: Re: When is it okay to "tell", instead of "show"? One of the major mantras of writing fiction is "show, don't tell". Is it ever okay to tell? When?

It has to be OK to 'tell' at some point, because everything comes back to the fact that you are telling a story. At the same time, fiction is powerful precisely because it creates a world and characters to whom the reader relates and uses those to help the reader see through another's eyes and imagine another's world. Telling the reader too much moves you closer to essay territory.

The specific instances of when to show something are far too varied to cover, but here are some general guidelines:

Background scene information that isn't helpful to setting up your mood, tone, theme, plot, and most especially characterization should be ignored or, if it cannot be ignored, told or shown very briefly. You don't want to go on and on describing a scene that isn't providing any movement to your plot or information for your characters. Be punchy.
Background details about your character can also sometimes be summarized. This must be done very careful. Things you want to stick with the reader or hit the reader most powerfully should be shown. Things that help move the story without being absolutely critical can be told.
In general novels will contain more information, more words, and therefore more telling than a short story or a short-short. Novels are designed to encompass more characters and more action, and so the compression of detail needed for a short story isn't so great.

For every guideline I have written, someone may come up with a counter example. In general you should not be looking for an excuse to tell. When you are inclined to tell, see if you could leave the detail out or paint it more concretely with your words. Still, at some point you have to tell the reader something! The general point is to prefer the concrete.

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: Lists of Suggested Magazines to Submit To I recently began writing poetry again. I would like to look into submitting my poems to a magazine. Where can I find a list of literary magazines

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: Is there a Market for Poetry with a Fixed Verse Form I find that when I structure my poetry according to an accepted form such as a villanelle, sestina, or sonnet I am able to think more

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: How do I recover my confidence after a harsh writing group? Having majored in writing in my undergraduate studies, I spent lots of time getting critiques from my fellow students, some of whom

: Re: When is it okay to "tell", instead of "show"? One of the major mantras of writing fiction is "show, don't tell". Is it ever okay to tell? When?

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: Lists of Suggested Magazines to Submit To I recently began writing poetry again. I would like to look into submitting my poems to a magazine. Where can I find a list of literary magazines

: Is there a Market for Poetry with a Fixed Verse Form I find that when I structure my poetry according to an accepted form such as a villanelle, sestina, or sonnet I am able to think more

: How do I recover my confidence after a harsh writing group? Having majored in writing in my undergraduate studies, I spent lots of time getting critiques from my fellow students, some of whom

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