, folks – we’re back to writing school. An important piece of advice that many writing tutors give is to ‘show not tell’. But how exactly do you do that?

What’s the trick? What’s the secret?

Because, it’s the bits that show and don’t tell that stick like burrs. Months later, you still can’t get the darn things out of  your mind. Here’s an example:

A while ago I asked on the A-list Blogger Club forum for help with a particular task. I got this response from Jean Sarauer of Virgin Blogger Notes:

I’ve already got one foot on a banana peel and the other one in Meltdown City, so I’ll have to pass. Dang it.

Her response was definitely memorable. (Check out Jean’s related post How to Get Off the Meltdown City Express.)

Ok, then – how to show and not tell?

I’ve been reading a novel by Meg Gardiner, a new rising star of the suspense genre – which is what I tend to read when I’m trying to get off that Meltdown City Express. I tried reading Meg’s The Memory Collector while lolling in the bath. But in the middle of the first page I lurched to my feet – sloshing water all over the floor – and hollered for help: “Bring me a pen, quick!” Her writing is so exciting, I was desperate to scrawl all over the page and highlight the best bits for you.

Tip #1 Use familiar words in a weird context

Let’s take the word ‘unfriendly’. As a practice run, write down five sentences that include the word ‘unfriendly’. Now check how you used the word. Most likely you will have used it to describe human interactions. In contrast, here’s how Meg Gardiner uses it:

The garage was cold and the bare bulb gave off unfriendly light. Vance jittered in a circle around them.
‘Are we screwed?’

That single work ‘unfriendly’ creates atmosphere. You know immediately that these are bad guys and something ugly is going to happen. Soon.

Tip #2: Put characters into a weird context

Whether you’re writing a novel or non-fiction, try putting the people you talk about in a weird context. Here’s Meg Gardiner again:

Ginrich’s girlfriend, Clare, was thin and nervous. So were the three Chihuahuas jumping around her feet like grease in a frying pan.

With those three doglets jumping around here feet, Clare’s character comes to life.

Tip #3: Use weird metaphors

If you connect two disparate ideas, the brain jangles. That’s why using ‘weird’ metaphors makes your writing memorable. Here’s Meg Gardiner again:

The man grabbed him. This guy was square with a gray buzz cut like a concrete brick.

You know immediately that this is an ugly character. Definitely not the kind of person you’d like to encounter in a park after dark…

I think these three examples show how potent the ‘weird’ trick is.

How about we all get together and collect more examples?

You could write something and use the ‘weird context’ trick. Or maybe you can find some great examples in the stuff that you read.

Please share your treasures in the comments below, friends. Feel free to link to your own stuff :-)

Mary Jaksch is the Chief Editor of Write to Done. Enjoy more of her posts on her blog Goodlife ZEN and join Leo Babauta and Mary in the A-List Blogger Club (we’re accepting new members right now).

A guest post by Katie Tallo of Momentum Gathering.

The royal road to a man’s heart is to talk to him about the things he treasures most. ~ Dale Carnegie

Every blogger searches for that royal road. We want to touch the real lives of our readers – that’s why we talk about their children, their food, their homes, their hobbies, their businesses, and their beliefs. That royal road shines brightly when we infuse our blogs with our real lives, but it shines brightest when our blogs reflect, ignite and enhance the lives of our readers.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. ~ Dale Carnegie

But how do we win friends and influence readers if a lot of readers love apples and we write about oranges? We can’t be everything to all readers.

Or can we?

We can if we join forces, pool our resources, help each other and engage in communities.

1. Join an aggregate blog.

By pooling a bunch of unique, engaging and diverse blogs, an aggregate blog gives readers everything they need in one roadside oasis. The Daily Brainstorm is a new aggregate blog that launched this week. It is a blogazine featuring some of the best bloggers on the planet, along with promising up-and-comers. It reaches into the hearts of readers and talks to them about their health, food, writing, exercise, diet, news, homes, gardens, travel, hobbies, money, blogs, careers, science, technology, politics, entertainment, simplicity, productivity and relationships. All the apples and oranges of life and more. By joining an aggregate blog, you’ll stand side-by-side with other bloggers, you’ll engage with more readers, and you’ll extend your influence by association.

2. Find a community of bloggers.

There are forums, clubs and communities of like-minded bloggers across the web. The support, guidance, expertise, camaraderie, laughs, resources, opportunities, lessons, networking, and friendship is priceless. I joined Leo Babauta and Mary Jaksch’s A-List Blogger Club three months ago. Since that time, I have picked up bucket loads of friends, readers, experience and momentum that I could not have gathered alone.

3. Guest post and mention your friends everywhere.

By guest posting, you step outside your blogging comfort zone, blend your blog with another and push yourself beyond the boundaries of your niche. You’ll end up creating orangapples that might appeal to a whole new reader. Tweet about your friends and mention their blogs in your posts. Their success will become yours.

And on that note, here are some of the friends I am now collaborating with at The Daily Brainstorm and first met in the A-List Blogger Club. They are definitely worth checking out:

• Mary is the passionate, fun-loving blogger behind Goodlife Zen and Write to Done.
• Leo is an inspiring, genuine, thoughtful blogger of Zen Habits, Mnmlist and Write to Done.
• Barrie is the bold and insightful life coach extraordinaire of Live Bold and Bloom.
• Jean is the gregarious, motivational force behind Virgin Blogger Notes.
• Arvind is the authentic and kind voice behind the blog Make It Happen.
• Angela is the wise soul and gentle presence at Powered by Intuition.
• Manal is the heartfelt and honest voice of One with Now.
• Alison is the friendly and sincere blogger of Loving Nature’s Garden.
• Lisa is the lovely and engaging blogger of Privilege.
• Leah is the vibrant and profound blogger from Peaceful Planet.
• Farnoosh is the wonderfully real and powerful voice behind Prolific Life.
• Jeffrey is the thoughtful and philosophical presence behind The Art of Great Things.
• Linda is the reflective and truthful blogger of Thought Medicine.
• Doug is the clever and warmhearted blogger behind The New Wealth Paradigm.
• Tammy is the sassy simple living blogger at Rowdy Kittens.

Those are some of my friends and some of my favourite places to hang out with them. I hope you’ll visit, get involved, join aggregates, find clubs and, in the process, win friends and influence readers. When we enrich our virtual lives with collaboration, connection and friendship, we enrich the real lives of our readers. We become the royal road, a pathway to their hearts.

Your turn: Do you have some friends, clubs, communities, or aggregates that you’d like to mention? Join in the conversation and tell us about them.

Katie Tallo is a Contributing Writer for Write to Done, a Managing Editor for The Daily Brainstorm as well as a director, motivator, runner, vegetarian and mother who writes a blog called Momentum Gathering where she encourages simple, positive actions for joyful and vibrant life change.