Show, don't tell, is a mantra repeated by tutors of creative writing courses the world over. As advice for amateurs, it is sound and helps avoid character profiling, unactivated scenes, and broken narrative frames.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The basic rule of storytelling is 'show, don't tell.'
Sometimes it's easier to show than it is to tell.
At writing workshops, they taught us to show, not tell - well, showing takes time.
When you're learning how to do magic, the first rule is 'never reveal a secret.' In a way, by telling someone I'm a magician, it kind of gives away the best secret of all... How interesting to take the magician out of the equation of a magic show.
The magic happens when you take facts and figures, features and benefits, decks and PowerPoints - relatively soulless information - and embed them in the telling of a purposeful story. Your 'tell' renders an experience to your audience, making the information inside the story memorable, resonant and actionable.
Why not show off if you've got something to show?
What writing does is to reveal.
You cannot tell an audience a lie. They know it before you do; before it's out of your mouth, they know it's a lie.
The dreaded phrase in design circles is 'show and tell.'
When you're writing for a show, you're writing part of the script. You have to tell the story.