The Case for "Tell, Don't Show"
We're drilled to "show, don't tell." But sometimes telling is exactly what your scene needs.
When to tell instead of show:
- When the event is too traumatic or graphic to depict the character recounting it often carries more emotional weight than the visual ever could
- When the backstory is complex but the present moment is urgent a few lines of exposition keeps the story moving
- When the telling itself reveals character how someone describes an event shows who they are, what they remember, what they omit
- When restraint creates mystery letting the audience imagine the horror often lands harder than showing it
Think of the opening of Jaws. We don't see the shark attack. We hear about it. The telling builds dread the showing would have diminished.
Every conventional rule in screenwriting has a time when it needs to be bent or broken. "Show, don't tell" is a guideline, not a law. The question is always: what serves the story and the audience in this specific moment?
Do you have a scene that tells instead of shows? Drop it below. If not, try incorporating this in your next scene or script and see what happens.
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The Case for "Tell, Don't Show"
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