: Re: Is it okay to include world-building facts by "telling" instead of "showing"? I know we need to show and not tell, but is it still okay to sometimes tell instead of having to show it? For

@Voss1744584

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There are definitely places to tell instead of show when world-building

In a book I wrote recently, I have long sections describing the political climate of the galaxy. These parts are important for the story to work, and using them in dialogue or some other way would be cumbersome. If it works better as telling instead of showing, then telling is the better way to go. Say, for example, you want to talk about politics within a certain nation. Getting your character to talk about it might not work since they may not be prone to political discussion or they may not know much of the nation themselves.

This is quite common in science fiction and fantasy. Almost any epic work of either genre has these long section of world-building.

You do want to keep your reader in mind. If your book is a thriller, you don't want to slow it down with lengthy world-building. Also, make sure, as the cliché goes, "that every word earns their pace on the page."

This does not excuse you from showing during more intense and personal scenes.

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