Show, Don’t Tell
It may be a cliché, but it is still valid advice. You need to give your readers some credit, and let them do the work: imply and suggest without blatantly spelling everything out. Your readers won’t enjoy reading your work if it seems as though it is written for people with two brain cells.
Try this for size:
“Jason entered the room sheepishly, trying not to be noticed. He sat down on the back row, gently, so the chair didn’t creak.”
Or
“Jason slowly opened the door and slipped through. He made his way to an empty seat at the end of the back row and sat down, taking care not to move the creaky plastic chair.”
The latter suggests the first, and though it uses more words to do so, it gives the reader a clearer impression of what is happening. Actions speak louder than words (while we’re on clichés) so make sure your writing is full of actions and movement, not stilted phrases and explanations.
