FifthView
Vala
2. RUE (Resist the Urge to Explain). Overexplaining insults the reader's intelligence. Not a great way to win fans.
On a more theoretical note, I wonder greatly about RUE as a conceptual tool for good writing.
On the one hand, the problems of excessive exposition and info-dumping are, I think, well established problems. RUE as a guard against those things is a sensible guideline.
But RUE as a positive approach to writing – I mean, as a way to improve writing by purposefully writing obliquely? I think that other stylistic approaches and strategies kind of cover that sort of thing, for example foreshadowing, purposely including mystery to raise suspense, setting up a surprising twist, and so forth. There are multiple ways in which withholding information until a later point can improve a story.
Purposely withholding information...simply because one can fill in the details later, but for no other reason – is that a useful strategy? It might be a stylistic choice rather than a strategic choice.
As a guard against info-dumping or boring exposition, the question when using RUE introduces other questions, for instance, "Is there absolutely no way I can explicate (use descripting language for the scene, more informative dialogue, etc.) without info-dumping?"