“Some writers tend to think Telling is evil, probably because of how often they’ve heard the phrase: Show, don’t tell. I’m not disputing the phrase. It is true that you should “Show, don’t tell”, But it isn’t true every time. Sometimes, it’s best to Tell, don’t show. Showing and Telling are tools in fiction writing. And like every tool, we just need to learn the appropriate time and place to use them while writing, before publishing a story.”

PAUL EZEODILI

Q: Is that your brother?
A: No, we just have the same parents and live in the same house.

Now, the reason I placed that above message is because that's something most writers don't understand. They show and show and show at the wrong time, pushing you out of the plot with it.

I remember reading a book of a friend—just someone I know—and I remember how she spent two paragraph describing her character's room.

Now, as the book-worm that I am, I didn't like that. I am reading your story for the plot and you're busy telling me your character 'has a mirror twice the size of her' like you're giving me a fictional room tour. This is unnecessary information, your book can do well without it.

One thing writers need to understand is, you don't need to start giving too much attention, describing a place your character is already familiar with.

What I would notice as a person walking into the building for the first time, your character wouldn't care much about that, she has been around that building for years, so it wouldn't catch her attention and if it wouldn't catch your characters attention and would add no relevance to the story, then no need to spend two whole paragraphs talking about it. The only time you should do this is if you can fix it into the scene, and you're revealing this particular information to the readers, but in this way, they feel they discovered it out for themselves.

Don't say: Elena has blonde hair.

Say: Elena grunted as wisps of her hair kept affecting her view. She sighed, grabbing the blonde locks, she proceeded to hold it in a tight bun. [See how I didn't exactly say Elena had blonde hair, but was still able to reveal it to the readers? That's what you should do.]

And let's not even go to the author's that feel it's necessary to use a 'big word'. It's not a crime to use a big word, no, but do you have to overdo it? Are there no simple words in the English Dictionary for you to use? That readers can easily understand and flow along with?

You're not the one who's going to read your book. I am the one, me. So if you have to check the dictionary for the meaning of a certain word, or bigger words rather than the one every one knows, there is a big chance that 5 in 10 people might do the same.

Q: When To Tell?
A: By PAUL EZEODILI

📌Moments that do not affect larger narrative

These are moments that has information you want the readers to know, even though they have no true significance to the story in general.

For example, let’s say your character is drinking a cup of coffee in a café. You don’t have to describe the colour of the cup or the brown of the coffee. And not even the taste in some poetic manner.

It’s okay to just say: He sat down, drinking a cup of coffee.

If you want to go a little further to blend Showing and Telling in the narrative, you can try describing how hot the coffee is, showing how it nearly burnt his tongue. Or how hot vapour rose from the coffee.

If the coffee tastes fine, you don’t have to show it, because it is usually expected to taste fine.

But if the coffee tastes sour, you can describe that.

📌Routines and the passage of time

If your character is brushing her teeth, you really don’t have to show the motion of the brush running along the teeth. You also do not have to show how your character gurgles water and spits it. We all know how to brush our teeth—at least most of us do. We don’t need the play-by-play.

And even if we wanted to learn how to brush our teeth, your book isn’t the place we’ll go.

Just tell it.

She brushed her teeth, took her bath, wore her nicest clothes, and left the house.

Character’s thoughts, backstory or exposition

Basically, when your character thinks something or remembers something, you can just tell it. Or when you have to quickly go through a back story, usually with exposition, you can just tell it.

The point is, showing is supposed to make the reader sense the story as it unfolds.

But if it’s something that isn’t exactly unfolding—and is either happening in your Character’s head, or it already happened in the past—then perhaps it’s best to just tell it.’

So, I hope everyone is clear on that, no need to be embarrassed, like I was when I learnt that, we learn with each passing day. Let's get to what he says on Showing.

‘Showing is about giving direct information indirectly, by evoking the readers’ senses, so that the readers believe they figured the information out by themselves—even though it was your intention for them to figure it out.

Showing draws the reader into the scene of the story, making them feel like they stand in the center of it all. It is the writing tool that makes the reader feel like they’re part of the story. Understanding this, is mastering the art of Showing and Telling.’

‘Where Telling would give: Samantha was thinking about something very important.

Showing would give: Samantha stared at the window abstractedly, hardly ever blinking. Her face was screwed up, and she wouldn’t stop stroking her naked chin.

The first one spoon-feeds the information to the readers.

The second one allows the readers to figure things out on their own. It appeals to the readers’ sense of observation.

Which is what showing is all about. It evokes the reader’s senses. It gives them the opportunity to experience things the way the character might experience things.

Instead of telling your readers Samantha seems very thoughtful. Show your readers how your main character could tell that Samantha seems thoughtful, so that the readers can also deduce it for themselves. The human brain loves to figure things out—it loves to discover things and is always on the lookout for clues.

You have to trust that your reader is intelligent. Trust that their brain will pick the clues up, if you place them strategically.’

Telling: She was uncomfortable around him.

Showing: She squirmed when he touched her.

Telling: She is blind.

Showing: She searches around with her wooden stick, as her father leads her with her second hand.

Telling: He was in great pain.

Showing: He fell on his knees, gripping his chest and squeezing tight, with a bitter grimace on his face.

Don't just pass a direct information, show us a scene that might allow us obtain the information for ourselves.

Showing and Telling are narrative tools. You have to know when to use which.

Showing eliminates the writer as the middle man, and helps the reader experience the scenes first-hand. The writer does this by writing in such a way that evokes the readers senses.