Do you know what “show don’t tell” means when discussing writing? It’s easy to explain. If you are reading, you want the words to give you a visual of the action taking place, even if it’s two people drinking coffee in a cafe. It’s one of the most difficult aspects of writing for writers to accomplish. The best advice I have been given to make sure I am showing what is happening is not to use the word “was”.
An example of telling:
Carla was angry because her husband was late getting home from work. Dinner was drying out in the oven, there was a grease splatter on her favorite blouse, and the puppy was peeing on the rug.
Take out the word ” was ” and show your reader the scene:
Carla looked at the clock again. Tim had had enough time to get home from work twice. Where had he stopped this time? She wondered why she bothered to cook a nice meal. Then she noticed the new grease stain on her favorite blouse. Crap. Would it come out? And the rambunctious puppy, though she had taken him out half an hour ago, peed on the rug at her feet. Tim had wanted the puppy, not her. The possibility of a pleasant evening had come completely undone. She turned off the oven, grabbed a cold beer and the puppy, and went out to the patio to wait.
This might not be a superb example, but I think you can SEE the difference. And yes, it takes more words to show instead of tell.
