Jacobs Playbook - "Show vs Tell"

I've decided to start writing a Playbook. Essentially, it's a bunch of tips and tricks you can use when you're writing which I have learned based on my own experience (both when reading, writing and critiquing)

For this first one, I thought I wanted to share a bit on a concept called "Show vs Tell". You may have heard about it - and it plays a crucial role in character development and character expectation and management.

This may sound... weird? Let's take it from the top and let me show you and example:

"Icerys did not care about the bleeding man"

"Icerys walked past the bleeding man, barely realizing he was there."

Whats the difference here? Easy! The first sentence is tell. You tell the reader who Icerys is as a person. The second sentence is show. You show the reader who Icerys is.

Going back to the difference - which sentence did you feel gave you the greater idea of who Icerys is? Which sentence made you feel most connected with the character? Most likely, you will say "Show"

When you write a "Show" sentence, you dont tell the reader what to think - you show the reader, and then make the reader make his/her/their own conclusion. This is powerful, because it makes the reader feel they are in control of how they perceive the story, and it becomes their own. It connects them to the characters and let them build that bond which will make them turn the pages.

So, is "Tell" always bad? The answer is no - and specifically, there are two times where "Tell" is much stronger than "Show"

1) When characters you care about "Tell" about characters you care about. This is because you already care about these characters, so when a character "Tells" it, its an extension of your own. Its like when you show someone a piece of music and they love it, and tell about it to someone else. Its the same feeling you get, and it is strong! Especially, if you agree with that character what he/she/them "Tells" - because it re-affirms your taste in music, so it speak.

2) When characters you care about "Tell" about characters you will never meet. This is good for the opposite reason as above. A character, whom you care about, will tell you something about a character you will never meet. You trust this characters judgement, so you will get this image in your head about that other character. This is especially good for characters that are dead, because you can make them legends by having multiple characters talk about him/her/them, and it will strenghten that idea. Same thing with arch-villains or arch-good people.

HOWEVER: Never, ever let the reader meet that character. Its like the phrase "Never meet your heroes". You will, in most cases, end up disappointing the reader. Of course, there is another exception: If you really do a good case of "Show" of the character, then you might just be able to pull it off. If the character in question has been told to be the eviliest son-of-a-gun on this side of the event horizon, you better show the reader why your favourite character has been saying that about him - and not let either of those characters down by simply doing another "Tell"

So, in conclusion:

"Show" > "Tell" in most cases. However, in some cases, "Tell" can be a powerful narrative tool - if you use it wisely.