I cannot believe how kind you are Jerry to offer personal mentoring for driven writers. I was so touched when I received the email today. Not many famous writers do that. To give us a chance to succeed in writing, is so thoughtful and proactive. Huge respect to you.💙

"The last person I read of who appeared despite a closed door, was Jesus." I love Jerry's humour so much!!!!

I think I'm finally getting the concept of "show don't tell" through my thick head. It just occurred to me that one way to practice this is to mentally narrate scenes of everyday things I experience; e.g., taking a walk. So instead of saying "My dog is frisky today," I would say, "My dog prances along the trail as though she is wearing a pink-plumed headdress and leading a parade." Okay, that may be a bit much, but it's a start.

"Sometimes, telling works better than showing." A good rule to also remember. Thank your Jerry!

OMG I can't believe is really on YT for free, like man this is an absolute masterclass with more value than what you can get during one year in universality, for real! you are one of the very few people that has totally convinced me that you are willing to teach everything you know just because you really want to help other people. I got literally like 2 pages of absolute gold out of this. i can't thank you enough.

This is invaluable, I've been learning so much! I also really enjoy the sound of your voice, very relaxing

Index: 1:06 The difference between showing and telling 2:46 1. Use dialogue 3:59 2. Engage your reader's senses 5:24 3. Avoid state-of-being verbs 6:56 4. Use an active voice 8:09 5. Resist the urge to explain 8:59 When is telling acceptable? 10:39 Examples of showing (1) "Cold Mountain" 11:37 Examples of showing (2) "The Sign of Four" 12:06 Examples of showing (3) "Beloved"

Such a concise and articulate video. It always strikes me as ironic how 99% of content on the art of writing seems to break all of the best practices suggested. You are a wonderful resource....not only instructing, but demonstrantung as you instruct.

This is the clearest explanation of "Show, Don't Tell" that I've ever heard. I took notes and am so excited to incorporate these examples! Thank you for what your work has meant to our family over the years and for the gift of these lessons.

You make the best writing advice videos ever. I hope you're in good health.

Told with Jerry's trademark clarity, concision and passion. God bless you, Jerry.

You're the best writing mentor that I've never met.

I love the fact that you're explaining show don't tell as in giving the reader something to do to ensure they engage with the story. Never heard anyone explain it that way, and I watched a LOT of show don't tell explanation videos. I mostly hear writing teachers explain this writing principle as 'delivering evidence'. I've become very sceptical of show don't tell videos because everyone says the same thing. Yours actually makes quite a couple points I've ever heard before and your examples are always so clear. Thank you!

I always knew that there is difference between showing and telling, and that it is a big deal. But honestly, I never really understood how to show in my stories and when(if ever) it is appropriate to tell. Thank you so much for making me understand the beauty of showing, I needed it!

You described clearly the importance of active voice and the role of showing using senses while also illustrating the appropriate use of telling for a succinct transition. Thank you. I’ll revisit this valuable guidance.

Jerry B Jenkins, you are a freakin legend! i'm so grateful that someone like you has the energy, thoughtfullness and time to create amazing videos like these. I am learning so much, enthralled the whole while. God bless brother!

I've heard it put as "describe - don't explain," and that's what's helped me understand it the most.

Beautiful way of explaining sir. Finally I understood what it mean 'Show, Don't tell.'

You provide priceless knowledge that is essential for productive writers. I also enjoy hearing your soothing, kind voice as you so generously teach and motivate us. I cannot thank you enough, sir! I appreciate you!

To hear this man say 4:36, gives me hope for my writing. I always forget to include the other senses besides sight and sound 😂

One needs a balance of both but it's important to recognize that there is appropriate and inappropriate times for both, really all you can do is feel your way through. This is such a big part of writing that a lot of people don't understand.

Such nuggets of gold. Thank you, Jerry. As a first-time writer as I so needed to tell my story, I am so inspired to sharpen my very rough edges, and to be pointed in the right direction is priceless. Thank you again.

I always surrounded myself with books my entire life, but never felt smart enough to think I could be a writer. Today at 39 I am writing as a hobby. However, I am not confident to call it a book just yet. With the many grammatical errors I am needing to fix I will continue to watch your videos and work hard at editing my story. In the meantime I can say this...I finally believe I can do it and I can overcome this challenge to be the best creative writer I can be. Thank you for inspiring me.

I am from the Netherlands and I am studying to be a Dutch translator. This video helped me so much! Thank you!!

It's like "telling your readers something without telling your readers something" challenges

Thank you, Jerry. I appreciate this video. I tend to “narrate”, rather than “show”. I wish to turn my writing in a 180-degree direction that compels readers of my work to continue reading! “Flipping pages and searching through the paragraphs written there, sighing and putting the book on the table, and looking for another book on the shelf by his elbow”, is not the way in which I wish to have my readers behave! (I made an effort to “show” boredom in the previous sentence, rather than telling about it.) I will practice, despite my inner Critic shouting: “Who made you think you could become a writer?! Banal is your middle name, since you don’t really have one! Give over and clean your house! That’s all you’re good for! You don’t even do that well!” Nasty so-and-so, isn’t he?! I’m writing every day, at least one full handwritten page, despite his urging that I do something else. At the end of 60 days I will have 60 pages to reread and to begin to edit. I LOVE to write. Words excite me and put me in the “zone”, a place of peace and contentment. Thanks, again, Jerry. I may never write a great novel, but I have little vignettes of my life that I can write. In them I can show the people in my life and their impact on me.

Thank you, I'm writing my first book at 66 and having done the first draft I have now realised how much I have to learn. So I'm exploring many online sources and have taken away some very useful advice, you are probably the 30th person and OMG I wish you'd been the first. Thank you 🎉

Clear, concise, and absolutely brilliant! Every time! Thank you so much! 👏😁👏

I've just discovered Jerry B Jenkins videos about writing and I'm so grateful and excited. Thank you for all the great tips

5:30, about the state-of-being verbs, anyone have an equivalence in french ? Or could someone tell me if "is, am, was, are, were, being, be, been" are the only ones to look out for ? I would like to thanks you, Jerry, for the incredible content you put on YT. Two years ago, my manuscript was rejected by XX editors, and after two years of constant researchs, learning, training, writing and editing, I redid everything, but 10 times better. The new version of the manuscript is closing to its end. Your content has been the most valuable thing I found on the whole of Internet. Fr and Eng blended, Yt, fb, writing forum, reddit, blogs ect. Then again, thank you. You are an inspiration to me.

What a great voice to listen to showing how to write in active layers. Truly inspiring and helpful. Thank you Jerry

When someone shares their knowledge gained from years of working with their passion, its like sharing their lottery winnings! Pure Golden! Thank you, Jerry. May it be returned to you a thousandfold.

Oh this is actually great. People often see "show, don't tell" and then end up straight up using narration as dialogue, like in inu yasha... Where the characters can be clearly seen doing things... And then thw other characters just watch on the sidelines and shout a play-by-play of what we see. Great for the blind, though...

I’ve started 100 how to write offerings. This eloquent,powerful information about his craft captivated me. I forgot Was learning.

This is a tutorial on “writing”, not “speaking”. While the content is solid, it is difficult to imagine the words in my head rather than as in concrete form-written-which is the ultimate goal. Thank you for trying. It’s my first attempt after 70 years of talking to explore the possibility of writing my cryptic ideas down in a coherent, interesting, effective way.

I just want to say thank you for taking the time out of the busy ( maybe more specifically aloof ) schedule that a writer has, I sympathize, to make these videos for us. Which is essentially free of charge. Thanks again Jenkins, we appreciate it.

I appreciate this guy's approach to explaining this frustrating subject. Though at the end of the day, while saying "the man was tall" is telling, so is "she had to crane her neck to look at him" also telling. Books can not ever be visual in the way that movies are. There's got to be something more helpful than just saying "show don't tell".

Happy Belated Birthday Mr. Jenkins!!!!

So happy I finally got the idea of what use when I want to show and not tell, I can’t wait to start editing my long awaiting novel,. Thank you so much.

The way he memorises from books is adorable..

I am so grateful I came across your channel. I am new to writing and your videos are not only providing me with lessons but more importantly encouragement. Thank you !!

So many people would pay for this and probably do! Thank you for giving this to us out of the goodness of your heart

Show, don't tell ultimately intrigues me. I'm a novice writer and don't want to develop bad habits, so anything I can learn about this literary philosophy is paramount. It's easily spoken, but encompasses so much! Thank you for this video, sir!

I love how he explained everything. It was very easy to understand.

Someone also renamed this rule “don’t explain, describe” and that for me was what helped me to really understand it. Thank you for all your videos!

Jerry, your words are "pearls of wisdom"! I discovered the idea behind the title: The Happy Prince. Giving begets happiness. Like Oscar Wilde you must be a happy man- our happy 🤴. Thank You!

I've been trying yo do fantasy, and it's incredibly frustrating to look over my work and think; "who the hell talks like this?" Thanks a bunch for the videos, they really help!

Your example by Tony Morrison was a beautiful choice and made you point.

Yo hi Jerry, I just wanted to tell you thank you so much for helping me to know what show don’t tell is. I am a 6th grader studying for a very good school and was always writing and writing but getting the same feedback every time and that was show don’t tell you were able to simplify it for me thank you from the bottom of my heart❤️

As a novice author, I've read so many times about this show, don't tell, but this young man has the best examples to explain it. Thank you so much. Only now do I actually get it.

Thank you for lessening my anxiety about writing a novel. Bless you!!!

I really like these videos and I have to say: Jerry's voice is so soothing, is almost ASMR hehe

You've shared yet another large pearl of wisdom. Thank you.

Great points

Very useful - I find showing, not telling difficult since I was a journalist. Very hard not to 'tell'!

I thoroughly agree with the part about Hollywoods inability to compare with the theatre of the mind. Their shows don't tell half as well as a well told story that shows but doesent tell.

That Beloved quote was gold...

Deep lessons. I'm enthralled. You are a great teacher. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

Now I don't feel so guilty about those moments in my writing where I think, "Telling this would work so much better than showing." Thanks!😊

Riveting and revelatory.Thanks for such powerful mentoring, Mr. Jenkins.

The only writing advice I will ever listen to, comes from this gentleman. Please take care of yourself, Mr. Jenkins, you look a little tired in this video. Your are a hard working man - time to rest a little every now and again.❤

'Thanks' Jerry... you paint a clear picture of the action each scene and script need. Hopefully, your insight will force me to slow down to get it right so the audience sees the experience required to move the action and story forward. Brian Couch

Thanks for sharing this incredible information on how to get readers engrossed in a visual picture that can be painted for them instead of simply telling them everything. I had a difficult time understanding the concept of show-don't-tell, but you painted a very clear picture of it, thanks.

Amazing! Watching his videos akin to sitting in a university classroom, listening to a seasoned professor... without having paid hundreds, or thousands of dollars. Thank you.

"Readers' minds are far more imaginative than anything Hollywood can put on the screen." How true! What a wonderful craft we've chosen. I Relish your thoughtful and inspiring advice. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge so generously. .

I feel so lucky to listen to your guidance. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us. By the way, your voice reminds me of Client Eastwood’s. Thank you 😊

The world is lucky to have Jerry sharing his accumulated knowledge with the world. Thank you for making these videos :)

Your tone, your words, your preciseness, every little detail makes your videos enjoyable. Thank you and have a nice day, sir.

Thanks for all you do! You are a global leader. Thanks for giving so selflessly of your time and energy. Your passion transcends. Thank you Thank you!!!

Jerry you are appreciated. Thank you for being so generous with your time and knowledge.

I am so thankful and blessed to come across your page. Over the last few months, I have pursued writing whole-heartedly; currently gathering as much knowledge as I can. I paused for a moment to look into your books and noticed your involvement in The Chosen. My husband and I binged every episode last year, which inspired us to read the bible every day since. We will soon reach the finish line of reading the bible in a year. God has blessed our little family through you and your sons gift of story telling. You both are simultaneously blessing the world with your wealth of knowledge and creativity. I pray God covers you both as you create new opportunities for the world to get to know him and that he brings blessings and overflow into every season of your life. ❤

This is 2 years old, but its really good! Thank you for helping out!

This is masterful. You have my appreciation for making this!

Having written practices and procedures for so many years as a vocation, it has been difficult for me to make the shift from telling to showing in my creative writing. This was a clear, concise explanation that made perfect sense.

Been struggling with my writing for so many years. “Show not tell” has baffled my brain until now. Thank you Jerrry!

I love the idea of giving the reader a task imagination.

You are such a good teacher, Mr. Jenkins! 😊❤️

Thank you for giving freely of what you have to teach. I have been at this for a very long time. Since childhood, I've persevered and believe writing to be my higher purpose. For thirty-plus years I have written novel after novel in the Spirit of becoming good, and by that I mean making all the mistakes this writer must make to just be good. To plateau. To have developed a disciplined and consistent writer's voice that readers can return to knowing the story will be good. I have six novels right now that are begging to be written. I feel you can get me where I need to be and with all the tools necessary to get published. It's exciting. Thanks!

I often come back to this as a reminder. Thanks so much for the resources you've shared here.

Thank you, Jerry for making this concept so accessible.

What a wonderful video! Thank you!

Genius. Masterclass served. Much appreciated, Sir🙏🇿🇲

Thank you so much sir 🙏🏻

You are a great help to me. Thank you very much Sir Jerry.

You are a compassionate man Jerry B. Jenkins. God bless you.

Thank you for all your informative videos.

Omg. Everyone needs to hear the statement at the end. Wow.

Brilliant. Thank you so much. No wonder your son’s show is so amazing.

This is so helpful, especially with all the examples you give. Thank you!

Thank you for the tips Mr. Jerry! I just received the email from you today, and i love it !!

Thanks Jerry! Great as always. Everything becomes clear when you show and tell it.

Thank you for the breakdown on show don’t tell. I love the examples you picked. Very good.

Yes ,thank you in the outline

Awesome Jerry! What puts you above the other youtube videos et that you give accurate example that make me understand your point. Please keep doing these videos :-) They are gold!

Your videos are super helpful. Love that you get straight to the point.

So much useful advice in Jerry's videos. The best channel for aspiring writers by far.

Great instructions and examples. Love it.

Another excellent tutorial, thank you for sharing so generously, Jerry.

Thank you so much ! I have a lot clearer view on this technique now...

Listening daily...😊