Show, Don't Tell

''Remember this order, okay? Don't do it like this.''

When the writer conveys a message to the audience through actions or events. It's a type of Strong Writing that they will greatly appreciate for many reasons. A subtle approach to describing a fact allows the audience to pick up on the situation using their own ability to read between the lines. In times of the actual truth being harder to find out, when the viewers are entrusted with the responsibility to piece together the puzzle, they can come up with creative and intriguing possible answers. This sense of mystery can keep people talking about a story long after it's over as they ponder over what that one scene could have been trying to say with its odd, ambiguous ending. As the one behind the story, Show, Don't Tell can take work off the creator's hands since the audience is now effectively writing the story according to how they individually interpret it. Returning to the idea of acknowledging the audience's intelligence, this UnTrash is respectful to the potential of them being smarter than a rock on top of a brick. Adults feel better when they aren't treated like children who need every little idea served to them on a plate.

Each mode of fiction will need its own method of Showing, Not Telling. Books are the most straightforward, using detailed language that involves the senses to help the reader imagine the world in their head. Since most novels do not have more than a few pictures, characters will need as much description as environments. Movies, TV shows, and comics all have visual aids that fill in for this department. Video games grant the player the opportunity to interact with the world on an unprecedented level where the experience is completely theirs. Show, Don't Tell has relevance even here when it comes down to storytelling. No medium of fiction is exempted from this requirement to tell a quality story.