In the writing world, the current mantra of ‘show vs tell’ is all over the place. But if you over analyze the statement you begin to ask, what does it actually mean? But before you have a meltdown and end up on the street shouting out phrases like ‘But technically isn’t everything you write telling in some form or another?’ or ‘These examples are too small (even though they are great, you just want more). Stop and just admit you want someone to not chastise you for saying, ‘Just tell it to me like I’m an idiot.’ Well here is that answer:
Show vs Tell is pretty much Scene vs Summary.
I just came across a TedTalk by John Dufresne and he gives a great description.
‘Scene is vivid and intimate and Summary is distant and efficient‘. He says this at the 4.20 mark in the video below.
Stephanie Haggarty 