Showing vs. Telling

"Show, don't tell"

This seemingly simple instruction is one of the most common, and most confusing, in creative writing classes.

What does it mean?

It helps to remember, first of all, that this is a guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule. Sometimes you show, and sometimes you tell; often, you do both. The main point of the guideline is to make your writing vivid for your readers. It's another way of reminding you to use concrete details.

Let's look at some examples:

TELLING: Bert and Viv's relationship was becoming more distant. Their communication was limited and unsatisfying. Viv's determination to pursue the relationship, as well as other goals, was still evident, but Bert seemed unwilling to try to resolve their problems.

SHOWING: Gravel popped and crunched as Bert eased the car into the driveway.

 "I'm staying here," he said.

He watched, fiddling with the radio, as Viv gripped the wrought-iron railing and pulled herself up the steps to the front door. You couldn't get much but static out here. Might as well just listen to the wind blow through the brush.

In the "telling" example, we learn about Bert and Viv's relationship on an intellectual level only. It's just data-the same kind of purely informational prose that we might see in an inter-office memo about the need for more paperclips. It doesn't make us feel anything.

In the "showing" example, though, we hear the car; we feel how Bert drives it. We feel Viv's grip on the railing; we hear in the wind the emptiness of the space around them. What we know about Bert and Viv, then, comes from these sensory experiences. This makes our understanding more distinct, more individual, and more emotionally compelling.