Composition

Show, Don’t Tell

Find a way to let people know what is happening without actually saying it.

‘Right away!’ at Highley station on the Severn Valley Railway.

© Neil Kennedy, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

More Info

Back to text

Show, Don’t Tell

© Neil Kennedy, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0. Source

‘Right away!’ at Highley station on the Severn Valley Railway.

X

At Highley on the Severn Valley Railway, a guard gives the ‘Right away!’ signal, indicating that it is safe for the driver to set the train in motion. For anyone wondering whether the train was ready to depart, this would be the most obvious clue but not the only one. A banging of doors, last farewells between passengers and those they leave behind on the platform, shouts of ‘All aboard!’ from the station crew, and a shrill peep on the guard’s whistle, would all be heard before the sudden clanking of the couplings, the rhythmic beat of the pistons, and perhaps a blast on the engine’s whistle — another great British invention by the way: see The First Steam Whistle.

Back to text

Introduction

‘Show, don’t tell’ is one of the first rules of good story-telling. Rather than make bald statements about a person or situation, the author assigns actions or dialogue to his characters from which the reader infers facts that he has not been explicitly told — much more satisfying for everyone. How would you show (without actually saying in so many words) the following?

In describing people, you may choose to picture a person of either sex, as you think appropriate.

1. That a man was old.
Stoop. Shuffle. Grey.

2. That a horse was underfed.
Rib. Hang. Dull.

3. That a bull was angry.
Snort. Ground. Stamp.

4. That a number of people were plotting.
Whisper. Head. Pore.

5. That a train was about to leave.
Whistle. Flag. Door.

6. That a goal had just been scored.
Cheer. Punch. Hug.

7. That a man was late for an appointment.
Run. Watch. Push.

8. That it was springtime.

9. That there had been a loud noise.

10. That a football pitch was unplayable.

11. That a room had been left in a hurry.

12. That a man was popular.

13. That it was a windy day.

14. That two people were quarrelling.

15. That it was early morning.

16. That a room had been thoroughly searched.

17. That a man was worried.

18. That two friends had not met for many years.

19. That a book was someone’s favourite reading.

20. That a remark was funny but not tactful.

21. That a speaker was not holding his audience’s attention.

22. That a man had been fighting.

23. That a man had received bad news.

24. That a child was bored.

25. That a man was having trouble with his motorbike.

26. That a woman was offended.

Archive

If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.

Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.