Show, Don’t Tell: Meaning and Examples

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Hardly any writing tip gets repeated as often as this one: show, don’t tell. But what exactly does it mean? And does it really mean you can never simply tell anything? In this article you will learn what is behind the rule, see concrete before-and-after examples and find out when telling is actually the better choice.

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What does show, don’t tell mean?

When you tell, the text names a trait, a feeling or a situation directly. When you show, it comes across through action, dialogue, body language or sensory detail, so readers draw the conclusion themselves. The difference: telling informs, showing lets readers experience.

If you write „She was nervous“, the reader knows. If you show her unlocking her phone for the third time although no message has come in, the reader feels the nervousness. And it is exactly that feeling that ties readers to a story.

Examples: before and after

Emotions

Tell: Lena was angry with her brother.

Show: Lena slammed the mug down so hard the coffee sloshed over. „You told her.“

Character traits

Tell: Marco was a very tidy person.

Show: Marco straightened the pen parallel to the edge of the desk before he sat down. Then once more, a millimetre to the left.

Attraction

Tell: She found him incredibly attractive.

Show: She had forgotten the question again. Somewhere between his smile and the way he rolled up his sleeves, it had slipped away.

Atmosphere

Tell: The old house was creepy.

Show: The floorboards creaked although nobody was standing on them. Somewhere upstairs a door closed, slowly, as if it was in no hurry.

Tools for showing

• Action: What does the character do? Decisions and gestures say more than adjectives.
• Dialogue: How do they speak, what do they leave unsaid? Tips in How to Write Dialogue.
• Body language: crossed arms, a glance at the door, a smile that is too tight.
• Sensory detail: smells, sounds, temperature and touch make scenes tangible.
• Concrete details: not a car, but a dented estate car with a child seat. Details tell stories.
• Other people’s reactions: how others react to a character shows the effect they have.

When telling is better

Show, don’t tell is not an absolute rule. A novel that only shows becomes endlessly long and tiring. Telling makes sense when:

• Time passes: „For three weeks they did not say a word to each other“ is better than three weeks in scenes.
• Something unimportant happens: the drive to the airport does not need its own scene if nothing happens on the way.
• Pace matters: in action scenes short, direct telling can speed things up.
• A summary is needed: when readers already know a piece of information and a character merely passes it on.

The rule of thumb: show the moments that matter emotionally. Tell the transitions in between.

Typical telling signals in your own text

When revising, you can search for these patterns:

• Emotion words: was angry, felt sad, was afraid
• Traits: was brave, was shy, was arrogant
• Perception verbs: she saw that, he noticed that, she felt how
• Adverbs in dialogue tags: he said sadly, she asked anxiously
• Explanations after shown behaviour: He clenched his fist. He was angry.

Not every instance has to change. But in the emotionally important moments the effort pays off.

Show, don’t tell in romance

In love stories showing is crucial. Readers do not want to read that two characters fall in love, they want to experience it: the look that lasts a second too long, the touch both of them ignore, the jealousy nobody admits. The tension between the characters almost always lives in what is shown and left unsaid. More on this in How to Write Love Scenes.

More examples from romance and fantasy

Jealousy

Tell: He was jealous when she laughed with the other man.

Show: He could hear her laugh across the whole room. The glass in his hand was suddenly too warm, and he put it down before he crushed it.

Danger

Tell: The mafia boss was dangerous.

Show: When he walked in, the conversations stopped. The waiter who was about to pour put the bottle down and stepped back.

Magic

Tell: The magic was very powerful and cost a lot of strength.

Show: The flames obeyed her, but with every spark she grew colder. When the fire went out, she could no longer feel her fingers.

Grief

Tell: She was still sad about her mother’s death.

Show: She still bought two pots of yoghurt, although she was the only one who liked strawberry.

The art of the right detail

Showing works best with details that surprise. Generic physical reactions like a racing heart, trembling or swallowing are quickly worn out and feel interchangeable. A detail that fits only this character and this situation stays in the mind. For every important scene ask yourself: what would this particular character do, see or think that nobody else would?

An example: nervousness looks different in a pianist than in a soldier. She might unconsciously play scales on the tabletop, he checks for the third time where the exits are. Details like these show the feeling and characterise the person at the same time.

Show, don’t tell and point of view

How much you can show also depends on point of view. In first person or close third person, readers experience everything through one character’s eyes. That narrator can only perceive other characters‘ feelings through their behaviour, in other words show them. They may name their own feelings, but even here the strongest moments work best when they become physical and concrete.

A common mistake in first person is so-called filtering: I saw him open the door. I heard that it was raining. I felt myself getting cold. Without the filter it becomes more immediate: He opened the door. It was raining. I was cold.

Exercises for showing

• A feeling without a name: write a scene in which a character is in love, angry or afraid without naming the feeling.
• The room as character: describe a character’s room so readers recognise their personality without the character appearing.
• Five senses: revise a scene and add at least one smell, one sound and one touch.
• Cut the adjectives: take a paragraph and replace every judging adjective with a concrete action or detail.
• Observe: notice in everyday life how people show feelings without talking about them.

The balance: mixing showing and telling

The best novels switch deliberately between the two modes. A scene in which two characters kiss for the first time deserves full attention with every detail. The week after, in which they avoid each other, can be told in two sentences. That creates a rhythm that does not tire readers and makes the important moments stand out even more.

A good test when revising: mark every scene that is crucial for your characters‘ emotional development. Check whether you show it. Then mark the transitions and check whether you tell them briefly enough. For a systematic approach, read How to Prepare Your Manuscript for an Editor.

Show, don’t tell in editing

Too much explaining is one of the most common notes on fiction manuscripts. Typical comments: feeling is stated, please show it. Explained twice, the gesture is enough. Closeness missing here. An edit marks these passages and gives you pointers on how to bring them to life. The rewriting stays with you, because only you know your characters well enough to find the right detail.

Where the rule comes from

The idea behind show, don’t tell is old. It is often traced back to letters by Russian writer Anton Chekhov in the 19th century, who advised young writers to make moods tangible through concrete details instead of describing them. In the 20th century the phrase became a fixed rule in writing workshops, especially in the English-speaking world. Today it is one of the best-known writing rules of all. Precisely because it is quoted so often, it is sometimes interpreted too strictly. The point is not that telling is forbidden, but that the most important moments of a story should be experienced.

Show, don’t tell in worldbuilding and backstory

In fantasy and science fiction the temptation to explain the world is especially strong. How does the magic work, who rules, which wars were fought? Instead of pages of explanation, you can show the world through details your characters experience in everyday life. A character who puts three drops of blood on the threshold before entering a house reveals more about the world’s faith and magic than a paragraph of history. Readers piece the rules together themselves and feel more involved as a result.

The same goes for your characters‘ backstory. Instead of telling their childhood in chapter one, you can hint at it through reactions: a character who flinches when a door slams makes readers suspect something happened. The explanation can come later, once readers are curious.

The double mistake: showing and explaining

A very common pattern in manuscripts: a scene shows a feeling well, and right afterwards it is explained again. She clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. She was so angry. The second sentence robs the first of its effect, because it does not trust the reader to understand the gesture. The fix is simple: trust your text and cut the explanation. When revising, it pays to look for these doubles specifically.

Checklist for your revision

• Are feelings named instead of shown in important scenes?
• Are there filter verbs like saw, heard, felt that create distance?
• Are shown feelings explained again right afterwards?
• Do you use concrete, surprising details instead of generic physical reactions?
• Are transitions and time jumps told briefly?
• Do you use all the senses, not just sight?

Checking these points often improves a text noticeably before an editor even sees it.

A look at practice

Take a novel you really like and, on two pages, mark every place where feelings or traits are named and every place where they are shown. You will find that successful authors tell too, but deliberately. The emotionally most important moments are almost always shown. This exercise sharpens your eye for your own text.

FAQ

Is telling always bad?

No. Telling is an important tool for transitions, time jumps and summaries. It only becomes a problem when important emotional moments are merely asserted.

Won’t showing make my text much longer?

In some places, yes. But you can cut elsewhere by telling unimportant things instead of showing them. Overall the text becomes denser, not necessarily longer.

How do I learn to show more?

Pay attention while reading to how your favourite authors convey feelings. And when revising, focus on the scenes that matter most emotionally.

What is filtering in writing?

Filtering means introducing perceptions with verbs like see, hear, feel or notice. That creates distance. Without the filter, readers experience the scene more directly.

Does show, don’t tell apply to non-fiction?

To a limited extent. In non-fiction explaining is the main job. But vivid examples and stories bring content to life there too.

Can you show too much?

Yes. If every small thing is shown in detail, the text loses pace. Show the emotionally important moments and tell the transitions.

How do I spot telling in my own text?

Look for emotion words, trait words and filter verbs. Read suspicious passages aloud and ask yourself whether readers feel the emotion or just learn about it.

Conclusion

Show, don’t tell means making feelings and traits tangible through action, dialogue and detail instead of just naming them. Show the important moments, tell the transitions, and your text gains closeness and intensity. For the whole path from first sentence to finished book, read How to Write a Book.

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