Look at that color! I love the vibrancy in this photo, one that I took with my new digital camera early this year. A quote that I came across and is resurfacing again is from an acclaimed author Anton Chekhov, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. For those in the writing profession, this is a staple phrase that underscores the importance of showing and not telling the scene.
Since fifth grade, I’ve always had a knack for writing. I remember sitting down in the kitchen writing away for an essay contest at my elementary school through the D.A.R.E. program. For those who can remember the acronym, it was drug abuse resistance education. I can’t remember what the prompt was, something about the importance of going through the program. All I can recall was writing away on the kitchen table. The words came and the rhythm of writing was very comfortable. I honestly did not make much of what I wrote, simply putting thought to paper. After submitting and waiting sometime, I won the essay contest!
I’m currently engaged to someone who has a background in fiction writing, specializing in short stories. It’s been a joy getting to know their own writing interests through reading different books together. Until now, I’m starting to recover my own inner writer, trying to cultivate a habit of reading and writing regularly. My involvement in my job and interest in social justice and missionary work really sparked me interest in harnessing my ability to tell stories.
How about I narrate the picture above? Look how the bright streaks caress the soft, silky red petals of the flower, which stands lone on the frontlines. The red to yellow spectrum reigns on the outside with the red works its way inward to the core with the pungent yellow. The petals outward with excitement, rounded out by the softest ends, feeling like bristles of a nylon brush when hands run up against it. Ok, ok, this is my attempt, but overall a great exercise. Maybe I’ll make a habit of doing that everyday in order to develop a type of muscle memory.
Telling stories is especially important in my line of work with pastoral ministry and nonprofit work. In ministry, I need to communicate the story of Jesus Christ, the story of the Church, the story of the saints and so much more. In nonprofit work, I need to articulate the story of the individuals or communities who are impacted by the work of an organization. Essential to communicating a story is putting a face to a name. When communicating with stakeholders, they want to know the impact of their donations. The question needs to be able to answer is how is their money being used.
Showing, not telling is important to keep in mind when telling a story, especially someone’s story. Having had the opportunity to travel and work abroad for a brief time a few years ago, telling someone’s story is a privilege. Organizations such as Catholic Relief Services who do great work throughout the world create opportunities for individuals involved in their U.S. based programs to travel with some staff to countries where the organization is present. Those delegates, as we might call we them, are given the privilege of meeting individuals on the ground who are being empowered to make change in the local community.
These individuals do not have the luxury of traveling beyond their community to engage with others to support their work. Here comes organizations such as Catholic Relief Services who come in and engage in a form of accompaniment, learning from locals and the way of life, then creating opportunities for these individuals to better their situation. Delegates to different countries do a brief stint their, usually no more than two weeks, then travel back to tell the stories of their own experience, but more so the livelihood of other people. Again, they are putting a face to a name. When it comes to showing, not telling, I think that is what’s most important when communicating a story and engaging in writing.
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