Oh very good! Thank you for this, Thaddeus!

It's a rule I've always thought was very very silly (why is 'His heart beat rapidly' better than 'He felt nervous'?? Honestly!) and I was interested to read your take. I hadn't considered the fact that context matters (to whether its showing or telling) and also how the two work in combo.

The thing I don't like about it is it causes the narrative pace to become extremely uniform. Scenes unfold 'in-scene' in real time because they have to 'show.'

Anyway, I will certainly come back to this essay - thanks also for bringing together that list of links.