R.U.E. Resist the Urge to Explain

When I recapped the SleuthFest session on writing suspense, one of the tips mentioned R.U.E., or Resist the Urge to Explain. I promised I’d address that topic by revisiting a blog post I wrote back in 2010.

Anyone who’s undertaken writing has heard “Show, Don’t Tell”—probably more times than they’ve wanted. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, because often telling is more efficient than showing, and done well, gets the point across. But too much telling, especially when it comes across as author...