Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.
– Anton Chekhov, a Russian physician, dramatist, and author
Ah, the old “show, don’t tell” advice. Good advice never gets old, however. (Though some continue to rail against it.)
As is often the case, Grammar Girl makes the distinctions clear–including when writers should tell and not show.
What tips do you keep nearby to help you remember to show in your writing?
Michael Ehret, for Writing on the Fine Line
One of the greatest things I ever learned is Ron Benrey’s “Magic Paragraph”, which you can discover for yourself in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Christian Fiction. Link: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Writing-Christian-Fiction/dp/1592576818/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1347112343&sr=8-24&keywords=ron+benrey
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For me it’s searching for adverbs and replacing them with strong verbs to show what’s happening; a tactic I learned from Brown & King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writer’s. With practice I’ll become more proficient, but even now I’ve seen huge improvements in what I’ve written. Love the quote!
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Tanara, That is one of many good tactics in that book. One of my “highly recommended” books. I saw the Chekhov quote and fell in love with it.
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Writing On The Fine Line 
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