Telly, showy - the beginning of a story

Another time when telling is appropriate is when you want to summarize something. You don't have to show every scene.

For example, let's take a generic fantasy quest. Your characters have just arrived in town. They find a place to stable their horses and a nearby inn. Most of the time, I would probably cover those bits in one sentence. Now, if something important happens while they're doing that, you show it.

But if it's boring, just tell the reader and move on to the good stuff.

rwm4768 said:

But if it's boring, just tell the reader and move on to the good stuff.

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Oh yes. Yes please. The readers will fill in the gaps far better than we ever could.

Good writing will encompass both aspects. The benefit of a 'show' is that you drag the reader into the story, rather than simply recounting things.

However, one thing that rarely gets mentioned is that used well, the 'tell' can be far more powerful as an element of a story than 'show'.

A 'tell' can be sharp, succinct, to the point and indisputable. It can be hard, stark and raw. It can shock, it can have a single point of impact that really drives something home.

Going all show or all tell is as bad as using the two at the wrong times. Think about how you want the reader to react, and use the most appropriate form.