Followers

Saturday 9 May 2009

Show don't tell

We always hear the phrase 'show don't tell' and for a long while I didn't get this. Now in this weeks People's Friend, I read a serial by Sally Wragg. It's about a football team. Reading this gave me a clearer idea of showing not telling.

A paragraph told of how a young man woke with a sound of a mass of buzzing bees in his head, when the cleaner threw open the door and stood there with the hoover in her hand. So instead of telling us he woke with a stinking hangover, she showed us that he sat up holding his head in his hands. The first part was last week, second this issue dated 9th May, and continues next week. A great example of show don't tell, and great writing from Sally.