How to fulfil the anti-prompt: Break the rule, ‘Show, don’t tell.’
With the October 2025 round of the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction delivering the final anti-prompt, you knew we’d have to go out with a bang! No doubt our OGs have been anticipating this one for some time, perhaps even preparing for it? Well, now’s your chance to hit us with all your long-percolating ideas, as we challenge our Not Quite Write Prize entrants to Break the rule, ‘Show, don’t tell.’
Note: The following article assumes a baseline understanding of ‘Show, don’t tell’. If you need more clarification, be sure to read our companion article, Writing rules: Show, don’t tell.
We’ll be clear right upfront: the Not Quite Write Prize judges take a relaxed approach to the anti-prompt, and we welcome you to apply your own creative twist to this challenge. More than anything, we just want you to tell us a great story! Having said this, we value highly those stories which break the rule in style, and which go on to serve as the ‘exception that proves the rule’.
There are many different ways you might interpret the specific language of this anti-prompt, and all interpretations are valid. We’ve provided some suggestions below, along with our comments on each.
| Possible interpretation | Thoughts from the judges | What to watch out for |
| “Don’t show anything, tell everything” We’re not exactly sure what this might look like, but we’ll be interested to find out! You might, for example, adopt the structure of a courtroom transcript to report the facts while sneakily hinting at a grander story beneath the surface. | Flipping the most commonly cited writing advice on its head and eschewing all showing techniques in favour of exclusively telling may be an experiment best undertaken at a padded desk. Having said this, some of the most revered writers of all time have been known to favour the direct approach, including Hemingway and Dickens. If you brave it, the only question that remains is, will it be the best of times or the worst of times? | While it may be a noble pursuit to go hard on the last ever anti-prompt, we’d urge you not to make a rod for your own back. The “rule” itself is somewhat amorphous, making it a difficult one to strictly break. By all means, begin with that lofty goal, then give yourself the creative freedom to see where your writing takes you next. Remember, you are in the driver’s seat; the prompts are just your passengers. |
| “Tell more than you show” You might adopt a concept in which ‘telling’ makes sense and feels natural, allowing you to seamlessly weave it through your story, while also leaving space for showing techniques where needed. For example, you might tell the story from the unique perspective of a news journalist who’s used to seeing the world in black and white, leaning heavily on direct, factual description, but incorporating action and dialogue where appropriate to keep the story moving. | This slightly less risky approach leaves you with the freedom to exploit the benefits of showing techniques while still confidently (and faithfully) meeting the anti-prompt brief. We’ll be very interested to see how our authors tackle this one, and the many and varied ways telling earns its place. Full disclosure: we remain sceptical as to whether it’s possible to improve a story by doing more telling. But we’ve been proven wrong before! | This method will allow you to explore a unique narrative voice and writing style. If, however you start feeling like your strict interpretation of the anti-prompt is holding your story back, it may be time to pivot. Remember: the judges aren’t looking for a balanced news article: they’re looking for a compelling piece of fiction! |
| “Show and tell” Let’s be honest, most stories do both. Indeed, many authors will be quick to admit that they already do more telling than they should, so this interpretation could involve no more than writing and submitting a story as you usually would! | This is a simple yet perfectly acceptable way to meet the brief. This may be the best choice if you’re new to writing, new to Not Quite Write, or if a DNF* is on the cards. *DNF = ‘Did Not Finish’ (failure to submit a story by the deadline). | Try to avoid box-ticking and really analyse those telling moments to make sure they’re earning their place. In other words, make sure the telling is adding value to your story rather than weakening your prose. |
| Use ‘telling’ at least once in your story in an intentional or strategic way This anti-prompt presents a unique opportunity to showcase the benefits of telling. You might, for example, open your story with a single, telling sentence, which efficiently drops us into the scene (while delivering a subtle wink to the judges to make it clear you did it on purpose). Or you might start with a telling title and explore it as an idea in the body of your story. | This is among the safer “faithful” choices when it comes to interpreting the anti-prompt, and we suspect this will be where the vast majority of authors take it, albeit it along wonderfully unique paths. It’s nice to be the exception that proves the rule, is it not? | Keeping it subtle and “safe” will work just fine, but we’ll probably be more impressed if you can make the usage a central feature of your story. |
| Take inspiration from a more nuanced aspect of the writing rule You might read our companion article, Writing rules: Show, don’t tell, and find yourself musing on a particular aspect of the “rule” and build a whole story on that foundation. For example, you might take inspiration from the idea to ‘Never name an emotion,’ and give us a tale of Disney Pixar’s Inside Out proportions. | Brainstorming is fun, and we thoroughly recommend allowing yourself the time (if you have it) to follow all your ideas along the path of possibility to arrive at the story you most want to tell. | Make sure you’re taking the reader (and judges) along for the ride with whatever idea you decide to explore. If you’re concerned that we won’t “get it” (and it can be difficult to pick up on subtle clues when we’re reading hundreds of stories!) use the ’Brief Explanation’ field in the entry form to explain your approach. |
| Create a story concept centred on the anti-prompt challenge itself You might take a ‘meta’ approach to the challenge and craft a story featuring a character who is themselves wrestling with the writing rule. | This could make for a fun story if you really lean into the emotional experience of what it’s like to struggle as a writer, for example effectively capturing writerly frustration, or perhaps taking the story in a bizarre or unexpected direction. | Unfortunately, the ‘writer writes about writing’ meta-story is a common trope in the competition setting (refer to ‘Writer Blocked’ from our list of Flash Fiction Tropes). If you take this approach, you’ll need to find a surprising or emotionally engaging angle to lift your story above the pack. |
| Take a ‘high concept’ approach which completely ignores the grammar aspect You might for example create a character who tells others what to do, and use a line of bossy dialogue as a pivotal moment in the story. You might give us a scene centred on a school ‘show and tell’. You might even start with a mime, or a ventriloquist’s dummy and take the story from there. | We’ve been clear from the start about the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction anti-prompt, that it was designed to inspire rather than stifle. As your judges, we have no problem with you taking the more obscure route. Some of your fellow contestants may consider this ‘cheating,’ however it’s a perfectly acceptable way to approach the brief. We just want great stories! | A clever idea alone might make us sit up and pay attention, but you need to hold our attention with an emotionally engaging piece of fiction. Unless you have a really good reason otherwise, you should be delivering a classic beginning, middle and end with a sense of change within the character or their world by the end of the story. |
| Something else entirely This is your race, and you can run it how you like. Submit a blank page and call it art. Who are we to judge? 😏 There are as many ways to approach this anti-prompt as there are stars in the sky. Aim high and see what happens! | If we haven’t already taken all your ideas and published them here in full view of your competitors, you’re either mad or a genius. We’re banking on the latter. Go hard, or go home! (As they say…) | Any story written ‘in the spirit of’ the anti-prompt (in other words where we can see evidence that you’ve engaged with the challenge on some level) will be a success in our book, but the competition does have some rules (like the word count, the deadline, a strict AI policy etc). Be warned: if you go too hard, you may fail, but at least you’ll fail spectacularly. |
Remember: The anti-prompt is only one part of the challenge, so don’t get too hung up on it. A strong story will rise to the top, even if you take a ‘light touch’ approach to the anti-prompt. Your number one goal should always remain to tell a great story!
For more information about how to handle the anti-prompt, check out our article: WTF is an anti-prompt? You can also read winning entries or listen to the podcast announcement episodes from previous rounds to see how writers have creatively tackled other anti-prompts in the past.
If you need validation on your idea before getting started, try asking your fellow contestants in our online Community. They’re a friendly and helpful bunch!
About the future of the anti-prompt
We’ve had fun with the anti-prompt over the past two years, but we’re ready to make a change. In 2026, the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction prompts will deliver a brand new challenge unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. We can’t wait to see how you guys embrace the evolution.
For now, enjoy we trust you’ll bring your A-game for the anti-prompt’s swan song. Let’s make it one for the history books!