What is Show, Don’t Tell? If you’re reading blogs about writing or taking a course, or have picked up a ‘how to write’ book, you’ve probably heard of ‘Show, Don’t Tell’, or know the concept, if not the name. ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ is a writing tool to create more descriptive content. It works just as it sounds: Show your reader, don’t Tell them. We want to supply our readers with information to form their own conclusions and utilise all those deduction skills. You could tell me your character is old, sure, or you could paint a picture of the deep laugh lines around their mouth, the wisdom in their eyes, or I could listen when they say, “Back in my day, dear…” “Show the readers everything, tell them nothing.” Ernest Hemingway How To As writers, we know the importance of descriptions and we write them all the time. I keep Show, Don’t Tell in the back of my mind, and it reminds me to add depth where I only skimmed the surface. We know a character is...