Show & Tell: Why BOTH Are Important For Effective Storytelling

Writing Advice’s Most Misunderstood Rule: Show, Don’t Tell (& When to Ignore It)

The Show vs. Tell Debate

You’ve probably heard it before—maybe from a critique partner, a writing teacher, or that one friend who suddenly became an expert on storytelling after watching one MasterClass:

“Show, don’t tell!”

It’s one of the most common pieces of writing advice, but like most oversimplified rules, it’s often misunderstood. The truth? Both showing and telling have their place in storytelling.

Sure, showing can make your reader feel like they’re in the moment, experiencing the rain splatter against their skin, their pulse racing as they stand on the edge of a battlefield. But sometimes, you just need to move things along, and telling is the best way to do that.

The key isn’t choosing one over the other—it’s knowing when to use which to craft an immersive and well-paced story.

Let’s break it down.

Table Of Contents

1. The Power of Showing

2. The Efficiency of Telling

3. Why Telling Gets Hate

4. How To Use Both For Stronger Storytelling

5. Writing Exercises

6. Concluding Thoughts

The Power of Showing: When & Why to Use It

Showing pulls the reader into the story, making them experience the scene firsthand rather than being told what’s happening. Instead of stating that a character is angry, you reveal it through their clenched fists, clipped words, and stormy expression. Showing allows for subtext, emotion, and immersion, letting readers interpret feelings and actions rather than having everything spelled out for them. It’s what makes a story feel alive, cinematic, and deeply engaging. However, like all tools, it works best when used with intention—not every moment needs a deep-dive into sensory details.

When Should You Show?

Showing is at its best when:

• You want to immerse readers in a scene.

• You need to highlight emotions, tension, or atmosphere.

• You’re writing key moments like action scenes, emotional confessions, or climactic battles.

Example: Telling vs. Showing

❌ Telling: She was nervous before her speech.

✅ Showing: Her fingers clutched the paper so tightly that the ink smudged, her pulse a frantic drumbeat in her ears.

See the difference? One informs, the other immerses.

Read my blog post "Bringing Your Story to Life: The Art of Writing Vivid, Immersive Prose (How To Show Not Tell)" here on how to actually write "showing" language in your writing.

The Efficiency of Telling: When It’s the Better Choice

Telling gets a bad rap, but let’s be real—sometimes, you just need to get to the point. Not every moment in your book needs deep immersion. Pacing matters.

When Should You Tell?

Telling is most effective when:

• You need to summarize events quickly without dragging the narrative.

• You’re covering travel, transitions, or mundane details that don’t need a deep dive.

• The information is important but doesn’t require emotional weight or action.

Example: When Telling Works Better

Imagine you’re writing a fantasy novel and your characters need to get from Point A to Point B. Do you really need five pages describing every rock they step on?

❌ Showing Overload:

The road stretched endlessly ahead, its pebbled surface shifting beneath the horse’s hooves. Each gust of wind carried the scent of damp earth as the travelers pressed forward, muscles aching from the relentless ride…

✅ Telling (Efficient & Effective):

The journey took three days, cold and miserable, but uneventful.

One is a deep dive; the other is straight to the point. Neither is wrong—it depends on what the moment needs. (However, should you feel a desire to make the time feel like it's pulling on the characters and readers, you may want to go into "showing overload" to give a certain kind of effect. Use wisely, however.)

Read my blog post "Sometimes You Just Need to Get to the Point: When Telling Is the Right Move" here to get a more in-depth explanation how to effectively "tell" in your writing.

Why Does Telling Get a Bad Rap?

Telling is often villainized in writing advice because, when misused, it flattens emotions, distances the reader, and drains tension from a scene. Instead of experiencing the moment, the reader is simply informed about it.

Example: Weak Telling vs. Effective Showing

❌ Telling: She was scared.

✅ Showing: Her hands trembled as she backed away, her breath catching in her throat.

One states the fact; the other makes you feel it. This is why telling is often dismissed as lazy or weak—it summarizesinstead of immerses.

But before you grab your pitchfork and declare “Death to all telling!”, let’s be clear: Telling isn’t bad. Overusing it is.

Why Telling Gets Criticized

1. It Can Feel Distant – If everything is told instead of shown, readers might struggle to connect emotionally. “She felt sad” doesn’t pull you in the way tears burned at the edges of her vision does.

2. It Can Be Boring – Readers don’t want to be given a bullet-point summary of what’s happening. They want to experience the world and characters. Too much telling saps engagement and makes the prose feel lifeless.

3. It Can Kill Tension & Pacing – Imagine a thriller where the author simply states, “The hero felt tense.” vs. building tension through atmosphere, body language, and dialogue. Telling in the wrong places can deflate what should be a gripping moment.

But Telling Isn’t Always Bad!

Despite its reputation, telling has its place. Not every moment in a story needs deep immersion. Pacing, clarity, and narrative flow all rely on well-placed telling.

When Telling Works Best:

• Summarizing mundane details (e.g., The journey took three days, cold and uneventful.)

• Transitioning between major scenes without unnecessary fluff.

• Prioritizing key information when the action or event matters more than emotional immersion.

The key isn’t to avoid telling altogether—it’s knowing when to show and when to tell.

Striking the Balance: How to Use Both for Stronger Storytelling

Great storytelling isn’t about choosing between showing or telling—it’s about knowing when to use each. Think of showing as zooming in with a cinematic close-up, letting readers feel every pulse-pounding moment, while telling is pulling back for a wide shot, giving just enough context to keep the story moving. A well-paced novel flows seamlessly between both, immersing readers in key emotional beats while efficiently guiding them through transitions. Mastering this balance is what turns a good story into one readers can’t put down.

Example: Blending Show & Tell

Let’s say your protagonist just witnessed a murder:

❌ Only Telling: She was horrified by what she saw.

❌ Only Showing: Her breath hitched. Her knees wobbled. She stared at the blood pooling around the man’s lifeless body, bile rising in her throat.

✅ Balanced Approach: She wanted to run, but her legs refused to move. Her breath hitched, her heart a frantic drumbeat. She had seen death before, but never like this.

See how the final version combines immersion with efficiency?

Show & Tell Writing Exercises

Now that we’ve broken down the when, why, and how of showing vs. telling, it’s time to put that knowledge into action. The best way to sharpen your instincts for balancing the two is through practice—learning to spot where showing enhances a scene and where telling keeps the pace tight. Below are some writing exercises designed to help you refine your storytelling choices and strengthen your ability to switch between showing and telling with purpose. Now get to it!

Writing Exercise #1: Show, Don’t Tell—But Do It with Layers

Rewrite these telling sentences as showing, but take it further—use body language, setting, sensory details, or dialogue to add depth.

Basic Sentences (Telling):

• He was furious.

• She felt cold.

• The city was in ruins.

Challenge Mode:

1. Write two versions of each sentence—one with subtle showing and one with over-the-top, immersive details.

2. Experiment with POV and style. How would this scene look in deep first-person vs. third-person limited?

3. Use setting to reflect emotion. Can the weather, surroundings, or even small background details enhance the mood?

Writing Exercise #2: Mastering Effective Summaries

Take a long-winded, overly detailed scene (from your WIP or a book you’ve read) and rewrite it into a concise but effective summary.

Guidelines:

• Keep only what matters—what moves the story forward.

• Maintain tone and voice without bogging down the pacing.

• Find one small but vivid detail to anchor the summary—just enough to keep it engaging.

Challenge Mode:

1. Rewrite it three ways:

   • One-line summary. (Example: Their journey took three days—miserable, cold, and uneventful.)

   • Two to three sentences with slight showing.

   • Full paragraph with a balance of show & tell—brief, yet immersive.

2. Compare & contrast: Which version feels strongest?

Writing Exercise #3: Finding the Balance

Write a short scene (150-300 words) that naturally blends showing and telling.

Guidelines:

• Start with deep showing (immersive detail, emotions, movement).

• Transition into a brief telling moment to move the pacing along.

• Return to showing for emotional impact in the final sentence.

Challenge Mode:

1. Swap with a critique partner (read my blog post "5 Benefits of a Writing Buddy" here on writing buddies and critique partners) and see if they can spot the balance—do they feel it’s too slow? Too rushed?

2. Rewrite the same scene in pure showing, then again in pure telling—how do they read differently?

3. Try different genres. How would this exercise change in a thriller vs. literary fiction vs. fantasy?

Concluding Thoughts

At the end of the day, showing and telling aren’t enemies—they’re tools. Knowing when to immerse and when to summarize is what separates good writing from great storytelling. Your job as a writer isn’t to avoid telling—it’s to use it wisely. Give the big moments depth. Move through the small moments efficiently. Keep your reader engaged, not exhausted.

I'd like to end this blog post with my most favorite writing quote by E.L. Doctorow: 

Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon. 

Now, tell me—do you find yourself over-showing or over-telling? For me, I'm an over-writer and believe every detail is important and so I tend to over-write and over-show. But which do you struggle with most? Drop a comment below!

See you in the next blog!

—Bair✍︎

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