Rebound / Reaction Shots

Dr Verlyn Flieger has talked about how Tolkien creates certain effects indirectly, through "rebound" or (as I call it) "reaction shots."  So we hardly ever (if at all) see the One Ring being used to full effect, but instead see other characters' reactions to it, especially the great caution and terror of the very best and wisest characters (Flieger, "Tolkien's World and the Fairy-story Essay" in Green Suns and Faërie at 12).  And he uses this same technique to evoke a sense of wonder at several points (Flieger,  "The Eye of the Beholder" at Mythmoot IV; also discussed at Idiosophy and The Middle Page, among others).

This came up in a recent discussion of the Babylon 5 episode, "A Late Delivery from Avalon," as participants noted that Marcus mentions, but absolutely refuses to explain or describe, the ranger training on "terror – how to use it and how to face it."

This hint allows audience members to imagine for themselves just how horrific the training must be, rather than risking disappointment by showing or describing it.

So the hoary writing advice "Show, don't tell" can perhaps be perhaps revised as "Show, don't tell - and sometimes hint for greatest effect."