Loves, we need to have a chat about Show vs Tell because there is so much confusion about it. #RevPit #writingcommmunity

You need BOTH in your story. You cannot have only showing. #revpit

Show is the highlighter. If you highlight a whole page, it will become a giant blur and you won't know where to focus. (Plus the pacing usually tanks.) #revpit

But if you Tell everything, then your eyes skim right over it because there doesn't seem to be anything crucial there. #revpit

So the key is to highlight (Show) things you want to focus on. The non-highlighted parts (Tell) help support your focus (Show). #revpit

Specifically, I've run into a lot of authors who are concerned about Showing background info. Background info, by definition, is not the focus. You might want to tease some out by Showing it, but the majority can be Told (slowly as we go--no info dumps please). #revpit

To conclude: neither one is bad. They have different purposes. Your book needs both. #revpit