Writing Exercise

Do you find yourself telling more than you do showing in your stories? Here is an exercise I use to practise up on the art of showing.

Write the words: Has, Had, Is, Was, and Were at the top of a page.

Write about anything but do NOT use these words. If you want to say something like:

Jimmy was standing in line because he had to wait for the bathroom.

Try this:

Jimmy pranced from foot to foot. The line for the bathroom reached out to the playground. "Geesh!" he sighed. "I don't think I can wait."

If you're training to run a marathon you run every day until you build yourself up for the big race. Writing is no different; train yourself and soon showing will be second nature.

Happy Writing!