Show, don't tell: the one habit that lifts your writing
"She was nervous" tells. A bitten lip and a glance at the door shows. The simplest upgrade you can make to any piece — with a quick test for spotting telling.
"Show, don't tell" is the most repeated writing advice there is, and the least explained. Here's what it actually means and how to do it without overthinking.
Telling names the feeling. Showing gives the evidence.
"He was angry" is a label. "He set the cup down a little too hard" is evidence — and it lets the reader feel the anger themselves, which is far more convincing than being told about it.
The detector test
Scan your writing for adjectives that name emotions or judgements: nervous, excited, beautiful, scary, sad. Each one is a place where you told. Ask: what would someone see or hear that would make them think that?
Don't show everything
- Show the moments that matter — the emotional beats, the turning points.
- Tell the connective tissue — "two weeks passed" doesn't need a scene.
- If you show everything, the important parts stop standing out.
Pick one told sentence in your latest piece and rewrite it as a small action or image. One swap at a time is how the habit forms.
Try it on your own writing
Coach Pen marks what you wrote and coaches the exact technique to fix next — one at a time.