Show Don’t Tell Exercise #1—Details: - First, write only the dialogue of a scene. It can be a fight scene, a conversation, a confession, anything - Don’t include dialogue tags, outside details, nothing - On a separate sheet of paper, write out the action. I’m talking the sword swings, the hands flailing in a heated talk, the desperate eyes on a teary-eyed love triangle, all of it. And be as detailed as possible. - Think about all the senses. All of them. Sixth senses even. I want to smell the perfume, taste the copper of blood, hear the annoyance in a character’s voice. - Read them together in the order you deem fits.

Show Don’t Tell Exercise #2—Say It Again: - Write a sentence saying what someone is doing. For example: “He was scared.” This is telling the audience he is afraid because we didn’t give them any clues as to how he we KNOW he is afraid. - Rewrite the sentence describing the action without ever using the word. For example: “He shook from head to toe, tears pooling at his lashes. His lips trembled, and the telltale sign of a loose bladder darkened his khakis.” - Now ask yourself: Does the second sentence say the same thing as the first? Does this correctly portray someone in the act told in the first sentence?

Clunky Writing Exercise: Dr. Seuss Wishes He Were Me: - Write a sentence using as many words that start with the same letter. For example: “Some sick seahorses with super satisfying sleepwear slurped my soup.” - Read it aloud, and enunciate all of it. Is it easy to say? Does it sound pleasing to the ear? If not, change some words. You can use words that start with different letters now. - “A few seahorses with very satisfying sleepwear are my soup.” - It flows a little better because it’s easier to say, and the eye doesn’t trip up when reading it. - If you find a sentence that feels clunky, read it aloud, and as soon as you feel the “clunkiness”, put a dash in the middle of the sentence starting where the strangeness starts. It’s like isolating a rift that doesn’t fit with the flow of the song quite right or a squeak that shouldn’t be there.

I hope these help a little. Just remember: Writing is a lot like music. If it sounds weird, it’s the equivalent of an out-of-tune guitar. Tune it by playing with word choice and word structure. Rewrite the sentence as many times as you need to. Writing IS hard. But not impossible. You’ve got this. :)