Show Don’t Tell: What Is It, and Why It Works

I remember pulling my hair out, trying to write a scene. All I had to do was use the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ technique. And it sounded so simple.  But, somehow the scene wasn’t working.  So what am I missing?

To explain, we need to first understand the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ writing technique and the rationale behind its effectiveness. 

What is ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ in Writing

Let’s dive in with this example.

 

TELLING:

Peter was angry when he saw his broken toy.

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  Direct emotion: The sentence explicitly gives away the emotion without backing it up with evidence. 

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  Lack of engagement: The sentence summarizes the event.  It does not invite the readers to participate.  

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  Conclusion delivered: Peter was angry— that was the conclusion. When the conclusion is given, readers don’t like it because it leaves them with little room to imagine or paint their own picture in mind.

SHOWING:

Peter dropped to his knees next to his fire truck, his eyes were as red as the toy. He snapped the dangling wheel back in place, but it wouldn’t stick.

“You’re never touching my toys,” he yelled at his sister. He stormed up the creaky stairs and slammed the door behind him.

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  Letting the readers work: This sentence doesn’t directly tell how Peter felt or why he felt that way.  Instead, it simply shows the character’s actions and lets the readers paint their vivid picture.

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  Sensory detail: The details such as ‘eyes as red as the toy’ vividly convey Peter’s feelings to the reader.

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  Strong verbs: Words like stormed, and slammed illustrate the character’s state and feelings.

Why ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ Works

Andrew Stanton’s Perspective on Storytelling

In order to understand why the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ writing technique works so well, let’s turn to filmmaker Andrew Stanton (“Toy Story,” “WALL-E”) . In the TED Talk, The clues to a great story, Mr. Stanton shared an excellent point about storytelling.  He said, “The audience actually wants to work for their meal. They just don’t want to know that they are doing that.” Then he goes on to say, “Don’t give them 4. Give them 2+2.”

While the filmmaker was talking about storytelling in general, the concept is the essence of the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ writing technique.

 

Example:

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass.” – Often attributed to Anton Chekhov

 

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  2+2: While showing, notice how the author skillfully hid ‘the moon.’ Instead, he gives us the glint of light and broken glass. By doing this, the author invited readers to complete the scene with an image of a silver moon. 

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  Active Participation: This subtle approach leaves the readers to actively participate in the construction of the scene.  The more readers participate, the more they become invested and resonate emotionally.

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  Central Idea: The goal is to engage the reader’s imagination. Not every reader will imagine the same moon.  Some might imagine a silver moon. Others might imagine a crescent moon. That is perfectly fine.  By letting readers fill in these details, we enable them to make tiny deposits with each scene, deepening their investment in the story.

Balance

As discussed, showing engages the reader by allowing to actively participate. In other words, showing consumes more of the reader’s energy than telling. If we stack scene after scene in vivid detail, at some point it can become overwhelming.  So it is important to strike a balance between showing and telling and provide the reader a breather.

 

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  When to show: If a scene is important to the heart of the story—such as key emotional moments, turning points, or scenes that reveal critical character development—I’d show it.

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  When to tell: Telling is a good way to get the information across without exhausting the readers.  It works well for setting the background and transition scenes. 

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  Request feedback: To be honest, it takes quite a bit of practice to master the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ technique. Sometimes we need help. This is where we ask our critique group and Beta readers for feedback. 

Additional Resources

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  Understanding Show, Don’t Tell: And Really Getting It by Janice Hardy

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  Show, Don’t Tell: How to write vivid descriptions, handle backstory, and describe your characters’ emotions by Sandra Gerth

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  How to Show Emotion on the Page: The Cheat Sheets by Jessica Kelly

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  Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Omitting Sensory Details by Moriah Richard

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  Critique: 4 Ways to Write Gripping Internal Narrative by K. M. Weiland

Conclusion

‘Show, Don’t Tell’ is a powerful writing technique. It works so well because it makes your writing more engaging by letting the readers use their imagination to complete the scene. When readers are invited to fill in the gaps, it taps into human psychology—they become more invested in your story. 

 

So next time when you’re crafting an important scene, remember to engage the reader’s imagination. Give them 2+2, instead of… you know what it is.

 

For additional tips on writing, check out my other posts here.  Tell me what techniques do you use to engage readers’ imagination?  As always, I love to hear your thoughts and experiences!