Writing
Show Dont Tell Prompt Generator
Used by developers, writers, and creators worldwide.
A show dont tell prompt generator gives you targeted exercises to practise the craft skill every writer is told to master and few get to drill. Choose how many you want and it returns a shuffled set — show nervousness without the word nervous, show love without anyone saying it, show a room has been empty for years. Writers use these because "show, don't tell" is easy to nod at and hard to do; the only way to build the instinct is to repeatedly convert a stated feeling into action, detail, and behaviour. Each prompt names a state and forbids the easy label, forcing you to dramatise instead of summarise. Pick one, write a short paragraph that makes the reader feel it without being told, and compare it to the flat version. Showing is not always right, but knowing how gives you the choice.
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How to use
- Choose your options above
- Click Generate
- Copy your result
Detailed instructions
- Choose how many prompts you want.
- Generate a set and pick a state to dramatise.
- Write a paragraph that shows it without the label.
- Compare it to the flat, told version.
Use Cases
- •Practising the show-don't-tell skill deliberately
- •Revising a draft that states emotions flatly
- •Building stronger scene-writing instincts
- •Running a craft exercise for a writing group
- •Turning summary into vivid drama
Tips
- →Forbid the obvious emotion word and work around it.
- →Use action and specific detail, not adjectives.
- →Remember telling is fine for minor beats.
- →Test by deleting the label and rereading.
FAQ
should i always show, never tell
No. Telling is efficient for transitions and minor beats; showing is for moments that matter. The skill is knowing how to show so you can choose deliberately rather than defaulting.
how do these prompts help
Each names a feeling and forbids the easy label, which forces you to dramatise through action and detail. Repetition builds the instinct that reading advice alone never will.
how do i know if i succeeded
Read it back and ask whether a stranger would feel the state without being told. If you can delete the label and the paragraph still lands, you have shown it.
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