Show, Don't Tell

Render meaning through action and behavior instead of announcing it in narration or dialogue.

The oldest note in the business: dramatize instead of report. 'Marcus is cheap' is a claim; Marcus splitting a tip calculator three ways at his mother's funeral is evidence. Audiences trust what characters do and discount what anyone says.

It applies at every scale — a line of dialogue, a character introduction, a whole theme — and like every rule it bends: sometimes a swift 'tell' is the right price for pace.