Disclaimer: I am not claiming to be a writing expert, rather am learning from what good works have done right, and where others fall flat.

“Show, don’t tell” is one of the most common pieces of writing advice given, and common criticism of literature is when it is not applied.

Merriam-Webster defines “tell” as “to relate in detail; narrate.” “Show” is “to cause or allow to be seen.” By technicality, all writing is “telling,” because it is narrating. Only through pictures, maps, diagrams, etc., can a book be “showing.” The point could be considered moot on this basis.

Granted, this is not the intent of the advice. For the sake of this post, I would define the terms as:

“Show” relates to narration about character actions, body language, and subtext. It is the indirect form of telling.

“Tell” relates to dialogue, and other narration (imagery, character thoughts, exposition). It is the direct form.

Think of it as akin to “actions speak louder than words.” We learn more about a character’s traits by what they do than what is said about them.

A sentence, either narration and dialogue, saying a character is smart is one thing. But a scene where the character solves a tricky problem will solidify their intelligence for the reader.

Does this mean that “show don’t tell” applies in all scenarios? No. Dialogue is still needed to give context to what is shown, and the reader needs to know about the setting. The two create a feedback loop, and the key is balance.

Tell can still give character traits, such as establishing someone’s wit, kindness, or cruelty via their dialogue.

Conversely, if a character refers to themselves as brave, but their actions show them abandoning a friend at the first sign of danger, that shows us two things. One, they’re a coward, and two, they’re a liar. The reader learns this indirectly, and even gains a level of skepticism to what other characters say, all because these techniques work in tandem.

One could say that “show” works best for the “how” of things like characters and worldbuilding (relationships, effects). “Tell” is great for “why” in these regards (motivation, background, causes). Additionally, “tell” helps be concise through narration using similes and other literary devices.

“Show” would be saying: “After the test, she slumped onto her kitchen table and rubbed her temples.” “Tell” would be saying: “After the test, her brain felt like a donkey had kicked it.” In this case, the latter conveys the same concept, yet the directness makes it more effective because the simile says to what extent the feeling is. A strict following of “show don’t tell” would subtract so much value from the text by drying the life out of it.

The better way to phrase this advice is “show and tell when needed.” Developing this discretion is a key to becoming a good writer, and one I hope to achieve the more I work at it.