Traits Showcase

Worksheet Description

The “Show Don’t Tell” worksheet is a tool designed to help writers enhance their storytelling skills by focusing on character development. It presents a structured format where a writer fills in a character’s name and lists their traits in one column, while the adjacent column is used to detail how these traits will be demonstrated through the character’s actions, dialogue, or interactions within the story. This method encourages the writer to convey character qualities through behavior and context rather than direct description, thereby creating a more engaging and vivid narrative.

This worksheet aims to teach students the important writing technique of “showing” rather than “telling” in their stories. By prompting them to think about how a character’s traits can be expressed through actions and behaviors, it guides students away from flat, expository writing and towards creating rich, dynamic characters. The exercise reinforces the concept that readers should be able to infer what a character is like through the narrative without being directly told. It is an educational exercise to foster more descriptive and immersive writing.