History Main / ShowDontTell

* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: When writing about [[EldritchAbomination otherworldly entities]] [[EldritchLocation or places]], it simply isn't possible for one to make stuff up that isn't based (directly or indirectly) on anything that they're familiar with.

* CharacterShilling:

This is a writing or directorial choice that involves the use of character ''behavior'', rather than blatant or thinly-veiled narration, to establish narrative elements.

* To '''tell''' that she is a badass, the narrator, Alice herself and/or other characters around her would [[FauxActionGirl merely state that fact]]. For instance, they might report on previous incidents that have happened in the past and/or "offscreen" while the other characters were busy. Or maybe there'll be no support for the statement whatsoever, but that's unlikely ("Hey, did you hear about the badass things Alice did the other day?" "No, I didn't." "Well, they sure were badass!" *crickets*). In particularly {{egregious}} works, the narrator may state that Alice is a badass, even going so far as to include list of badass things she did, and then never mention it again or—God forbid—apply her badassery in a scene or two.

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Have a job which would involve distinctly non-heroic behavior for your hero? [[SarcasmMode Don't worry, just don't have them do it. It's not like killing people is an]] [[SarcasmMode ''important'']] [[SarcasmMode part of being an assassin anyway.]]

* TimeSkip: No one wants to read or watch a lengthy through a lengthy sequence of events where nothing particularly interesting, exciting or relevant to the plot happens. Under such circumstances, it's quite acceptable to just jump from one relevant bit to another relevant bit and tell your reader / viewer that it's "ten years later" or "three days later, the train reached the city" or "it took him fifteen minutes to get to the shop" and leave it at that without showing what happened during that time.

* OffstageVillainy: The villain is said to have done something malicious, but we do not get to see it happen to understand how evil he/she really is. Frequently a pitfall in attempting to write a CompleteMonster.

*** [[CompletelyMissingThePoint But there's braille...]]

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Have a job which would involve distinctly non-heroic behavior for your hero? Don't worry, just don't have them do it. It's not like killing people is an ''important'' part of being an assassin anyway.

* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: When writing about [[EldritchAbomination otherworldly entities]] [[EldritchLocation or places]], it simply isn't possible for anyone to make stuff up that isn't based (directly or indirectly) on anything that exists in real life.

{{Rush}} named one of their songs after this concept.

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* To '''show''' that Alice is a {{badass}}, she would spend the entire book doing indisputably {{badass}} things. More pertinently, the book would go into detail: for instance, the work could begin with a BatmanColdOpen where she takes on six {{mooks}} without breaking a sweat. In these circumstances, we don't have to be told she's Badass; we can see it for ourselves.
* To '''tell''' that she is a {{Badass}}, the narrator, Alice herself and/or other characters around her would [[FauxActionGirl merely state that fact]]. For instance, they might report on previous incidents that have happened in the past and/or "offscreen" while the other characters were busy. Or maybe there'll be no support for the statement whatsoever, but that's unlikely ("Hey, did you hear about the badass things Alice did the other day?" "No, I didn't." "Well, they sure were badass!" *crickets*). In particularly {{egregious}} works, the narrator may state that Alice is a badass, even going so far as to include list of badass things she did, and then never mention it again or—God forbid—apply her badassery in a scene or two.

An extension of the concept in interactive media like VideoGames is "play, don't show." Rather than the player being ''told'' that the Dragon Lord killed your ninja clan and dishonored you by defeating you in a duel or being ''shown'' a movie sequence, the player is allowed to act out the journey to the DoomedHometown and fight a hopeless duel against his far more powerful foe prior to the game proper.

* CharacterShilling

* DesignatedVillain: Likewise, the character in question has never done anything [[KickTheDog especially villainous]], but the narrative leaves no room for doubt. Often paired with DesignatedHero, though you can have one without the other.
* FauxActionGirl: We're told she's a {{badass}}, but it certainly doesn't ''look'' that way.

* InformedAttribute: We are told that Alice is smart/funny/ugly/pretty/can turn into a bat but we never see any evidence for this.

** InformedDeformity: "Alice and Bob might both have been stick figures, but by God he was hideous."

** InformedWrongness: Bob told Alice that the moon orbits the Earth, ignoring the clear evidence she'd presented that [[MarySue everything in the universe orbited her]]. Well, we can't all be smart like Alice.

* DesignatedVillain: Likewise, the character in question has never done anything [[KickTheDog especially villainous]], but the narrative leaves no room for doubt. [[DesignatedHero These two]] often come in pairs, though you can have one without the other.

* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: it makes me sad when writers resort to just having their characters say what they feel in so many words.

* AndThatsTerrible: when the narrator reminds the audience, [[ViewersAreMorons in case they missed it]], that what the villain did was terrible. [[HypocriticalHumor Which is a bad device and shouldn't be used.]]
* MeaningfulName: a quick (some might even say lazy) way to let us know what a character is like.
* NarratingTheObvious: when a story shows ''and'' tells.
* SaidBookism: "In which the nature and intention of dialogue is told by the dialogue tags as well as by the dialogue itself," The TV Trope page did vocalize speechlessly with passion and vigor.

* AsYouKnow: As you know, this is when a troper like you recognizes as the act of characters giving out exposition nobody in the scene would need.
* InfoDump: Infodumping (that is information + dumping) is a type of Exposition that is particularly sesquipedalian. Although it can be done in a way that is unintrusive or entertaining, most infodumps are obvious, intrusive, patronizing, and sometimes downright boring. Specifically, if the premise of your story is laughably ridiculous, an infodump will call attention to the fact. This infodump, for instance. The word 'infodump' is often used as a pejorative.

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Have a job which would involve distinctly non-heroic behavior for your hero? Don't worry, just don't have them do it. [[SarcasmMode It's not like killing people is an]] ''[[SarcasmMode important]]'' [[SarcasmMode part of being an assassin anyway]].

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Have a job which would involve distinctly non-heroic behavior for your hero? Don't worry, just don't have them do it. [[SarcasmMode It's not like killing people is an ''important'' part of being an assassin anyway]].

* NothingIsScarier: when the writers use our imagination [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel to make us fear.]]

* NarratingTheObvious: wherein the obvious is narrated.

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