Hello, and welcome to what maybe be one of several writing tips I have discovered in my ventures into the fanfiction world! Please keep in mind that I don't consider myself a professional level writer, so feel free to disagree with the following information:

PART 1
SHOW, DON’T TELL

This is something I find myself talking about a lot. The amount of ‘show’ versus ‘tell’ can have a drastic effect on how entertaining your story is, it’s one of the great contributors to how engaged the reader is when reading.

But what exactly is it?

‘Tell’ and ‘Show’ are two different ways of writing. It’s probably easy to guess what they mean, but how do we use them? Generally with story writing, ‘show’ is the desired style.

‘Show’ is a way of writing that lets the reader experience the story, rather than be told the story. To tell in a story would be just to summarize or recount the actions of the hero in the same way you would tell your friend about your weekend. The show aspect is more difficult to explain, but it is written in a way that puts the reader in the position of the protagonist (or an omnipresent observer), describing the world around them and letting the reader experience it through their own interpretation.

Still not getting it? Never fear, an example approaches!

There was a loud bang on the door, and I stood up, knocking over my chair. There was another bang, and I quickly drew my gun, aiming it at the door. There was a loud smash as the door broke open, and the creature jumped through. I aimed at the creature and fired, killing it instantly.

Pretty dull, isn't it? Let’s try something a little different:

Something struck the wooden door, rattling it on its hinges. I jumped to my feet, sending my chair clattering to the ground behind me. The door shook again, a bolt from a hinge bouncing loudly off the cobblestone floor. Reaching down, my fingers wrapped around the cold grip of the handgun at my side, pulling it free of its holster. I gripped the firearm with both hands and lined up the barrel with the doorway.

In a storm of splinters the door fell apart under the might of its attacker. A pair of beady eyes locked onto mine as the stench of rotting flesh reached my nostrils. Not a moment later, it charged.

An ear-splitting bang sent my ears ringing as I felt the firm kick of the weapon in my hands. My attacker hit the ground with a barely audible thump, laying still in the wake of my attack.

How’s that? Better, right? Of course it is!

But how did I weave this black magic into the story? Let’s take a closer look:

I aimed at the creature and fired, killing it instantly.

An ear-splitting bang sent my ears ringing as I felt the firm kick of the weapon in my hands. My attacker hit the ground with a barely audible thump, laying still in the wake of my attack.

These two extracts from each example describe the same thing. The Protagonist fires his weapon and kills the evil monster. What’s different is the way it is described. Notice in the second example, I never say outright that he fired the gun.

An ear-splitting bang sent my ears ringing as I felt the firm kick of the weapon in my hands.

What I’ve done instead is describe what the protagonist’s senses are telling him. When you read ear-splitting bang and firm kick of the weapon, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that the weapon has been fired.

This kind of writing puts the reader in the position of the protagonist, describing what they feel, see, hear and smell to create a detailed image of the world and the events of the story. This is ‘show’.

Another thing to keep in mind when using ‘show, don’t tell’, in fact any form of detail, is the amount. Don’t overuse it. Sure, it’ll bump up your word count and make you look like one of the “pros”, but excessive detail ends up detracting from the story in the long run. Don’t drag your story out beyond reasonable bounds, and don’t repeat descriptions unless you absolutely have too!

I really hope that helps anyone looking to get into writing. Feel free to link this to anyone who you think might benefit from it.
-Sparklight