some telling in my WIP

Telling isn't terribly wrong. It's showing all the darn time that's terribly wrong - and one of my pet peeves. There's nothing wrong with telling so long as it's appropriate for the time. If it's something you can't feasibly show, or would bore the reader if you showed it, telling is the option. It also quickens the pace of your story, which could be appropriate for the point of time.

If these sections are necessary to know but not necessary to envision and experience, then go ahead and tell them.

Watch out for choppiness. Also really ask yourself: does it improve the story to show this? To tell this? Do I need the summary at all?

What POV are you switching from to omniscient? First? Second? Third limited? I switch from first to omniscient for the second part of my story, but not to summarize, rather to emphasize themes and show more deeply.

Telling can be very effective. But it is most effective in controlled doses.

Nothing wrong with telling.

Plenty wrong with being boring. And there's nothing more boring than showing something that could have been summarized without the book losing any power.

I always say forget the rules and write what you feel is best for your story. In the long run, you want a story your readers well enjoy.

Most of your readers are not going to go through your story with a fine tooth comb looking to see how many times you showed them something vs how many times you told them something, so I don't see why so many people fuss over it and tell new writers to watch out for it.

Show. Tell. Show and tell. If it works in your story, than that's all that really matters.

EelKat said:

Most of your readers are not going to go through your story with a fine tooth comb looking to see how many times you showed them something vs how many times you told them something, so I don't see why so many people fuss over it and tell new writers to watch out for it.

Show. Tell. Show and tell. If it works in your story, than that's all that really matters.

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You're right that what works, works, and that both are tools.

But the reasons that people chant "show, don't tell" are:

1) Too many newbie writers lay down abstractions, like "He was shocked" or "She was really mad" that do nothing in dramatic terms;

2) Some writers avoid dramatizing difficult scenes and try to "tell" their way around them;

3) Most writers write boring exposition and narrative, and therefore the telling is boring.

So, there's good reasons for the rule, but it's a rule like a Mom telling a toddler to stay out of the street. A Great Big Grown-up writer doesn't need rules like that.

But many idiots in the writing community mistake these sorts of rules for a Theory of Good Writing.

You're absolutely right that normal readers don't give a damn--they just want it to be interesting.

I've become so annoyed about people criticizing "telling" or "exposition" or "infodumps" that I've posted a number of extracts of passages from brilliant authors telling. These are fun if you care about such things.

The others are right. Nothing wrong with telling if it is the best option and used sparingly.

Obviously you don't want to tell all the time, but like the others said it is a useful tool for particular things that need to be added to the story. I don't think I have read a single book with out any telling.

Raphee said:

Thanks for this. I am switching from 3rd to omni. The telling is in those parts where I really wanted to cut the story short because introducing new scenes would have been a waste of ink and paper.
I have told quickly in less than a page and moved on.

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Third limited to third omniscient is hardly a jarring switch, at least to me, and it sounds like you're using it for a good reason. Good luck with your story!

Just chiming in to agree. "Show don't tell" isn't even a writing rule, just a made up saying like "If you touch little birds in a nest, dear, their mother won't return." It's not true but parents say it to minimize bird flu or whatever. Hidden agenda.

The definition of narrate is to tell a story. In our case, to write it. If we want to show it, we need a camera. Please don't start on the cinematic approach to writing. It's not for everyone.

Of course the hidden agenda is to encourage telling which evokes images, and as most here have said, I try my best to tell it well.