Lets the reader SEE what is happening! Sensory Details Lets the reader SEE what is happening!

Zoom in close to physical detail Listen to sounds and speech Paint a feeling without saying a word Paint a setting or description of a place Shows a characters movements and gestures

Imagine: A girl with a dog Ask yourselves: What does the girl look like? What does the dog look like? What does the setting look like?

Ready?

What should I have added? Use the Five Senses Sight Smell Touch Taste Hear

Practice time!

Let’s take a look at #1: The boy nervously waited for the bus. BORING! Think about the senses with the underlined verb. Can you taste, smell, or touch this? No Can you see this? YES!! Can you hear this? Possibly YES!!

See what the boy is doing: What nervous habits do people have? Pacing Looking around Fiddling with things (example: clicking a pen) Hear the sound the boy is making: Is he pacing on pavement? Fall leaves? Is he making noise with his fiddling?

So based on that, my “Show, Don’t Tell” sentence might be: The boy, who was repeatedly clicking the purple pen in his hand, was pacing back and forth as he looked for the bus. I replaced “nervously waited” with everything that is underlined and bolded.

Let’s try again with #2 First, the senses: The river went over its banks. First, the senses: Sight Touch Taste Hear Smell

Unless you are unlucky enough to be standing on the river bank when this happens, you can really only use “sight” and “hear”. Here’s an example sentence: The river, overwhelmed with the 40 days of rain, was so flooded that it broke free of its confinement with a thundering whoosh of water and spilled over its banks.

END