Telling rather than showing is a clichéd piece of criticism in writing workshops. But really the advice to “show don’t tell” has to do with many layers of writing, not just with providing more detail as most novice writers mistakenly believe.

A difficult concept to grasp, second only to narrative point of view, may be filtering. I never felt connected with any character in Jack’s* manuscript.

Revision is not proofreading or copyediting. Revision is not accessing the thesaurus and subbing in big words. God no. Revision sometimes involves a restructuring of an entire manuscript.

Jack* is a writer without any education in the craft of writing. He has inspiration, talent, and time, and has composed a strong story. Good plot, good conflict, good resolution.