One of the major mantras of writing fiction is "show, don't tell".
Is it ever okay to tell? When?
Answer
It's too easy to get blindly hung up on mantras. If you look at the great authors, they break the rules all the time. With that said, there isn't a predetermined time when it's okay to tell rather than show. You have to decide on the fly which method provides the clearest picture to the reader. Conveying a clear picture is an optimal goal.
The reason they say "show, don't tell" is so that you, as the writer, will work harder to convey the proper mental image to the reader. It's harder to show something in words than it is to just tell it. It is also more enjoyable for the reader to see it. Sometimes you can convey the best mental picture by simply telling however.
Example: you're describing something that the reader has never seen in the real world or even imagined. In that case you might have to spend five pages trying to show something that is quite simple and should really just be explained.
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