A Simple Way to Show, Not Tell

 

 Just a short post today, but I absolutely have to pass on to you this great tip from author Joanna Fedler! (I’ve decided to just bring out the points that really helped me from her writing course, rather than taking it day by day.)
 
 Showing, not telling is one of the hardest things for us writers to grasp. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. Let’s face it, it’s far easier to say, “it was raining really hard” than to say “the leaves streamed with water and puddles formed within moments.” And sometimes we have no idea we’ve done it. We write ‘he made her so angry’ without even thinking about it. So here’s Joanna’s tip: 

 Start the sentence with telling. Write ‘he made her so angry.” 
 Then add “that…” 
 For example, “he made her so angry that her eyes blazed and her voice shook.”

 Ok? Now delete “he made her so angry that”, and you’re left with “her eyes blazed and her voice shook”- a sentence which shows, not tells.

  You can use this trick to show all kinds of things. “It rained so hard that…” “he loved her so much that…” “the house was so old that…” You get the idea! 

 This is definitely going to be a big help to me, I hope it is for you too.