Now, I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. What if I told you there was a way you could 'tell' without incurring the wrath of me and mine?

The reality is, it's not always practical to show rather than tell. It's a nuance of the rule that's rarely discussed, but I think is important to note: sometimes, it really is better to state something outright so you can move onto bigger and better things. If you've had this phrase hammered into you and are yet to master it, however, it's possible to go too far in your efforts to avoid it, and/or become overwhelmed in the attempt.

An acceptable way of telling us that Nathan is angry might be:

Blissfully unaware of the madness she was about to unleash, Rebecca took a bite of the decadent cupcake, the sweetness of it plain upon her face. Nathan, who happened to enter the kitchen at that exact moment, was livid.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

In this example, you could easily have 'shown' by having Nathan's hands balling into fists, or clenching his jaw. By doing that, however, it would've taken longer to communicate his reaction, and thus made it seem like more of a slow burn. No—I wanted to show that Nathan was immediately unhinged, shifting focus from his initial reaction to his impassioned tirade.

The beauty of this method of telling is that effectively, it's still showing. At least, in the sense that it's setting up for Nathan to show us exactly how he feels about Rebecca eating the last cupcake.

Moderation is key here. You're not doing this to avoid showing; you're doing it to enhance showing elsewhere. Don't misuse it and make me regret telling you!