Use Show Don't Tell to Improve Your Writing

Show don't tell comes alive through the old man on a bench, as memory and nostalgia unfold in a paragraph that shows, with concrete details and imagination.

Learn to avoid information dumping by weaving context and background through a character's thoughts, show don't tell, and deliver magic world details organically.

Write the first draft for yourself, accepting it will be awful to get words on the page, then use discipline and a daily word-count to prepare for later rewriting.

Apply Chekhov's gun by planting an item earlier to later resolve a problem, fix plot holes, and show character growth when the item is used.