Showing and Telling Overview
I could tell you what the difference is. But instead I’m going to show you with some examples.
Example 1
Passage A: The man ducked through the doorway and stopped in front of me. He crossed his tree trunk-like arms across his barrel chest.
Passage B: A big, strong man blocked the door.
What differences do you see?
At first glance, we notice Passage A has many more words. However, those words engage the reader’s senses by describing the man’s appearance. From those descriptions, the reader has to infer the man is big (he had to duck through the doorway and his arms and chest are described as being large). Passage A is an example of Showing. The action is described to the reader and the reader decides what it means.
Passage B is much more succinct. It reads faster and gets to the point. However, it explains to the reader exactly what has happened. The reader doesn’t have to figure anything out. Passage B is an example of Telling. The narrator spoonfeeds all the information to the reader, explaining what has happened.
Example 2
Michael’s mother turned off the light and closed the door. His mouth went dry and he gripped the covers as the wind pushed in the curtains like a ghastly hand sweeping ever closer.
What’s going on in this snippet?
Michael is afraid of the dark.
But wait! The text never used the words dark or scared or afraid. How did you know he was afraid of the dark? As a reader, you took in the text and had to figure out what was going on. The description of Michael’s experience includes clues of his emotional state. Perhaps this passage evoked relatable childhood memories in you. Based on all the information you were shown, you arrived at a conclusion.
So why not simply write: Michael was afraid of the dark? It’s shorter, factual, and perhaps more efficient. True, but it robs the reader of an experience. When writers tell, they explain to the reader what’s happening. Telling summarizes the events and spoonfeeds their meaning to the reader. The reader assumes a passive relationship with the text, because they no longer need to figure out its meaning.
In general, readers prefer when a story is shown, rather that told, hence the common advice “show, don’t tell.” However, there are certainly times where telling is a better option.
Example 3
“Now move the cursor over to the Compose button,” I said.
“Is that the little arrow thing?”
“Yes, Grandma. Move the little arrow on top of the rectangle here that says ‘Compose’.”
Grandma slid the mouse across her desk with great enthusiasm.
“Where did the little arrow go?”
This passage is showing every single step and accompanying dialogue. Would you want to read twenty more pages of Grandma’s computer struggles? Probably not.
Instead of showing, we could tell the reader what has happened, like this:
In this example, we summarize what’s happened without describing every last detail. As KM Weiland succinctly puts it:
Telling is summarizing and showing is dramatizing
To figure out when to use each, consider which one the reader will appreciate more.
Example 4
Imagine your story is set in the forest depicted in the image below.
Suppose you describe the setting as:
The sun’s rays pierced through the canopy of tall birches, casting a golden glow across the landscape. A tranquil stream gurgled through the forest, its surface shimmering with sunlight. Among the lush grass, a riot of colorful flowers freckled the landscape while butterflies fluttered gracefully among the blossoms, adding a touch of magic to the atmosphere.
Notice the last few words add a bit of telling to reinforce the showing.
Alternatively, you could describe the setting as:
The forest was beautiful.
Which of these snippets creates an emotional reaction in the reader? Clearly, the first snippet creates a more immersive experience through the use of specific nouns and specific verbs.
Showing is all about creating an immersive experience
Think about showing like watching a movie or play. You see the action and hear the dialogue. As a viewer, it’s up to you to figure out the meaning of what happens. One way to show when you write, is to visualize the scene playing out in your head. Capture the sights and sounds (and other sensory experiences) in your prose to engage your readers’ imagination.
Making Nouns Specific 
Making Verbs Specific
How to Show Emotions
Filter Words 
Is Telling Really Bad? 
Infodumps 
Recognizing Telling 
Turn Telling into Showing