Show, not Tell

Most writers will agree that it is far more effective to show, rather than tell. Compare the following:

 -She was really crazy.

 -She walked along, muttering to herself about Martians under her breath.  She looked up at me with a sneer.  “Spoiled meat,”  she muttered.

 The second example allows the reader to come to the conclusion which is expressly spelled out in the first example.  The conclusion generally has a more powerful impact if the reader can come to it on his or her own.  The same rule applies to emotion--let the reader experience what gives rise to the emotion, rather than explaining your emotion to the reader.  If you want the reader to feel horror, describe the horrible circumstances to the reader.   Don’t merely tell the reader it was horrible. Let your reader feel the horror for him or herself.    Draw on examples from your own life to rewrite the following sentences so that they show, rather than tell.

? He (or she) never respected me.
? The cop was arrogant.
? My heart was broken.
? He (or she) didn’t respect me.
? Ann was not the shy type.
? My mother was constantly confused.

? Look for places in your work which you can rewrite in order to show, rather than tell.