Show, Don't Tell

This is a writing maxim that often surfaces in critiques.  Many inexperienced writers carry the show to extremes.  Having seen the "show don't tell" admonition in every book on fiction writing, they assume that every instance of telling is wrong.  The reality is that every story is a combination of showing and telling. [image error]While showing is a must for action scenes, telling is useful for compressing time and space.  Description is usually telling.  So is all exposition.  Both description and...