Show and Tell

“Show, don’t tell”—you’ve heard it a million times. But what if that advice is holding your writing back?

In this bold and practical craft guide, publishing veteran Mary Kole dismantles one of writing’s most misunderstood commandments and shows you how to use both showing and telling to level up your creative writing craft.

Whether you're workshopping a novel, writing a memoir, or deep in the revision trenches, Show and Tell is a smart, no-nonsense writing reference book that gives you the tools to:

-Avoid the most common showing mistakes
-Cut the fluff without flattening your voice
-Deepen character and emotion
-Explore interiority
-Understand how emotion works on the page to make readers care
-Balance immersive scenes with effective exposition and stop overwriting
-Use narrative voice intentionally (and irresistibly)
-Tell just enough to build trust, context, and clarity

Packed with excerpts from over 50 published books, troubleshooting advice, and rigorous analysis, this guide is your permission slip to break the rules that have been holding writers back for generations.

Don’t just show. Don’t just tell. Learn when, why, and how to do both.