TRAVELLER... BOOK HOARDER... WRITER OF ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
I’m one of these people who likes to pick apart the show-don’t-tell advice given to writers. Here’s an opinion to consider. The bottom line might be, it’s not whether you tell but when and how you tell…
…When is telling more appropriate? Again, if you have information that absolutely must be conveyed, then telling is the way to go. It’s short and dirty and sometimes? It works. Further, you shouldn’t be afraid to have characters (through dialogue or, at times, through first-person POV) “tell” things. Explanation through a character’s voice and perspective still can carry with it the earmarks of showing — because just as it’s true that you as the author have choices in how you share information, so too do all the characters in your story. Characters speaking in their own voice are, in a way, showing.
And that’s maybe a lesson for the author, too — your voice in all this matters, and a strong and artful voice can make telling seem like showing even when it’s not…
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/04/11/a-long-look-at-show-dont-tell/