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“Show, don’t tell! Show, don’t tell!” You’ve probably heard it shouted a thousand times in writing advice circles. Maybe even in all caps: “SHOW DON’T TELL!”

But here’s the thing: most people who throw that line around don’t actually explain what it means, or when you’re supposed to use it. So instead of nagging you with the same phrase over and over, I want to dig into what it really looks like on the page, why it matters, and how you can use it to pull your readers straight into your story.

Hi, I’m C. Sloan Lewis, your virtual writing coach, and my goal is to help you not just improve your writing, but to support you as a writer. Welcome to my channel!

“He was angry.” Meh. Flat, distant, and honestly kind of boring.

But—“His fists clenched. His jaw tightened. He bit the inside of his cheek so hard it tasted like blood.” Now we’re getting somewhere.

That’s the magic of show, don’t tell.

What “Show, Don’t Tell” Really Means

At its core, “show, don’t tell” is about giving your reader an experience instead of just handing them information. “He was angry” tells the reader a fact. But when you show him slamming a door, clenching his fists, or speaking through gritted teeth, the reader feels his anger without you needing to label it.

Think of it this way: telling is like giving your reader a tagline. Showing is like letting them watch the whole movie.

When to Show vs. When to Tell

Here’s the trick, though: if you try to “show” every single thing, your book will end up 900 pages long and your readers will drown in detail.

So how do you know when to show and when to tell?

• Show when the moment matters. Big emotional beats, important character decisions, and key world-building details—those deserve showing, because you want readers to feel them.
• Tell when the moment is small. Transitions, basic facts, or things the reader doesn’t need to dwell on can be told quickly. For example: “It rained for three days” is fine. You don’t need to describe every single raindrop unless the storm itself is important to the story.

Use Action, Dialogue, and Sensory Detail

Showing often comes down to the tools you use.

• Action: Instead of “She was nervous,” write “She tapped her foot against the floor, her nails digging into her palms.”
• Dialogue: Characters don’t have to say “I’m sad.” Maybe their voice cracks mid-sentence, or they try to make a joke and it falls flat.
• Sensory detail: Emotions show up in the body. Fear might taste like metal in your mouth, or make your skin prickle as if someone’s watching you.

These are the little breadcrumbs that lead your reader into the character’s world. A great resource to get you started is The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, which provides numerous options for showing emotion through action and sensory details.

Show Emotion Through Body Language and Reaction

One of the best ways to show instead of tell is through body language. Readers know what clenched fists, widened eyes, or hunched shoulders mean. You don’t have to spell it out. As humans, we are hardwired to attach emotion to physicality.

For example:

• Tell: “She was terrified.”
• Show: “Her breath came in shallow bursts, and her hands shook as she fumbled for the key.”

Notice how the second version puts you inside the experience instead of just summarizing it. It also allows for you to continue the action of the plot while expressing the character’s emotion.

But here are some Tips & Pitfalls

Before you go turning every sentence into a cinematic moment, let’s talk about balance.

• Don’t show everything. If you write, “He reached out his right hand, curled his fingers around the cold metal doorknob, and twisted counterclockwise until the latch clicked open” for every action, your readers will want to throw the book across the room. Sometimes, “He opened the door” is plenty.
• Avoid over-describing emotions. If you pile on too many gestures and metaphors, it starts to feel melodramatic. Pick a few strong, specific details and let them carry the weight. A little can go a long way.
• Use telling strategically. Telling isn’t “bad writing.” It’s a tool. Sometimes it’s the fastest way to move your story along. Think of showing as your spotlight and telling as your stage directions—both are necessary, but they serve different purposes.

But that’s all from me today, and now I want to hear from you. Take a sentence from your current draft where you’ve “told” an emotion—like “He was scared” or “She was in love”—and rewrite it to show that feeling. Drop both versions in the comments so we can celebrate the difference together.

And if you found this breakdown helpful, make sure to like, subscribe, and share this with a fellow writer who’s sick of being told to “show, don’t tell” without any explanation.

You’ve got some writing to do, so I’ll see you in the next video. Ta-ta!