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Heard a writing teacher say 'show don't tell' is the only rule that matters

I was at a workshop last month and someone said that line like it was gospel. But I think telling can be just as powerful sometimes, especially when you need to move a scene fast. Has anyone else found moments where telling actually works better?
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nelson.nancy
Yeah totally, sometimes you just gotta tell so you don't bore everyone to death with five pages of weather description.
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alicew68
alicew685d ago
It's funny how this same thing plays out everywhere though. Like when someone asks how your weekend was, they don't actually want the full timeline from Saturday morning coffee to Sunday night panic. They just want the highlight reel. I catch myself doing it too, telling way too much detail about a recipe or a show I watched, and then I see their eyes glaze over and I'm like, "okay cut, just give them the ending.
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