Week 5 Discussion — When Should a Writer Tell? — Traditional alternative (no AI)
Instructors: publish this instead of the adaptive version if you prefer, and unpublish or delete the adaptive one.
Hook
"Show, don't tell" may be the most repeated piece of writing advice there is, and this week you practiced it: you turned "I was miserable" into rain running down the back of a neck. But a story also has to move, an explanation has to be clear, and some sentences do their job by telling. This week's question asks where the rule holds and where it bends.
Your discussion question — choose Option A or Option B; they carry the same weight and the same rubric, and you say which you picked.
Option A: "Show, don't tell" is the most repeated advice in writing. Take a position: is it always right, or are there moments in a narrative or an explanation where telling is the better choice? Use the camping-trip set from this week or a story of your own as your example, point to one sentence that should show and one that might fairly tell, and explain what each choice does for the reader.
Option B: A friend reads a scene you wrote about something that happened to you and hands back a version full of vivid adjectives and grand comparisons. Take a position: if the new version sounds more polished, is it still your story? Use a short scene of your own or the camping-trip set as your test case, and say where the line falls between a helpful edit and an erased voice.
There is no single right answer here. Careful writers disagree about both questions. Pick the one you actually care about, and tell us your reasoning.
Expectations
Activity format: one initial post followed by two substantive peer replies. Plan on about 45 minutes across the two deadlines; your instructor sets both due dates in Canvas.
Your initial post — by the first due date (early in the module week):
- Say which option you chose.
- For Option A, quote one sentence that should show and one that might fairly tell, from the camping-trip set or your own story; for Option B, state your position in one clear sentence and point to one change that would cross the line.
- Use at least two of this week's terms (showing, telling, sensory detail, concrete word, scene, narrative summary, significance, purple prose) correctly.
- Give your reason and one specific example.
- If you use a scene from your own life, keep every detail true to what happened, and label any invented example as illustrative.
- Length: roughly 150–250 words if written. You may instead record your post as audio or video (about two minutes) and attach a transcript; both forms are scored by the same rubric.
Your replies — by the second due date (the end of the module week):
- Reply substantively to at least two classmates.
- A substantive reply does more than agree: point to a sentence in the poster's example that tells where it could show (or the reverse), name the reader the choice serves, or offer the strongest objection to their position. "Nice point!" on its own does not count.
- Restate the poster's view fairly in one sentence before you answer it, as you practiced in Week 2.
What a strong post looks like:
I chose Option A. "Show, don't tell" is right for the scene, but not for every sentence. In the camping-trip set, the moment with the slipping tent poles should show, because that is where the point about preparation lives. But the narrative summary, "We drove for three hours, found our campsite, and unloaded the car as the clouds came in," tells on purpose, and showing those three hours would bury the scene. So my rule is: show the moment that carries the significance, and let summary tell the rest.
Notice how it takes a position, quotes one sentence for each side, and ties both choices to the reader and the story's point. That is the bar.
Participation rubric
This discussion is worth 10 points. The three criteria below look at your initial post and your peer replies.
| Criterion | Full credit | Partial credit | No credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality of the initial post (4 pts) | A clear position is stated and supported with a specific sentence or scene, showing what a showing or telling choice does for a reader | A position is present, but the example is vague or the reasoning is asserted rather than shown | Missing, off-topic, or no reasoning about showing, telling, or voice |
| Use of course concepts (3 pts) | Uses showing, telling, sensory detail, scene, narrative summary, significance, or purple prose precisely, and keeps every story detail true to the writer's own account | Uses a term loosely, such as calling more adjectives showing | No course terms, or terms used incorrectly |
| Engagement with peers (3 pts) | Two or more substantive replies that restate the poster fairly and then extend or challenge the reasoning | One substantive reply, or replies that only agree | No replies, or "I agree" with nothing added |
Post early if you can — the best threads happen when people have time to reply before the second due date.
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