Explore how published #kidlit authors actually “show and tell” their board book – YA stories in the January 2026 Show, Don’t Tell #kidlit Revision Workshop with TWO 60-minute ONE-to-ONE developmental critiques for the same manuscript in Google Meet.
Show, Don’t Tell #kidlit Revision Workshop Syllabus
01. Tell Me a Story
Show, don’t tell is standard writing advice, but like so many pithy sayings, it’s not quite accurate. To fully understand a story, readers need context, they need information — and in a story, information is told, not shown. To write a complete story, you need to show and tell the story.
02. Read as You Revise
In this workshop, I use comps from each children’s book category (board book – YA) to show you how published writers show and tell in their books. I invite you to do the same. Find books like yours to see how published authors show and tell a story.
03. Study Story Beats
A story beat is the most basic part of a story. It’s the smallest part of a story that you can see.
04. Check the Voice
How can you use all three voices – your writer’s voice, the character’s voice, and the story’s voice – in your book?
05. Watch the Time
Time is an essential part of every story. How you show time in a book changes as your readers grow older.
06. Show and Tell
The difference between showing and telling is the difference between scene and summary. Scene shows readers a picture they can see. Summary uses the author’s words to tell readers something about the story. There is a time and a place for both.
Workshop meetings take place during my office hours: Wednesday – Saturday 9:00-11:30am and 1:30-4:00pm (Pacific Time). The calendar app will only show your time zone.
After you sign up for your FIRST 60-minute meeting, the calendar app will send you:
- A confirmation email with the Google meeting code
- An instructions email with the login to the private workshop site
- An instructions email for your SECOND critique
If something comes up and you need to change your critique time, just use the Reschedule button at the bottom of your confirmation email. The calendar app will send both of us the new time and Google meeting link for your critique.
I look forward to working with you in the New Year!
Copyright © 2025 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
