Exposition or nay?

[Madman Starryteller]

I often do minimal exposition, but a recent project has me thinking I may need some. Perhaps to start with a little or add a sentence of it here and there.

Do you do exposition? What tricks and tips do you have to make it bearable?

 

[Naomasa298]

What tricks and tips do you have to make it bearable?

Build it in to the narrative and reveal it naturally.

Instead of: Mr. Churchill is the prime minister...

"Who's that on the radio?"
"It's the PM."
"Oh? And what does the esteemed Mr. Churchill have to say for himself this time?"

 

[Louanne Learning]

Do you do exposition?

My writing tends to keep it to a minimum. Only what is needed to advance the story. But that's just my way. I'm heavy on dialogue.

 

[Homer Potvin]

If you mean at the beginning, I do zero exposition. Not even a peep. You don't need it. There will be plenty woven into the general narrative but only at the convergence of relevance and timeliness.

 

[Stuart Dren]

It's better the reader be left (hopefully) wanting more. As long as the story's stakes and other components can be emotionally grasped by the reader (a fistfight is a fistfight whether it's on a spaceship or a bayou), I prefer to give them bits and pieces through the narrative, and never the whole thing.

On that note, Sir Terry Pratchett had his signature witty introduction to the world in each Discworld book. So if you have a way of delivering it deftly, then go ahead, but easier said than done.

 

[Banespawn]

I've always maintained that we should hook the reader with the information we give them, rather than the information we don't. Simply withholding information isn't enough. The information that is provided has to pique the reader's interest so that they'll be compelled to learn the rest.

That said, giving too much information will have the opposite effect. I don't really think about exposition when I'm writing. I try to include information where it is appropriate to what is happening in the story. In some stories, it might be appropriate to provide the reader with a bit more info early on. Other times, I'm focused on the action, and the amount of info is less. I still try to convey as much as I can about the world and the character through the character's actions and thoughts.

 

[Night Herald]

Do you do exposition? What tricks and tips do you have to make it bearable?

I'm a big proponent of exposition, but you gotta do it right. You gotta be subtle with it. And Lord knows I've fucking erred in that respect, but I'm trying to do better.

You wanna not come on so heavy early on, if you're gonna do big exposition then save it for later on. It's not something you wanna frontload with. If you can just naturally sprinkle it through the narrative, great! If not, try to build a natural context around it. You could do this by having a storyteller character, or having a character who reads a lot of books, whatever. Just try to present the information within the story naturally. Try to space it out as much as you can, don't give everything away at once. And try to write it in a way where it's interesting, not just chaff.

 

[Homer Potvin]

I'm a big proponent of exposition, but you gotta do it right. You gotta be subtle with it. And Lord knows I've fucking erred in that respect, but I'm trying to do better.

You wanna not come on so heavy early on, if you're gonna do big exposition then save it for later on. It's not something you wanna frontload with. If you can just naturally sprinkle it through the narrative, great! If not, try to build a natural context around it. You could do this by having a storyteller character, or having a character who reads a lot of books, whatever. Just try to present the information within the story naturally. Try to space it out as much as you can, don't give everything away at once. And try to write it in a way where it's interesting, not just chaff.

Yeah, it's the front loading that will get you. All stories have exposition but it doesn't have to be vomited across chapter 1. It's kind of like spilling all your secrets and flaws on the first date. Better to wait a bit, drop a few hints, then after a few weeks be like, hey, by the way, I know you think I'm Mr. Perfect but X, Y, Z.

 

[Naomasa298]

There's nothing wrong with exposition, if it's done with a purpose, and by purpose, I mean something beyond "look at this amazing world and magic system I built".

 

[Night Herald]

Yeah, it's the front loading that will get you. All stories have exposition but it doesn't have to be vomited across chapter 1. It's kind of like spilling all your secrets and flaws on the first date. Better to wait a bit, drop a few hints, then after a few weeks be like, hey, by the way, I know you think I'm Mr. Perfect but X, Y, Z.

The more I think about it, the more solid that analogy becomes. There's certainly an element of flirtation and seduction in all good writing, not just how we deal with exposition. Never thought of it that way.

 

[Madman Starryteller]

Thank you all for the comments and discussion.

In my main work I currently have half an a4 page of exposition in the beginning. But I think it's interesting enough to allow for its existence. It basically sets the world state and stage to make readers understand chapter one better.

I was thinking of adding something similar to another story, but so far it has flowed pretty good without.

Maybe something for a future workshop post.