Every writer has heard at some point during their career the “show, don’t tell” rule. It can be kind of daunting at times, especially if you over think it.
Showing vs telling can be a key part in making a story good or making it great. However, you shouldn’t obsess over it so much that your story suffers. How? you may ask. Simple, if you obsess over making sure you provide such detailed and excellent descriptions for every little thing, then you won’t be worrying about if it really fits what’s going on. If you over describe things, then the picture you’ve painted for your reader(s) becomes so elaborate that they can’t have any creative liberties of their own. That may sound odd, but you want your reader(s) to make parts of your story their own, that’s how they become connected to your story and the characters within it. It also will make your story become dull and too wordy if everything is described in impeccable and drawn out detail.
As stated on shesnovel.com, there needs to be “a healthy balance between ‘good and bad’, the good being showing and the bad being telling. Everything doesn’t need to be shown, some things really should just be stated, and as the author, it is ultimately up to you to decide when it’s time to show and when it’s time to tell.
Lindsey Rayner Barnes 