Show, Don’t Tell (And Why It’s Harder Than It Sounds)

clipstonpublishing
Dec 15, 2025
3 min read

From Module 3 of the Wanderlust Chronicles Writing Room.

“Show, don’t tell.”

If you’ve been writing for more than five minutes, you’ve heard this advice. Probably more than once. And if you’re anything like most writers, you’ve nodded along while secretly thinking, Okay… but how?

I see this all the time when working with travel and memoir writers. They understand the idea in theory, but when it comes time to put words on the page, everything suddenly feels slippery.

So let’s slow it down.

✨What People Really Mean When They Say “Show, Don’t Tell”

At its simplest, show vs. tell is about experience versus explanation.

Telling explains what something meant or how you felt. Showing lets the reader witness the moment and decide for themselves.

Here’s a quick example:

I was nervous crossing the border.

That sentence isn’t wrong — it’s just doing all the work for the reader.

Now compare it to this:

My passport stuck to my sweaty palm as the officer stared at my photo longer than necessary.

Same moment. Very different effect.

✨ Showing Isn’t Just About Emotion

A lot of people think show vs. tell only applies to feelings, but it’s much bigger than that.

You can show:

Who someone is
What a relationship is really like
Who has power in a situation
What a place feels like
How time passes
Where change actually happens

If you can explain it, chances are you can show it instead.

Three Simple Ways to Show (Without Overthinking It)

When writers get stuck, it’s often because they start explaining instead of letting the moment speak. These three anchors almost always help.

The body. The body reacts before the mind explains. A smile, a pause, clenched hands—these small details often say more than a paragraph of reflection.
Action. What you do (or avoid doing) reveals what’s happening inside you. Ordinary actions are often more honest than dramatic ones.
The environment. Places carry emotion whether we name it or not. Sounds, smells, crowds, silence—let the setting do some of the work.

✨ But Isn’t Telling Sometimes Necessary?

Yes. Absolutely.

If you tried to show every bus ride, border crossing, or background detail, your story would grind to a halt.

A rule I like to use is this:

Show the moments that change you. Tell the moments that move you there.

Telling isn’t lazy. It’s just a tool. The problem only comes when telling replaces the moments that matter most.

✨ One Rule That Fixes a Lot of Writing Problems

If I had to give writers just one rule to remember, it would be this:

Don’t explain what the moment already shows.

Writers often add explanation because they don’t trust the sentence yet—or they don’t trust the reader yet. But explanation usually flattens what a scene has already done.

Very often, the strongest revision is simply cutting the line where you explain yourself.