Don’t Show, Just Tell

Whenever I come across advice for writers to show, not tell

I admit I’m perplexed, I don’t comprehend well

How a reader would be able to picture the exact scene the writer has visualized

The difference between reading a book and watching a film in my eyes

Lies in being able to conjure a scene that has its foundation

In the writer’s words but is built on the reader’s imagination

While watching a film, the producer’s vision is shown

But while reading, the scene is visible to the reader alone

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A writer may use language to describe in vivid detail his or her vision

But the same description every reader would in a different manner envision

Thus writers do not really “show” but tell

The readers what to imagine, the best ones just do it exceptionally well..

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If I want to be told how a scene unfolds, a book I would read

If I want to be shown, watching a film is what I would need