When To Show and When To Tell

 A practical guide to choosing between rich description and straightforward feeling.

You've probably received a lot of writing advice on how to create emotional depth in your book. The most common one that fills my feeds is to "show, don't tell." Meaning the reader interprets what the character is feeling based on the actions and tension of the scene, rather than explicitly stating what they're feeling. While it’s valuable to learn how to use descriptive language to express feelings, it isn’t always possible or ideal to show everything.

Problems arise when you rely only on emotion: a book can drag on too long, overwhelm the reader, and create confusion. Learning when to show and when to tell will help your reader stay fully immersed in the story.

When To Show

High-Stake Scenes

Emotions should always be shown and deeply felt during pivotal moments. This is the point when the story takes a turn: a character has a choice to make, and they have something real to gain or lose. The protagonist can’t walk away from the situation feeling neutral or mildly inconvenienced. They need to feel pressure, fear, anxiety, excitement—something that has the reader sitting up in bed, their own heart pounding because they are experiencing it with the character.

Character-Defining Traits

Our natural mannerisms and actions are all shaped by the past: what we learned about the world, our childhood, the trauma endured, and the wounds that are still healing. Your characters should be the same way. Every moment affects how they behave in their relationships and guides the choices that move them toward their defining moments.

A flinch is more powerful than saying, “I don’t like to be touched.” Freezing at the flash of headlights or the screech of tires is stronger than “I can't get inside that car.” In these micro-gestures, the tightened grip, the half-step back, the breath that catches for just a second, your characters’ pasts speak loudest, without a single word of explanation.

Build Tension

To build tension, make the situation feel real. Sensory details and visceral reactions create uncertainty and subtext, pulling the reader into the moment instead of leaving them a silent observer. As the character pieces together what’s happening, the reader should do the same, uncertain of what comes next and hanging on the edge of anticipation.

When To Tell

Rapid Transitions

Showing emotion in detail extends a scene and slows the pace. Some moments need to move quickly so the story can move forward. We don’t need to see every daily routine, the full journey to a new location, or a blow-by-blow recap of an event. These are the places where it’s okay to tell what a character is feeling, so the reader doesn’t feel trapped in a Groundhog Day loop.

Minor Reactions

Not everything needs to be dramatized. Sometimes, telling is cleaner and more realistic than a full emotional monologue. A line like, “The sound of his voice annoyed her,” is direct and keeps the scene moving, saving rich emotional detail for pivotal moments that truly deserve the spotlight.

Clarification

Visceral reactions can share similar physical sensations yet mean very different things. A pounding heart might signal fear, anxiety, excitement, or romantic tension. If the character frequently experiences a racing heart in many situations, it may be best to cut this description and instead write, “anger boiled her blood.”

Validating the Audience

After you’ve already drawn an initial reaction from your reader, you can follow it by showing how the protagonist feels, reassuring readers that their response is valid. Suppose the protagonist receives news that changes the story’s direction. First, you show the immediate emotional reaction; then you validate it by telling the reader what is felt in the aftermath of that moment.

Showing and telling have different purposes in storytelling and shape the reading experience in different ways. Using both techniques with intention will keep readers emotionally invested and yearning for more.