Show Don't Tell

     Everybody remembers their elementary days at school when one certain day of the week would be show and tell. We would all wait for this day with great anticipation for our turn to be able to show something treasured and talk about it. Some children would elaborate for a long time about their treasure. Others would run to the front of the classroom, hold up their treasure, give a one word description and then flee back to their desk.
     Show and tell. Which does not work for writers. Time and time again writers are told to show, don't tell. Writers are supposed to elaborate on the action surrounding the scene. Giving descriptions filled with adjectives and adverbs are no longer valued. Although for literary works, verbose descriptions are required.  Rather, having the characters interact with each other gets the reader involved.
     I realize that showing and not telling is a much more effective way of writing. It  also gives the writer a bigger challenge of telling, oops, crafting the story. Rather than telling, Sue was extremely irritated with her husband's late arrival home, one can show this sentence by writing, Sue paced by the front door, glancing out the window for her husband's car. She frowned when she finally saw his car pull into the driveway.
      I am still learning this craft. There are differences and they can be very subtle. But rather than telling about a character's mood, there are ways to show the mood which will make the reader a more active participant.
     The art of writing. The art of writing well. It is a learning process. It is always interesting to read an author's first book and then to read their following books. Sometimes, the reader will see an improvement. Sometimes not.