I know it's a "rule": show, don't tell. But I think there is some use to telling. It keeps the narrative balanced, not bogging down in so much detail the story doesn't move ahead.
For instance in a recent piece I had a narrator say "I've always been weird." I went on with a brief examples, again told. "I hated John Lennon, refused to try out for cheerleader. I read during the summers, letting my imagination run amok." Then I ended the paragraph with a detail: I saw hands hidden in the lilac bush and dolphins jumping in the Arkansas River. To my mind that established the mc in her own mind quickly and efficiently.
So I'm wondering how you all balance the need to tell against the imperative to show. I'm working on this right now and could use some other ideas...
For instance in a recent piece I had a narrator say "I've always been weird." I went on with a brief examples, again told. "I hated John Lennon, refused to try out for cheerleader. I read during the summers, letting my imagination run amok." Then I ended the paragraph with a detail: I saw hands hidden in the lilac bush and dolphins jumping in the Arkansas River. To my mind that established the mc in her own mind quickly and efficiently.
So I'm wondering how you all balance the need to tell against the imperative to show. I'm working on this right now and could use some other ideas...