Vent: That writing advice about 'show don't tell' gets taken too far

I was at a writing meetup in Portland last Tuesday and this guy kept pushing the 'show don't tell' rule like it was law. He said any telling at all makes you a bad writer. But I read a thriller last month that told me the main character was angry in three words and it worked fine. Sometimes telling just moves the story along faster without bogging everything down in description. Has anyone else run into people who treat this rule like it's set in stone?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_flores18d ago

Yeah @wren826 nailed it, people love turning useful tips into rigid rules. Best thing I've learned is to break that rule on purpose when the story needs to move fast instead of wading through five paragraphs of mood lighting.

wren82618d ago

Notices the SAME absolutism in people who insist there's only ONE right way to brew coffee.