Don't Tell me, Show!

I recently tough at a writing workshop and discovered something: I like to teach about what I love. I think everyone does! So, I've decided to share with you what I have found during my journey in the writing world. I hope you share with me what you have learned as well.

I must start with one of the most important and basic aspects of writing. Show. Don't tell. No one likes it when a writer tells, but they love it when a story is shown!

Let me explain. To tell a story is like watching the news. You hear all the facts and information about an event, an earthquake, let's say. The stats are given to you, where the earthquake took place, how many buildings were knocked over, if people were hurt or not, and other things. That's boring, from a writing perspective. Telling a story is the same way. Telling conveys all the facts and information necessary to get the point across. Facts are vital, but . . . no one wants to read a text book of a story that isn't worth being immersed into.

Here is an example of telling:

"Sally and Jill, nervous as ever, quickly drove to the school to confront a teacher. After talking with Mr. Everates, and not finding a solution to their dilemma, left; dejected and sad."
Sure, as a reader, you know what's going on. But knowing and experiencing are what separates a story from an adventure.
Showing is when the writer grabs the reader by the hand and takes them into ever scene; like a VIP pass in an epic tale. Everything is laid out in detail (but no so much to drown the reader). Let's go back to the news example. If telling is the news, then showing is a movie based off a family who experienced the earthquake. You see what they went through, their fear and panic when the event occurred, and how they survived (or didn't). The facts are all the same, but the story is completely different. It is now inviting. Interesting. Personal.
Here's the same situation above, with Sally and Jill, but this time it is shown:
"Sally turned to Jill and motioned to the car. "Let's go." Jill nodded and they got into the slug-bug. Sally sighed as they drove to the school.
Jill looked at her. "What?"
"I'm not sure Mr. Everates will listen to us." Sally gripped the steering wheel.
"We have to try." Jill stared at her friend.
Sally took in a breath and loosened her hold on the wheel. The car lurched to a stop in the school parking lot. Sally and Jill stared up at the building. Neither moved. Sally unbuckled her seatbelt. "Come on.'"
You clearly see what is going on because it is shown, not told. You see the difference? Yes, showing takes more work, but it is more effective and how a effective writer should write. Sometimes a writer needs to tell though, such as to cover a large amount of time without boring the reader to death. It's okay once in a while, but use it sparingly.
One last thing that I thought was tripe when I first learned it, but now I love it!Words that are telling are -ing and -ly words. Use -ed words instead of -ing, and pick verbs to replace the -ly words. (Such as instead of "they ran quickly" say "they sprinted", "they raced", "they flew".) It is clean, efficient writing
I hope this helps. :)
Happy writing!

Exercise:
Read a news article and rewrite it so that it shows instead of tells. Make sure to include as many facts about the event as possible. Once completed, compare your written work to the news article. Make a list of showing characteristics in your writing and a list of telling characteristics in the news article. Lastly, have a friend/family member read what you wrote. Are they board? Is so, change it to make it
exciting. Remember, show! Don't tell!