Probably, you were first told, ‘Show, don’t Tell’ – or maybe you know it’s nonsense, but not what to do instead: you just know that what writers mean by these two apparently simple terms has big implications for how effective your writing can be.

In this practical, interactive tutorial we will tease apart the bundle of meanings that each term carries, and explore how they work, and how you can use them better. We’ll look at how your decisions about showing and telling connect with thinking about psychic distance, narrators and voice, and share some examples from participants. We will also look at examples from published writing, and there will be plenty of time for questions.

By the end, you should have a better grasp of these crucial tools, and be equipped to decide for yourself when to show in your writing, and when to tell.