Would you waste money on an opera ticket for this guy?

'Of course I love opera,' he said, foot tapping restlessly.

Research has shown that the old adage is true: Actions (such as a foot tapping) do speak louder than words. So when we write, we should 'show' with actions, not 'tell' with words.

Kids like to state outright: 'Michael was in a bad mood.' However to make it convincing they should actually show Michael in action.

List what a teenager would do if he came home annoyed:

Slam the front door

Throw his bag into the bedroom

Kick off his shoes

Head to the kitchen - and the fridge

Complain there was no food.

So now you have the ideas, it's easy to put this all together into a paragraph.

She was just powering down the computer when the door slammed. Michael was home.

'Hi,' she called. 'How was school?'

There was a grunt, barely heard, and then the sound of a bag hitting the bedroom floor hard. Not good. She sighed and headed into the kitchen. Michael was already there, staring with slumped shoulders into the open fridge.

'Damn,' he said, shoving the door shut hard. 'There's never anything to eat in this house!'She took a deep breath and counted to three before she replied.

Showing, (not telling) takes longer to do, but it brings characters to life and is far more convincing too.

Jen McVeity, National Literacy Champion.

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