What “Show Don’t Tell” Really Means episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 7, 2026 · 5 MIN

What “Show Don’t Tell” Really Means

from The Novel Writing Podcast · host Colleen Mitchell

Are you tired of hearing the "show, don't tell" advice thrown around with reckless abandon? Me too. Showing and telling both have their place in fiction, but it's important not to fall into the extreme of showing everything... just like we shouldn't be telling everything. Showing and telling need to be "perfectly balanced, as all things should be," to quote Thanos.Listen in to understand what this advice really means, and how to know what parts of your story need one versus the other.Send us Fan MailWhat to do next…Read transcripts & access interview recordings on SubstackApply for Author Coaching with ColleenTake the 60 Day Novel Writing Challenge for FREE Sell your eBooks direct with Curios (keep 100% of sales) - Affiliate LinkRead Colleen's clean YA portal fantasy series (The Chronicles of Talahm)Read Halie's YA fantasy series (Secrets of the Tally)Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 7, 2026

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Are you tired of hearing the "show, don't tell" advice thrown around with reckless abandon? Me too. Showing and telling both have their place in fiction, but it's important not to fall into the extreme of showing everything... just like we shouldn't be telling everything. Showing and telling need to be "perfectly balanced, as all things should be," to quote Thanos. Listen in to understand what this advice really means, and how to know what parts of your story need one versus th...

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