M.S. Olney’s takedown of “Show, Don’t Tell” is exactly the kind of examination of writing advice we need. It’s funny, it’s sharp, and its actual proposal is basically unimpeachable — show when showing serves the story, tell when telling does. Hard to argue with.
I kept pondering it after I finished, though, because “show when it serves, tell when it serves” is true but not quite a tool. It tells you the destination without giving you a way to get there. So here’s the way I actually think about it when I’m at the keyboard.