The Surprising Truth About MRUs: Where They Work—and Where They Don’t
Here’s my almost-infallible rule for deciding when to show and when to tell:
- Show the exciting parts.
- Tell the boring parts.
The reason you show the exciting parts is because you want to spend as long as possible on the fun parts of your story.
The reason you tell the boring parts is because you want to get through the boring parts as fast as possible.
Not exactly rocket science, is it? That’s fine. Not everything we do in writing fiction is deep. Sometimes it’s okay to be simple.
The above rule is not an ironclad rule, but it’s a very good rule of thumb that will be right most of the time. There will be times when you violate this rule. Use your writerly instincts to guide you.
