Show, Don’t Tell: A Key Skill for Writing Children’s Books

An interview with Josephine Nobisso, author of Show; Don’t Tell! Secrets of Writing

 
 

Q: Your book is such a simple, logical, almost obvious way of teaching “show; don’t tell,” and yet no one’s thought of it before.

 

A: I so agree that it’s so simple! In fact, for many years I conducted a writing program on the smallest scale, reasoning, “This works so well, and is so easy that there can’t be anything new here. Everyone must be teaching writing this way!”

Then one day, a woman sat in to observe a program I was doing in our library’s children’s room. When it was over, she introduced herself as the director of Arts-in-Education in our county and said something like, “This absolutely revolutionizes the way writing should be taught! You must offer it to every school in the county!”

I took her card, and even though she seemed sincere, I didn’t believe I was on to anything valuable. There was no way I was going to walk into schools and exasperate professionals with something they surely already knew.

I asked our reference librarian to order every book and tract on writing he could find. Over the next several weeks, the more I looked through piles of these books, the more I realized that the director had been correct. I began to believe that my approach could actually help other writers.

The only thing I change when presenting these grammar-based tips to writers, teachers, parents, editors, and others is the vocabulary. For example, Show; Don’t Tell! Secrets of Writing is written so that children can understand its subtleties, while explanations for adults explore those same ideas more deeply.

 
 

Q: Why is “show; don’t tell” such an important skill for strong writing?

 

A: In order to remember the weakening tendencies in writing, I use the anagram AGES.

Writing that tells tends to:

• Analyze
• Generalize
• Editorialize
• Summarize

Writing certainly involves these mental processes. However, strong storytelling shifts them into the domain of the reader.

This is one of the most important differences between professional writing and aspiring children’s book writing.

When a story truly shows, readers experience the story for themselves. Their own intelligence allows them to draw conclusions, interpret details, and feel the emotional impact of what’s happening on the page.

That is what creates the satisfying experience of writing that seems to “pop off the page.”

If you’re still developing the core idea for your story, you may find it helpful to start with guidance here:

I Have an Idea for a Children’s Book — What Do I Do Next?

 
 

Q: You say that you incorporate grammar-based strategies into this book. Can adult authors of children’s books benefit from this technique as well?

 

A: Show; Don’t Tell! Secrets of Writing demonstrates that strong grammar can unlock some of the most mysterious aspects of writing: imagination, memory, and intention.

We are taught that there are eight parts of speech, but six of them support the two most important ones: the noun and the verb.

Show; Don’t Tell! focuses on the power of nouns and their descriptive partners, adjectives.

Its companion book, Cross It Out! More Secrets of Writing, focuses on verbs and adverbs.

One important technique is to avoid ending a description with a vague describing word.

For example, a sentence like:

She was self-sacrificing.

This forces the writing into AGES — it tells instead of shows.

A stronger approach is to reveal the trait through action using specific nouns and details:

Kate knelt on her bruised knees. “Poor lost kitty!” she cried.

The reader now understands the character’s self-sacrificing nature through behavior instead of explanation.

 
 

If you’re struggling to make characters vivid or engaging, you may find additional guidance here:

I’m Stuck Writing My Children’s Book

For writers who already have a manuscript and want to strengthen the storytelling, this resource can help:

I Have a Draft of My Children’s Book

And when your manuscript is polished and ready for the next step, learn more about preparing it for publication:

I’m Ready to Publish My Children’s Book

 
 

Want a master lesson in Show, Don’t Tell? Check out this WriteForkids Session:
 

 
 

Related topics

 
Learn more with these free guides:

• Choose the Correct Point of View
• Develop Great Characters
• Build a Story Chapter by Chapter