“Show, Don’t Tell” is great advice—until it isn’t. In this two-hour workshop, we’ll explore when a story needs to burst into a vivid scene and when summary or exposition better serves the reader. Together, we’ll look at mentor texts to see how writers handle exposition and backstory in ways that keep the reader hooked, and talk through common traps that can bog a narrative down.

You’ll bring an idea for a story you’ve told “a thousand times” and draft an outline during our session. Through guided discussion and group workshopping, we’ll uncover which moments deserve vivid detail, when to summarize, and how to tame unwieldy backstories.

Participants are encouraged, but not required to take this workshop as a part of a series with “Sentence-Level Revision” on September 14th and “Immersive Scenes” on October 5th.

When: Sunday, October 26th at 7-9pm ET

What participants can expect: 2-hour Zoom call with link for replay

Goal: Learning how to balance scenes, summary, and exposition to propel writing forward.

Workshop Outline:

• Study how writers use exposition and backstory effectively

• Discuss common pitfalls that slow down narrative flow

• Draft an outline for a story you’ve “told a thousand times”

• Identify which moments should expand into scenes and which should be summarized

This course will run with a minimum of 6 participants.

What women are saying about Adrienne’s workshops: 

“Adrienne’s workshops are life. If you haven't taken one, do it! You will not be disappointed—you will leave encouraged and inspired. Every time I see one of her workshops pass up on Marketplace I'm practically leaning over my desk frantically waving my hand, Hermoine Granger style, thinking ME! ME! I want to be in that class please!”

“Adrienne is an engaging, excellent teacher. Her courses are such a rich experience!”

“Adrienne does a wonderful job. The quality of her workshops and content is excellent!”

Adrienne Garrison is a writer and educator living in Bloomington, Indiana with her husband and their three little ones. She received her MFA in fiction from Pacific University and her short stories have been published in Literary Mama and LETTERS Journal. Her essays have appeared in Coffee + Crumbs, where she is a contributing writer, and New Millennium Writings. You can find more of her writing at adriennegarrison.com

You can read all of Adrienne’s C+C essays here.