One of the most common struggles emerging fiction writers face isn’t crafting compelling characters or creating interesting plots—it’s learning to trust their readers. As a writing coach who has worked with countless authors at various stages of their careers, I’ve observed this pattern repeatedly: writers overexplain, interpret dialogue for readers, and spell out emotions instead of allowing them to be discovered.
The Problem with “Show, Then Tell”
Many writers instinctively “show” something through dialogue or action, then immediately follow it with explanatory text that “tells” the reader how to interpret what they just read. This creates a redundancy that not only slows pacing but also diminishes the reader’s engagement with the text.
Consider this example from a recent coaching session:
“The deadline was Thursday, always Thursday,” he repeated, emphasizing his frustration with me. I was a slow student.
The dialogue itself—particularly with the repetition of “always Thursday”—already communicates the character’s frustration. Adding the explanation afterward suggests the writer doesn’t trust readers to pick up on the obvious emotional cue.
The Reader-Writer Contract
When someone picks up your novel, they enter into an unspoken contract with you. Part of this agreement is that they will actively engage with your text—interpreting characters’ motivations, reading between the lines of dialogue, and drawing conclusions about relationships and situations.
When you over-explain, you’re essentially breaking this contract by doing the reader’s job for them. You’re denying them the satisfaction of piecing things together and the immersive experience of discovering your fictional world on their own terms.
The Pleasure of Discovery
Readers enjoy the detective work of reading fiction. Think about memorable books you’ve read—chances are, they didn’t spoon-feed you every nuance of character emotion or relationship dynamic. Instead, they provided enough information for you to make those connections yourself.
This discovery process creates a more intimate relationship between reader and text. When a reader figures out that a character is jealous through their actions rather than being told “he felt jealous,” they experience that small thrill of insight that makes reading fiction rewarding.
Physical Description vs. Emotional Interpretation
One area where writers should expand rather than contract is physical description. While you should avoid telling readers what emotions characters feel, you should absolutely show physical actions, surroundings, and sensory experiences in detail.
For example, instead of:
“She was uncomfortable with my question. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said nervously.”
Try:
“She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her fingers tapped rapidly against her thigh. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said, her gaze fixed on a point just over my shoulder.”
The second example doesn’t explicitly state she’s uncomfortable or nervous, but readers will understand this through the physical cues.
Dialogue That Does the Work
Strong dialogue can carry enormous emotional weight without explanatory tags. Consider how much meaning is packed into these examples:
“The deadline was Thursday, always Thursday.”
“Is that all you have to say? After everything?”
“I’m fine. Really.”
Each of these lines communicates something beyond the literal words—frustration, hurt, denial—without requiring explanation. Trust that your readers will pick up on these subtleties.
Tips for Building Reader Trust
- Read your dialogue aloud – If the emotion is clear when spoken, you probably don’t need to explain it.
- Cut adverbs in dialogue tags – Instead of “she said angrily,” show her slamming a door or clenching her fists.
- Look for “emotion words” – If you’ve written “nervous,” “angry,” “sad,” etc., challenge yourself to show these emotions through action instead.
- Identify redundancies – If you’ve shown something through action, then explained it afterward, the explanation can usually be cut.
- Test with beta readers – Ask them what they think characters are feeling at key moments. If they get it without your explanations, you’ve succeeded.
The Confidence to Let Go
Learning to trust your readers is ultimately about developing confidence in your own writing. It takes courage to leave things implied rather than stated, to trust that the scene you’ve crafted will evoke the emotions you intend.
Remember that your readers are intelligent, engaged partners in storytelling. They don’t want every emotion and motivation spelled out—they want the satisfaction of understanding your characters through their own interpretive abilities.
The most powerful moments in fiction often arise not from what’s explicitly stated, but from what readers figure out for themselves. Give them that opportunity, and watch your writing transform from functional to unforgettable.
Learn everything you need to know to perfect showing over telling in your own writing. Most writing advice tells you to “show, don’t tell” but never explains the how. This class breaks it down into learnable mechanics—specific techniques for verbs, details, and dialogue that transform flat descriptions into scenes readers experience. This Stanford-tested approach focuses on what readers actually crave, not what writers fear. Grab my class today.
