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please relax about the rule
You have been beaten over the head with show-don't-tell since your high school English teacher decided it was a personality.
It is a suggestion. A useful one, often. A bad one, sometimes. The writers who repeat it loudest tend to be the ones who don't understand it. Showing is a tool for moments that need texture. Telling is a tool for moments that need speed. The craft is knowing which is which. We unpack when telling is the smarter move, when showing wastes your reader's time, and the ten-second test that helps you choose. Stop apologizing for telling. Sometimes it's the whole craft. Sometimes a sentence is enough.
Show · tell · the actual rule
| Use Showing when | Use Telling when |
|---|---|
| The moment is emotional | The moment is transitional |
| The reader needs to feel it | The reader needs to know it |
| The detail will matter later | The detail just connects scenes |
| The scene is a turning point | The scene is a bridge |
| Texture earns its keep | Pace would suffer |
The ten-second show/tell test
- Read the paragraph in question.
- Ask: does the reader need to feel this or know this?
- If feel, show. If know, tell.
- Ask: does the scene change the character or just relocate them?
- If change, show. If relocate, tell.
- Move on.
Show-don't-tell is training wheels. Useful until you can ride. Then you're allowed to ditch them. Just don't ditch them on the wrong street.
— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven
From the Maven Catalog
- Master Course — Show, Tell, or Both
- eBook — Break the Rule on Purpose
- Toolkit — Show/Tell Diagnostic
- Planner — Revision Pass Planner
Stop apologizing for telling. Run the ten-second test. Sometimes a sentence is enough. The rule is a suggestion. Use it like one.