This is something many struggle with. And seeing how I'm helping two people with stories now, I have found some things you guys struggle with since they want me to edit it. Which is always why I have been lacking in the update of my stories department since you guys want my help editing. I won't even mention the lack of capitalization and punctuation they bared.

Show Vs Tell, it is hard to do and is a common mistake. It took me a while and I think I have it down. Not sure but I have a understanding of it.

Answer this: You have a picture. Do you tell what the picture is to someone or do you give it to someone so they can see it?

You give it to them of course, it is the same with writing. In writing, your readers are creating images in their head of what is happening. You show them it, they create their own conclusions, point out things you may not have noticed. With showing, you are describing the picture without telling them straight up.

Telling is when you tell them straight up. It is like telling your reader's that a character is tired, or angry, or cold. That is telling.

Showing it painting them a picture, giving the details without telling them how the character is really feeling. Like say a character is mad: They are clenching their hands, their heart rate and blood pressure rising, their face turning red. You describe the emotion without telling them they are angry.

Examples:

Tell: Rachel is cold.

Show: She shivered violently, pulling her jacket tightly around her as her knees pulled close to her.

Tell: It was fall.

Show: Leaves crunched beneath their feet.

Tell: The temperature dropped and the sun reflected off the ice.

Show: Bill's nose burned in the frigid air, and he squinted against the sun reflecting off the street.

Understand yet? It is like you are avoided telling the obvious and just giving the clues for them to come to the conclusion of what your are trying to describe.

There are some instances where showing isn't needed. Like if your characters are going onto a trip before the real action start, we don't need to have several pages of something that isn't needed.

Instead of trying to force something onto your reader or just tell them straight up, let your reader come to their own conclusions. The readers paint the pictures in their mind of your story, so don't force anything into it if they aren't gonna picture it since it breaks the immersion they got themselves in.

In terms of describing a character...

Tell: Thomas had an eyepatch and a hat, he is a pirate. He must be the Captain since he ordered us overboard.

Show: He had an eye covered with black leather that strapped around his head, a black raven's feather that decorated a dark brown hat, and a black coat that reached his calves. The other sailers on the vessel stood tall and still, like they ready to receive some order while Thomas walked steadily to greet their newfound stowaways. A man following behind him, Thomas chuckled at the stowaways, his mouth curving into a grin. "Well, look at what we have here, give these stowaways the plank."

What impression did you get on Captain Thomas but the Show description that you might not have known from the Tell description?

When introducing characters, I would use Show description. It is like them making a first impression on your readers.

If you guys still have trouble, PM me and I'll try to explain it in more detail or if you need help describing something in show terms.