Skill Focus – Show vs. Tell

Because “She was sad” tells me. But “She stared at the coffee until it went cold” makes me feel it.

✨ Welcome to the Emotional Translator’s Desk

Let’s be real: Telling isn’t evil.
It’s efficient. It’s clean. And sometimes… it's exactly what your story needs.

But too much of it?
That’s when your reader starts feeling distant, like they’re being narrated to instead of invited in.

When you show, you make the reader feel like they’re inside the moment. When you tell, you give them the summary.

Both have their place. Let’s learn how to choose.

🧠 What’s the Difference?

Telling:
“He was nervous.”

Showing:
“His leg bounced under the table. He checked his phone. Again.”

Telling:
“She hated the idea.”

Showing:
“She tilted her head, eyebrows knitting. ‘You’re not serious.’”

🛠️ Try This Rewrite Drill

Here’s your sentence:

“She was furious.”

Now show us.
What does fury look like in her body?
What does she do that makes the emotion obvious without naming it?

💡 Tip: Actions. Physicality. Dialogue. Setting. Use whatever tool gets the emotion across without saying the emotion word.

🎯 When Should You Tell?

Telling is great for:

• Transitions

“That night passed quietly.”

• Summarizing offscreen action

“The trial dragged on for weeks.”

• Keeping pace tight during unimportant beats

Use it strategically. Like a ninja. Or a narrator with a train to catch.

🧪 Tell Spotting Mini-Test

If your sentence names an emotion (sad, happy, confused)…
If a camera couldn’t film it…
If the reader is being told how to feel…

It might be a tell.
No shame—just an invitation to try showing instead.

💬 Want Help? Ask Quillwyn!

Paste a sentence like:

“He felt anxious but tried to hide it.”

Then ask:

“Can you help me rewrite this to show the emotion?”

She’ll coach you through options that stay true to your character’s voice and your scene’s tone.