When Should You Show Through Dialogue—and When Should You Tell?
If you’ve been crafting stories for a while, you’ve probably heard “show, don’t tell” more times than you can count. But if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s not that simple—especially when it comes to dialogue.
Dialogue is a tool that can show character depth, emotional nuance, and subtext—but it can also bog a scene down if overused for the wrong things. Likewise, there are moments when telling around or within dialogue can elegantly move the story forward without sacrificing engagement.
So, today, let’s peel back a layer on this topic. Not “show vs. tell” as a binary choice, but how to balance them inside and around dialogue, and why doing it well separates an adequate scene from an unforgettable one.
What Dialogue Is Actually For
Why Showing Matters in Dialogue
When dialogue is at its best, it’s not just about what characters say, but how and why they say it. It’s a performance in itself—where the subtext often says more than the words.
Think about this line:
“Oh. You remembered.”
That could be joy, disappointment, bitterness, surprise—all in the delivery. If you show this in dialogue (with beats, pauses, tone), you invite the reader to lean in and infer. That’s where showing shines—emotional nuance, subtle shifts in dynamics, and moments where the unsaid carries weight.
When Telling Through or Around Dialogue Works Better
But not everything in your story warrants that level of performance. Sometimes, you need clarity, or efficiency—and here, telling earns its place.
Let’s say your characters are planning a heist. You could write pages of logistical dialogue:
“So first, we disable the alarms, then slip in through the service entrance at 2 AM, right?”
“Yeah. And after that, we—”
Or, you could tell:
They spent an hour hashing out the plan—alarms, entry points, and timing all nailed down.
The second version preserves pacing and keeps us from slogging through functional chatter. Telling compresses where showing would add noise.
When To Show, When To Tell — Cheat Sheet
Show Through Dialogue When:
Character relationships are evolving.
A reunion between estranged siblings? Don’t tell us they’re uncomfortable—show us in how they speak:
“You still playing that old guitar?”
“I… yeah. Sometimes.”
Unspoken emotions matter.
Use hesitation, pacing, and subtext-rich exchanges. A breakup scene where both characters are pretending it’s mutual—rich ground for showing.
Voice reveals character.
Distinct dialogue can embody personality. Think how sharply Terry Pratchett’s characters “sound” without needing tags.
You want readers to engage actively.
When readers have to read between the lines, they become co-creators of the scene’s emotional texture.
You’re in a key dramatic moment.
Arguments, revelations, seductions—showing makes these feel lived, not reported.
Tell Around Dialogue When:
You’re summarizing functional talk.
If the conversation isn’t emotionally charged or pivotal, a quick telling keeps momentum.
Exposition is necessary but unnatural in dialogue.
Avoid “as you know, Bob” syndrome. Telling can elegantly deliver worldbuilding outside of awkward speech.
You need to cover time efficiently.
Rather than scripting every small talk exchange on a cross-country trip, tell us they bonded—or didn’t—over the hours.
You want to create a rhythmic break.
Dialogue-heavy scenes benefit from the occasional narrative beat to vary pacing and tone.
You need to clarify what happened.
After an intentionally cryptic dialogue, a touch of telling can ground the reader without killing the scene’s mystique.
How to Blend Showing and Telling Seamlessly
Use Beats and Actions to Layer Meaning
Beats—those little physical cues—add subtext without additional dialogue. Consider:
“Fine,” she said, folding the napkin with surgical precision.
That folded napkin tells us volumes. You’re both showing emotion and controlling pacing.
Mix Summary with Dialogue for Control
Start with summary, then dip into sharp dialogue:
They argued for half an hour before she finally snapped.
“If you cared half as much about this family as you do your job, we wouldn’t be here!”
This technique sets context, controls pacing, and reserves showing for maximum impact.
Use the Authorial Voice—Judiciously
Don’t be afraid to lean on your narrative voice to tell when it serves your tone or pacing. Think of George Saunders’ blend of direct summary with sharp dialogue bursts. Used with purpose, telling can feel stylistically intentional, not lazy.
Avoid Redundancy
Here’s a big trap: don’t tell what you’ve already shown. If your dialogue already conveys bitterness, you don’t need:
“Oh. You remembered.” she said bitterly.
Trust your scene construction. Let showing breathe.
If you start seeing dialogue not as a place where “show” and “tell” are enemies but as a space where they can collaborate, your scenes will gain texture and flow. And as you know better than anyone—that’s where the real magic happens.
When To Show, When To Tell — Cheat Sheet
Let’s get practical for a minute. We’ve talked about why it matters and where each approach shines—but how do you know which choice to make when you’re actually writing?
I find it useful to think of showing vs. telling in dialogue as a series of deliberate decisions, not as a default style. This is where even experienced writers sometimes slip: we get so good at “showing” that we forget when the story is actually better served by telling.
Here’s a guide I like to use—a kind of mental flowchart—to keep those choices sharp.
Show Through Dialogue When:
Character relationships are evolving.
When two characters’ dynamic is in flux—whether they’re becoming friends, falling apart, deepening their trust—showing in dialogue is pure gold. Readers want to witness those changes, not be told about them.
Example:
In The Godfather, Michael’s conversations with Kay shift radically as he transforms. The coldness creeps in through how he says things, not an omniscient narrator spelling it out.
Unspoken emotions matter.
The more emotionally charged the moment, the less you should lean on explicit telling. Subtext, pauses, hesitations—this is where dialogue lets us feel what’s at stake.
Example:
In Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, strained mother-daughter talks reveal decades of tension through clipped, polite exchanges—not through exposition.
Voice reveals character.
Dialogue is one of your best tools for giving characters distinct, living voices. If your telling flattens them into the narrator’s tone, you’re robbing them of vitality.
Example:
In Catch-22, Yossarian’s absurd exchanges with superiors highlight his desperate, questioning worldview far more effectively than narration could.
You want readers to engage actively.
Dialogue that forces the reader to read between the lines builds trust and engagement. Let them connect the dots.
Example:
In Normal People, Sally Rooney’s minimalist dialogue often leaves emotional interpretation up to the reader, creating deep investment.
You’re in a key dramatic moment.
Don’t pull the camera away at the climax of a personal confrontation or turning point. Let the characters own the scene.
Example:
In Breaking Bad, Walt’s confessions and confrontations hit harder because we hear them unfold, not through narrated summary.
Tell Around Dialogue When:
You’re summarizing functional talk.
Not every piece of dialogue is worth dramatizing. If the exchange is purely logistical or repetitive, summarizing keeps the narrative lean.
Example:
They discussed the plan in detail, agreeing on their cover stories and next steps.
Exposition is necessary but unnatural in dialogue.
Avoid characters saying things they already know just to inform the reader. Sometimes, narrative exposition is far more elegant.
Bad example:
“As you know, we’ve been business partners for 10 years, and this merger is our biggest yet.”
Better:
They’d been through countless deals, but this merger would test their partnership like no other.
You need to cover time efficiently.
Dialogue is time-consuming to read. If your story needs to move quickly through events, telling gets you there.
Example:
Over the next few weeks, their tentative friendship deepened through countless late-night talks.
You want to create a rhythmic break.
In dialogue-heavy sections, occasional narrative summary lets the reader breathe and keeps pacing varied.
Example:
After pages of snappy banter, a quick summarizing sentence can reset the tempo before diving back in.
You need to clarify what happened.
Sometimes after an intentionally ambiguous conversation, a touch of narration ensures the reader isn’t lost.
Example:
She said nothing, but the decision was made—the deal was off.
A Caveat: Avoid Redundancy
Here’s one of the biggest traps: don’t tell what you’ve already shown. If your dialogue or beats already convey a tone or emotion, resist the urge to spell it out.
Bad:
“I’m fine,” she said angrily.
Better:
“I’m fine.” She slammed the door behind her.
Your reader is smart. Trust them to pick up what you’ve shown.
How to Blend Showing and Telling Seamlessly
Now that we’ve covered the guidelines, let’s talk about the real artistry: blending showing and telling in and around dialogue so the scene flows naturally.
This is where craft meets instinct—and it’s what separates competent storytelling from masterful narrative.
Use Beats and Actions to Layer Meaning
Dialogue doesn’t exist in a vacuum. What your characters do while they speak often communicates more than the words themselves.
Look at this example:
“I’m happy for you,” he said, tracing the rim of his glass without looking up.
That action beat infuses the line with doubt or bitterness, without a single adverb or explicit telling. We feel it.
Good dialogue choreography—well-placed beats, gestures, and silences—can let you show more while keeping the dialogue lean.
Mix Summary with Dialogue for Control
One trick I love: start with narrative summary, then spotlight key dialogue lines.
Example:
The meeting dragged on, filled with excuses and evasions. Finally, Joan cut through the noise.
“We’re out of time. Are you in or out?”
This gives you control over pacing: you compress the dull parts, then let the important moment breathe.
Use the Authorial Voice—Judiciously
Experienced writers know that sometimes the narrator’s voice can strategically “tell” around dialogue in a way that adds style and perspective.
Look at this from Lorrie Moore:
They talked for hours. None of it mattered. Later, all she’d remember was the look in his eyes.
The narrative tells us something dialogue can’t—what will ultimately matter.
Using this technique sparingly adds layers and tone without undermining the immediacy of your dialogue.
Build Scenes Like Music
Think of blending showing and telling in dialogue like composing a piece of music.
- Dialogue is your melody—emotional, dynamic, in the foreground.
- Telling and narrative summary are your bassline and rhythm—keeping time, shaping flow.
If your scene is nothing but dialogue, it can feel breathless or claustrophobic. If it’s all telling, it risks becoming dry. The interplay of both is what makes the scene sing.
Practical Red Flags to Watch For
- If you’re writing a long conversation where nothing is shown except words on the page—add beats or summary.
- If you find yourself summarizing an emotionally pivotal scene—consider dramatizing it through dialogue.
- If your dialogue feels like characters explaining things they already know—move that information into narration.
Ultimately, the goal is not to follow rigid rules, but to stay conscious and intentional about your choices. Showing and telling in dialogue aren’t competing forces—they’re partners in crafting an engaging reader experience.
Before You Leave…
If there’s one takeaway here, it’s this: you don’t have to choose sides.
Dialogue isn’t the enemy of telling, nor is narration the enemy of showing. The best stories blend both with purpose—using each tool where it best serves the moment.
Next time you’re writing a scene, ask yourself:
What needs to live on the page as dialogue?
What’s better left to the narrator’s voice?
Where can I let subtext do the heavy lifting?
Approach these decisions as part of your storytelling music, and you’ll find your scenes not only flow better—but resonate more deeply.
Now go break some rules—on purpose.