Show, don't tell

When you're editing your writing, look for all of the places you told the audience something right out. In my apple tree story, I didn't say that the grass was overgrown or unmaintained. I said that it tickled your fingertips. This is the effect of the grass's length. I didn't have to tell you that the grass was tall, you figured it out when I said that it reached your fingers, and it had the added bonus of some extra sensory detail.