Show Not Tell Writing Examples Novels & Stories

Sally has had a crush on her best friend Justin for as long as she can remember. The shy, nerdy girl with baggy clothes and glasses, she’s spent years helping him with projects and assignments, hoping he’d notice her… but he never has. Until the day she finally works up the courage to confess, only to be met with something utterly shocking. Enter Cole…Justin’s stepbrother. Tall, confident, impossibly hot, and the kind of guy whose life revolves around late-night frat parties and reckless fun. He’s everything Sally is not and everything she didn’t know she needed. Cole offers to help her win Justin’s heart… but nothing comes for free. In exchange, she has to step out of her comfort zone, navigate his world, and follow his lead. As Cole pulls her out of her shell, showing her confidence, daring, and a side of herself she’s never dared to explore, Sally begins to wonder if the butterflies she’s chasing with Justin were ever real. The more time she spends with Cole, the more she realizes that maybe the heart doesn’t lie, and the boy she’s been chasing all these years isn’t the one she should have been after at all. And the secrets he hides? They could destroy everything she thought she wanted.

Caked in mud, her eyes bloodshot, my mother grabbed me by the shoulders. "Elliot, the company's collapsed. I… I killed a competitor. It was an accident. There's no way out now. You're the only one who can come with me." I believed her. I swallowed my fear and followed her into the mountains, deeper and deeper until there was nothing left of the world I knew. To keep her alive, I searched for food, forcing down insects, drinking whatever murky water I could find. When a pack of wolves began circling our shelter, my first instinct was to step in front of her. "Mom, I'll lead them away. You go." I glanced back at her one last time…and made my choice. I would give up my life for hers. However, when I leapt from the cliff and my body shattered against the rocks below… I still saw her. She was inside a descending helicopter, calm and composed, lifting a glass of champagne. Celebrating. That was when it finally clicked. The desperate escape that had driven me to sacrifice myself… was nothing more than a carefully staged show. She had been acting the entire time. I…was the only one who had actually died.

It was the day of our marriage. We were supposed to meet up at the City Hall, but my fiancee stood me up. I waited for her the whole day, and the only answer I got was a picture from her assistant. My girlfriend sat astride on his lap, and her arms were wrapped around his neck while they were locked in a deep kiss. "Sorry, Mr. Terraton. Sophie insisted on comforting me. You don't mind, do you?" I demanded answers from my girlfriend, but that only made her impatient. "He donated his blood to me. Yeah, I was with him, but so what? Man up, will you?" That killed any love I had for her, and I called my soon-to-be ex-girlfriend's sister. "Hey, Sylvie. Yeah, about your proposal. So will you marry me?"

My grandfather died on a covert mission, and authorities approved a grand funeral in his honor. Concerned about my grief, my fiancé offered to handle the arrangements. On the day of the funeral, I arrived with my grandfather's ashes, only to find his portrait discarded on the ground, replaced by one of a dog. Furious, I tried to remove it, but my fiancé's adopted sister stopped me. "Hands off that portrait!" Suppressing my fury, I countered, "This is my grandfather's funeral. He was a decorated hero." "So what?" She shrugged, sneering, "Isaac said Luck deserves the grandest send-off. If you've got a problem, take it up with him. Adoring me, he'd cancel your engagement and ditch you in a heartbeat." I laughed incredulously, calling Isaac's family. "You people begged for this engagement. Since when does your adopted daughter get to call it off?"

She was chasing her dreams. He was her unexpected detour. All Marinel ever wanted was to finish college and become a nurse in a private hospital. Love wasn’t part of the plan—until a fateful encounter with a handsome stranger on the beach changed everything. Calvin wasn’t supposed to mean anything. But when their paths crossed again, her world turned upside down. Their connection was undeniable, but fate wasn’t kind. Marinel found herself risking everything for a love that seemed doomed from the start. And just when she thought she had moved on, tragedy struck—leaving her to fulfill promises to a man she lost too soon. Years later, with her life back on track, another twist of fate comes knocking. Calvin’s twin brother shows up out of nowhere, accusing her of deceit… and claiming they’re married. Confused and shaken, Marinel is thrown into a mystery she never saw coming—one that reveals a deeper bond, a hidden truth, and a second chance she never asked for. When the past and present collide, will the truth set her free—or ruin everything all over again? One woman. Two brothers. A love that refuses to die. Will Marinel find her happily ever after—or face another heartbreak?

Studying abroad can be incredibly lonely at times. That night, I was in my room, indulging in a little treat for myself, when my best friend suddenly burst through the door. "Doing it yourself is no fun. Come on. There's a super cool cabaret show going on. Let's go see it together!" On stage, my friend was reclining in a chair behind the curtain, with two strong-looking men on top of her. "Come on. Join us for a group dance..."

The sole heiress of a wealthy family, Amanita Wallace, had seven prospective husbands, taken in from childhood to potentially wed her one day. All of them fulfilled her every wish, except Marcus Channing, who was cold and mean to her. Due to this, Amanita fell for him and even became his lapdog. Then, one day, she saw him pin his supposed sister against the wall and confess his feelings to her.

Flinn was never meant to fall for her. The plan was simple: a fake engagement to help him seal a billion-dollar deal and protect Rosemary from the dangerous ex who won't let her breathe. She's his best friend's baby sister. Off-limits. A single mom with fire in her veins and walls around her heart. But from the moment she walks back into his life, everything changes. One kiss turns into a night. One lie turns into longing. And one fake ring sparks something real-raw, messy, and so damn forbidden. Flinn is a billionaire with a bad rep and a closet full of secrets. Rosemary is a survivor, too strong to beg, too broken to trust. But their chemistry? It's explosive. Now lines are blurred. Rules are shattered. Hearts are on the line. And when the truth comes out... it just might burn everything down. Enemies-to-lovers. Fake fiancés. Real heat. One brutal truth: nothing about this was ever pretend.

I'm on my way to get married when a truck slams into my car from behind. After being unconscious for a long time, I hear the doctor telling my fiancee that I might lose my memory. I decide to have a little fun and open my eyes, pretending to be confused. "Who are you?" My fiancee goes completely still. I'm about to admit I'm only teasing her, but before I can, she grabs my best man's hand without a second thought. "I'm Janice Lloyd, your best friend's fiancee. You got into a car accident on your way to our wedding."

Selene was born into a world where strength is everything — and without a wolf, she was nothing. Branded as wolfless, she lived in the shadows of her pack until fate delivered a cruel twist: her destined mate, the powerful Alpha who should have protected her, betrayed her instead. Cast aside, rejected, and left to suffer, Selene endured unthinkable torment until a chance rescue gave her freedom — and a new name. Hidden behind a new identity, Selene builds a life far from the cruelty of her past. But when her fated mate crosses her path once more, neither recognizes the scars they left on each other. He hunts her, drawn by an unexplainable pull he cannot deny — unaware that the mysterious woman he’s falling for is the same one he destroyed. As passion rekindles and truths unravel, Selene must decide whether to reveal who she truly is — and whether love can survive the weight of betrayal.