How to see it
Telling names the feeling: scared, happy, angry. Showing gives the reader clues, and lets them work the feeling out. Use three kinds of clue. Actions: what the body does. The senses: what the character hears, sees or feels. Speech: what they say, and how they say it. Show the clues, and let the reader name the feeling.
A worked example
Start with she was scared. An action: her knees shook. A sense: she could hear her own heartbeat. Speech: "Is someone there?" she whispered. Together, they make the scene. Scared is never written, and you feel it anyway.
The common mistake: naming the feeling instead of showing it
The trap is naming the feeling. She was really, really scared. Adding really does not make the reader feel any more. It is still a label. When you write a feeling word, swap it for what the body does.
Try one
Which sentence shows that Omar is angry, without telling?
- AOmar was very angry.
- BOmar grinned and waved at his friends.
- COmar slammed the door so hard that the cups rattled.
- DOmar felt angry, and he did not like it.
Show the answerHide the answer
Right: C, Omar slammed the door so hard that the cups rattled.
The slammed door shows the anger, and the word angry is never used.