Review: A review and comparison
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2013
I hate to pit two writing books against each other (b/c different books speak to different writers).  But a comparison here is apt.  Within the past few months I've purchased "Making a Scene" along with "Showing & Telling: Learn How to Show & When to Tell for Powerful & Balanced Writing" by Laurie Alberts.  What I was looking for was some advice on when to show and when to tell.  Based on many fiction books I've read, some writer's take the "show don't tell" to extremes and end up including a bunch of scenes and information that just water down the story and make me skim through large chunks of text.I think there are times in a story where you need to convey information, but it's not important enough to merit a whole scene or maybe you want to quickly discuss events that ocurred over a long period, etc.  So I was searching for a writing book that could explain scene vs. summary (acknowledging that summary is sometimes best and when it might be best to use it).I came across Showing & Telling first and based on the title, excerpt and book description, it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.  So I eagerly purchased it.  I don't think there's anything wrong with the book per se, however, it's 242 pages.  It does indeed have the information I was looking for, but it adds so many layers on top that I get discouraged from wading through the whole thing.  I made it about 35% of the way through the book before promising I'd go back to it at some point (when I really had the time to dig into it).  But if history holds true, that day may never come.  I have a number of copies of unfinished writing books.Not discounting the first book, I searched around for something a bit shorter and to the point.  That's when I came across Making a Scene.  I wasn't sure if it was what I was looking for, but it was inexpensive (a fraction of the price of the other book) and short enough that I knew I'd read the whole thing.  I knew the book would probably give a general overview of scenes, but it actually gave a wonderful description of scenes, exposition & summary.  It was just what I was looking for.  A definition for the different options, followed by a few really good examples.Things are going to be less busy for me in the upcoming weeks and I plan to take advantage of that to do some writing.  When I think about the resource I want to turn to for a quick, but well-rounded, refresher on this topic I know it's going to be Making a Scene.  I can read through the entire thing in less than an hour and put the ideas into practice right away.  Reading through Showing & Telling feels like a more of a commitment.So really, I'd say a writer would do fine to pick up both books.  Both books have their place.  But it's the difference between using your textbook to study material throughout the semester and using flashcards to study for a test.  Both may be needed at some point, it just depends on your needs and situation.