The new ones are less Telling but definitely missed opportunities to Show your visual readers something interesting about the scene!

You’re so welcome, Shannon! The more tools, the better!

You’re so welcome! I’m always looking to codify concepts that can help writers. Thanks for having me as a Writer in Residence!

I’m so glad you find this list helpful! You’re giving terrific advice to your critique partners. “Seemed” is a great example of a filter word/phrase that we put between the reader and your character’s experience that don’t let your reader dive in deeply (And make them care less about your character’s journey). Eliminating filter words/phrases will make your reader love your writing even more… even if they don’t know why. (Also, eliminating filters saves precious word count that you can replace with all the fabulous showing details you have in your mind!)

Becca, this means so much! If there’s telling in a writer’s first pages, it’s definitely all the way through. I developed this checklist for writers so that they can see the patterns, versus getting overwhelmed by wondering where the “telling” is lurking in their whole book (like it’s a monster hiding in the closet) . Once you see the telling spots, the fun begins, brainstorming the sensory details that will drag readers into the scene!

I can’t wait to hear how it goes, let us know! With my own writing and with my clients, I like to break big tasks (like showing all the things!) down into actionable steps so that we can feel progress and still write the most amazing books we can in the time we sit down to write. Happy writing!

Amazing! I love hearing this. Don’t worry about these at all when drafting, then go through and look for them one at a time. Brainstorming your way out of these Tells is the fun part. Enjoy!

Thanks Mindy! We know our worlds so well, we have to make sure we share so our readers can experience it too!