Read Lovely Books
Has anyone ever told you that your story was good, but included too much info-dumping?
Being able to balance exposition in a story will distinguish a great manuscript from a mediocre one
Read on to learn more about what exposition is, how it works, and how to use it
Plainly put, exposition is how the author conveys background information to the reader
This means the author needs to impart that information to the reader, and the way they do
Any story is going to have information the reader needs to know which happened before the events
Backstory fills us in on details about the world and the characters in it
This does a few things: first, it provides context for the story, so the reader knows what’
If we learn that one of our characters is from a kingdom which has long since been
One method of delivering exposition comes in the form of an expository paragraph
This is a paragraph or section devoted entirely to describing background information
You won’t see the forward story progress here, as this is entirely devoted to filling in
The Kingdom of Cheese Curls was rainy for most of the year, since it was positioned on
This could happen in a variety of ways (which we’ll discuss in a minute), and it
This makes the backstory feel natural and seamless, which creates not only a compelling narrative, but also
This will also occur in-scene, which means it contributes to the progression of the forward story
But in fiction, you should always aim for indirect exposition
Let’s discuss how best to incorporate exposition into a novel
We’ll cover some common mistakes writers make first, then we’ll talk about better ways to
You know those fantasy novels that open with a five-page chapter that just explains the world as
These stop your manuscript dead in its tracks to explain information to the reader
These are especially deadly at the opening of a story, which is, unfortunately, where a lot of
You also want your exposition to read effortlessly—it should slot alongside the rest of your prose
This can be a tricky skill to cultivate, but when done correctly, your reader won’t feel
But before we talk about the tools you can use to convey exposition, let’s first cover
In other words, unless the reader wouldn’t understand what’s going on without it, skip it
Even for a contemporary author, it may seem vital that the reader has a full understanding of
Dialogue is perhaps the best tool a writer has for writing exposition
This is where some authors run into info-dump territory, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be
Just make sure the scene does demand it and that it doesn’t pull the reader out
Also, consider point of view when you write exposition through narration
A first-person narrator will only be able to impart so much, while a third-person omniscient narrator will
In a good prologue (and what makes for a good prologue is a whole separate discussion), the
Basically, if your story makes perfect sense without the prologue, you don’t need it
The exposition in your prologue will justify its existence, if you’ve done it right
Much like the prologue, flashbacks tend to get abused by new writers
At worst, they pull the reader out of the story for no reason
However, when you go to write a flashback, ask yourself the same questions you’d ask if
Do I need this flashback to explain the scene? Is there a more natural way I could