Show versus tell

Wednesday update: G'day, mates. I'm going to leave this up, unless I get a better idea. :)

Yesterday, I put up a photo of a tornado, and in the comments Beth reported there had been one only half an hour away from her. Maybe I'll be more careful what I put up today. :)

Quick post, cause I have to take my car in for repairs.

In writing, we're told to "show," not "tell." Show through action. Show through dialogue. Don't just tell readers what happened, put them on the scene as it happens.

Today I'll have a birthday lunch (mine is tomorrow, hers the next day) with my oldest friend. In our lives, we exemplify Show versus Tell. I am, sigh, Tell. I only write, while she actually does. She has walked the Appalachian Trail, alone. She has bicycled from the West Coast to the East Coast, almost entirely alone. She has camped out in the mountains of Mexico, alone. She has rafted the Grand Canyon, definitely not alone. She's not anti-social, not at all; she's just brave and adventurous. She's incredible. She awes me.

But there is one thing that does scare her to death. Public speaking. Isn't that funny? I know it's the most common fear, but really, it is funny when you put it in the context of a life like hers.

Okay, now I'm off to the adventure of car repair.