Craft Glossary · term

Over-explanation / the caption tell

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Plain English: Stating the meaning of an image or action right after showing it — the narrative equivalent of captioning a photo you can already see. "She slammed the door. She was furious."

Fix: Trust the reader. If the action carried it, cut the caption. The repo's standing editorial question: "is there a line that states what was already dramatised? Cut it."

See: Show, don't tell · Dramatic embodiment · Thesis

Arjuna Badger Press · Craft Library

Glossary · Doctrine · Anti-patterns · Triptych form · LLM tells

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