Use This Trick from T.S. Eliot to Help Show Not Tell in Your Writing

For years I struggled with showing not telling in my writing. I understood the concept, but I could never come up with the right words to capture a mood or feeling. It always seemed forced and too flowery.

This all changed when I discovered a concept called Objective Correlation, used by writer T.S. Eliot and I’m going to share it with you today to help you take your writing to the next level!

What is Objective Correlation?

In a 1919 essay about Hamlet, Eliot defined the term as "a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion."

Essentially – without us getting too overly technical – it is a way to evoke a specific feeling in your reader without ever naming that feeling.

Instead of writing about a particular feeling or event, you identify objects that are related to that feeling and describe the objects. This allows the reader to feel the weight of the emotion rather than trying to force it on them.

How This Helps You Show Not Tell

Telling is easy, but it often leaves the reader feeling detached from your story. When you say "I felt sad," the reader acknowledges the fact but isn't drawn into the scene or the actual chain of events that are happening.

With objective correlation, instead of plainly stating facts, we identify objects that help draw the reader in. Then we describe them. This takes away a lot of the guess work of what to write that shows, not tells.

Objective correlative acts as a bridge between your internal world and the reader's imagination. By choosing sensory details that describe an object rather than just an emotional state, you transport the reader directly into the scene.

Example 1: My grandma's piano

Telling: I missed my grandmother terribly after she passed away.
Showing (Objective Correlative): I sat at her old piano, running my fingers over the worn ivory keys. I dared not make a sound while the smell of faded funeral flowers lingered in the air.

How to Apply This In Your Writing

It’s not hard to apply this in your writing, which is why I think I love it so much!

1. Choose objects that relate to a particular event or mood you are writing about. Be as specific as possible!
2. Describe the sensory details of the object. Think about the 5 senses and what you experience when you see, hear, smell or feel the object. Think about an objects‘ weight, texture, temperature or sound that it makes.
3. Weave this object in your writing. How do you or your characters interact with it? Avoid adding “explainer lines” at the end such as “which made her feel lonely” or “echoing with sadness”.

Yes, it is really that simple!

The best part? You can use this for all sorts of writing. So far I have used this for creative non-fiction and memoir style writing but it works for poetry, songwriting, essays, fiction and more!

Practice This With 8 Words a Week

Reading about objective correlation is one thing — actually training your brain to reach for objects instead of feelings takes practice. That's exactly what my 8 Words a Week series is for.

Every Sunday I publish a list of 8 words, no context attached. If you want to build the objective correlative muscle, here's a quick way to use that list:

1. Pick one word from the list that grabs you.
2. Instead of asking "what does this word mean to me," ask "what mood or memory does this word carry" — then don't write that mood down at all.
3. Write only the objects, textures, and sensory details connected to it. Let the feeling live underneath the words instead of naming it.

It's a low-stakes way to practice the technique in small bites, since you're only working with one word at a time instead of a whole scene. Over time, you'll notice you start reaching for objects first, feelings second — which is really the whole trick.

Start with this week's 8 words →

Do you have any questions about this technique? What will you write next using it? I love to hear from you in the comments below!