Show Don’t Tell Is the Most Misunderstood Writing Advice
“Show don’t tell” is the most repeated writing advice in existence. It’s also the most misunderstood. Telling isn’t bad. “She was exhausted” works fine if exhaustion is background the reader needs to move forward. Spending a full paragraph on heavy eyelids and stumbling steps would be self-indulgent. The real distinction is stakes. Tell when the…