Show, Don’t Tell: Give the Clues, Not the Police Report

“Show, Don’t Tell” is one of the most common pieces of writing advice — but also one of the most misunderstood. What does it really mean? And how do you actually do it?

In this episode, Zena Dell Lowe shares a crisp, actionable breakdown that goes beyond flowery description. Using a brilliant metaphor — "give the clues, not the police report" — Zena shows how to shift your writing from passive to powerful.

What you’ll learn:

• Why simply describing something still isn’t “showing”
• How discovery transforms exposition into drama
• The one mistake that makes readers check out
• Visual storytelling, subtext, and behavioral cues that work
• How to engage your audience by making them active participants

🎁 BONUS: Want to write stories that keep your audience hooked?
Download Zena’s free training video on the 7 Deadly Plot Points Every Story Needs 

This question came straight from Zena’s monthly office hours, which are open to anyone who’s ever purchased one of her classes. Want access like this? Check out her courses and join the mission. Learn more at The Storyteller’s Mission.


Seven Deadly Plot Points FREE TRAINING VIDEO

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Transcript

[00:00:00] I'm gonna share something with you guys that I just think is a really great sort of understanding that every writer should know. And it came up at my latest writer's conference back in Asheville, and I had one of my one-on-one appointments. A guy asked me this, and when I gave him my answer, he said, that is the most.

[00:00:19] Succinct and helpful definition of this I've ever heard in my life, but I wanna mention it to you here, and that is show Don't Tell. Hello and welcome to the Storytellers Mission with Zena Dell. Love a podcast for artists and storytellers about changing the world for the better through story. How do you show?

[00:00:39] Don't tell. This is the million dollar question, right? Everybody wants to know. How do you show? Don't tell. And whether you are a screenwriter or a novelist, you have to learn how to do it because telling is bad. Telling is passive. Telling is boring, but show makes it come alive. So how do you do it?

[00:01:00] Especially when you're talking about this sorts of information, right? That you have to get across. And the answer is you simply have your character discover it. All of a sudden it's different. Like if you have a scene where the character is, and I've seen this happen in novels where you might have a scene where the character is rocking on the porch in a rocking chair, just telling the audience.

[00:01:24] All this stuff about their past and, oh, all this, all, all these connections, and they're just basically blah, regurgitating to the audience, all this exposition about their own backstory that they think the audience needs to know. That's not dynamic writing, it isn't showing, it is telling, but if you have the character working on something else.

[00:01:47] They're actually doing something, they're doing action, and all of a sudden they make a connection about whatever's happening in the present to something in their past, and they're discovering it in the moment. They're sharing it with the audience as they're having that realization or they are noticing something right in the moment.

[00:02:06] This is the same thing with. Setting, right Setting can be very, very descriptive. And people often think because they're being descriptive that they're showing, but that's not necessarily true. You're just using flowery words. But it can still be telling. So the way to make it showing is make it play into the narrative in such a way that that.

[00:02:25] Character is discovering the setting stuff that you're describing in that moment. It's playing into how they're feeling about whatever's happening. If you're setting a tone of airiness, it should be playing into how your character is interpreting their environment as they're walking up the rickety steps towards the church.

[00:02:45] That's still smoldering. So you want to try to have your character discover it in the moment. It's not so much about. Flowery terms or even descriptive language. That's the lie of show. Don't tell. We think because we're being descriptive that we're showing, but that's not it. Showing means that the character is discovering it in that moment.

[00:03:08] Rather than just conveying information to the audience. This is also, by the way, why so many people will do something where they'll have major moments happen off screen. We don't see it happen on screen, and then instead they come back and tell the audience what's happened off screen. But that's a mistake because that's probably a very dynamic thing.

[00:03:31] So you want. To be able to, rather than convey something that's happened. And by the way, I just gave the opposite of advice to Lanita in her situation. Although I would say in your situation Lanita, what will still make that a show don't tell scenario is if when he's being told certain information from whomever is going to share that with him.

[00:03:54] In his mind, he is just now making those connections. He's putting pieces together. It's an active thing where he's starting to realize what he's actually dealing with as the information is coming in. So he's still discovering in that moment rather than just being fed information. So hopefully that helps a little bit with that.

[00:04:13] But this is one of the most dynamic things you can learn as actual showing and not telling, and that's just one aspect of it. By the way, showing also means, of course, using visuals. And using behavior rather than trying to use words to describe certain things. Like if I'm going to show the evolution of a character relationship, however, before we get there, did you know that there are seven crucial plot points that every story must hit in order to satisfy the audience?

[00:04:43] And if you miss even one of those crucial plot points, you risk losing your audience's attention forever. This is why I've created a free training video for you where I break down exactly what these seven deadly plot points are. These are the essential plot moments that you need to hit in order to deliver a powerful, compelling page turning story.

[00:05:08] So be sure to check out my free training video on the seven Deadly plot points. It's going to transform your writing. Just click on the link provided in the notes, or head over to the storytellers mission.com and you can start watching this free training video right away 

[00:05:23] By the way, showing also means, of course, using visuals. And using behavior rather than trying to use words to describe certain things. Like if I'm going to show the evolution of a character relationship.

[00:05:38] Simply have one character reach out and you know, take the hand of the other, or pat the hand of the other person, or, you know, reach over and move the hair behind their ear and then recoil because they shouldn't have that kind of connection. And that was maybe overstepping, abound. And then having the other person, instead of saying anything.

[00:05:58] Smile and reach back and do the same thing. Now we see, oh, their relationship is deeper than where it used to be. They've grown. It took 'em both kind of by surprise, but it's deeper now and you showed it instead of told us. So visual images and behavior and activity is of course a huge part of show. Don't tell, but I'm talking specifically where I see a lot of.

[00:06:21] Challenges is when people are trying to be descriptive. They're trying so hard to be descriptive, but a lot of times that's still just blatant storytelling rather than showing. Does that help make sense? Yeah. And I think, I don't remember if it was your podcast, but I think it was, and you described, um, the differences either giving me the police.

[00:06:41] Or showing me the evidence, and that really stuck with me. I think that was you, but I'm not sure because when I read a really good book, I want to draw my own conclusions from what I'm reading. I don't wanna be told the result of what I'm supposed to, to know or conclude. I want the ability to draw the conclusion myself from what I'm reading.

[00:06:59] That's where a big part of the pleasure comes from in reading a really, um, skilled author. I feel like I'm being expertly manipulated and I really enjoy that. You know, that one comparison of. Lay out all the evidence so I can conclude what happened versus I'm being told through reading the police report, what's been going on.

[00:07:18] That police report is boring. I don't want that. That's right. I didn't say that, but I love it. I mean, I wish I could take credit what I have and I don't remember who it was. I'm sorry. No, that's okay. I love that you attributed it to me. I wish I could take credit, but I can't. Nevertheless, it's an excellent description.

[00:07:34] Absolutely brilliant. And what I do talk about on the podcast is the idea that when you spoonfeed the audience, you're robbing them of their joy of getting to figure it out. That's why when you describe character, behavior, and interactions so that I get to interpret how they feel about each other, I am actively participating in the story.

[00:07:58] But when you tell me they really like each other, I check out. It's boring. Give me the clues so that I can interpret. What they mean, and I think that's what that example means. You know, if the list of evidence is me telling you, well, they like each other. They grew up together. They've both been married once before.

[00:08:17] Whereas the evidence, if you will, I would probably use the terminology. It's the clues. It's the hints that we get through their interactions where I'm the one who goes, oh, they've known each other for a long time. I can tell that because of the way that they're talking about x. Without telling me that they have known each other for a long time.

[00:08:38] I am reading into it. That's where the subtext is. Or I'll be able to go, oh, they've, oh, she's been married before. Oh, she's been burned. Or, oh, he's a widow. That's interesting. Or whatever. You know, I mean, I'm making this up, but you get the idea. It's the clues that allow me to interpret. To come up with the actual list of evidence or the police report, I guess.

[00:09:03] Thank you for listening to the Storyteller's Mission with Zena Del Low. May you goforth inspired to change the world for the better. Your story.