Old writing tip about "show don't tell" finally clicked for me

I've been messing around with short stories for like 10 years now, and I always struggled with making scenes feel real. I kept reading advice that said "show don't tell" but it never made sense until I tried this one weird trick. I took a scene where my character was sad and instead of saying she was sad, I wrote about her leaving a half-eaten sandwich on the counter for two days. My writing group in Columbus actually noticed the change and said it felt way more natural. Has anyone else had a specific moment where a writing rule finally made sense after years of trying?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseys3017d ago

Oh man, I remember reading Stephen King's On Writing ages ago and that sandwich thing finally clicked for me too. It's wild how one little example can just flip a switch after years of staring at the rule.

miam1117d ago

It's funny how that works with so many things though... like, learning to cook from recipes vs actually watching someone do it. I tried for years to make decent gravy from written instructions and it always came out like paste. Then my aunt showed me once, no measurements or anything, and suddenly I understood what "until it looks right" actually meant. Think it's the same with writing rules and pretty much any skill you try to learn from just text alone.