"Show,
don't tell."
"Show, don't tell."
"Show, don't tell."
"Show, don't tell."
Sometimes I hear that phrase SO often I want to SCREAM!
After I heard
it for what seemed like the THOUSANDTH time
I checked in with my former college professor a respected grammarian,
and noted
authority on E. B. White (Elements of Style, Stuart Little
-- same guy)
He shared:
"Telling" words are usually forms of "to be"
verbs.
In the statement, "She was sleepy", the word "was" tells
the state
she is in. What could you write besides "was sleepy"?
"Her head drooped on her chest. She began to snore."
By this action, we know she is sleepy without being told.
The use
of an action word is what editors or critique folks
mean when they say "Show, don't tell."
Now search your manuscript and circle the words:
was, were, is, has, had
is there ANOTHER way to communicate the same idea with ACTION?
If so - Whack it away, POLISH it up and then SEND IT OUT!!