How to write like a Pirate, Get readers, and other inspirational crap

Showing is when you describe a scene and drag it out with all it's details. Telling is just coming out and just saying it.

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Telling: The sky is blue.

Showing: On the warm summer day there wasn't a cloud in the sky as the blue birds called. The soothing cobalt above me eased my worries as I carried my picnic basket around the park.

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Look, there is a balance to everything and too much of a good thing is a bad thing. But it's unendingly stupid to say something like "John was bullied and has blue eyes and blonde hair. Then he met Jill. (Dialogue)" as your first sentence. This is why prewriting is nice, you can get the first chapter out of the way and come back later when you have a better idea of what is actually going on through your writing.

Show John getting bullied:

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"John was still sore from day before. It took some time to wash the blood out of his dirty blonde hair from last night when he was jumped again. With a long sleeve black shirt to cover the bruises on his arms he wandered the halls of the Summerville High School. His faded blue eyes were sunken as they searched the crowds of students scurrying between classes for his tormentors.

He was too distracted by the pain in his wrists to notice the surly redhead who was knocked into him. She was shoved by one of the hot-headed popular types of girls that he normally stayed away from.

John stumbled, but he wasn't quite ready for when the Redhead cocked her arm and elbowed him in the nose right before her fist connected with the make-up caked face of the girl who shoved her."

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This isn't a finished product, but this is an example of showing that John has been bullied and it makes the character much more relatable. Which is good if you want people to read further than the first chapter. You understand John a little more and you can empathize with him, the fear, the pain, the panic. But working on moderation is important. Choosing to cover up the bruises for this scene is more important then specifics about the bruises(like if they are in the shape of a dinosaur or Jay Leno's face). Either way, you know that the "bruises" and "tormenters" are connected.

If the bruises are important, I can talk about them right then. But with the pacing of that scene it might be better to bring it up later like this...

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"John was swept up in the moment as the redhead grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him away to take care of his injury. Jill blew a curly red lock of hair out of her eyes as she sat with him in the nurse's office, after she introduced herself and apologized profusely for elbowing him in the face.

John winced as he massaged his wrist while Jill pressed the ice pack against his eye.

Jill knew that she hadn't grabbed him that hard and caught the sight of a purplish yellow coloration on his wrist when his sleeve moved. When John reached to hold the ice pack over his eye, Jill once again grabbed his arm. This time taking note of how gentle she was when she did, and how much he hissed when she touched him.

Throwing back the sleeve of John's shirt, Jill gasped as a very clear hand print had dyed his skin. Although the many other purple splotches worried her, the freshly scabbed lines over his wrist were something that she couldn't ignore."

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I can write something like what is above or tell you 'John was bullied...' which one has the greater impact?

Look at any Stephen King novel. Every single one of his books is packed full of description. But it works for him. It does not work for everyone. Stephen King is the exception. But if you struggle with descriptions look at his work and just try going overboard a few times to get the hang of it.

Describe a scene with all fives senses. Describe a scene with all the potential and history of every object and person. Describe an entire scene without calling anything by their name. Summarize a book into one paragraph. Summarize a movie in one sentence in a different point of view.

Once you do something right, do it again. A basketball player doesn't practice throwing the ball in the hoop until he makes it. He practices until he never misses, pushing himself further all the time.

There isn't a lot else to say. The best thing you can do is show something that is supposed to be important. The more important something is, the more you should talk about it. If it's not critical, then just Tell.