There are points in almost every story where exposition is necessary. Most stories would suffer without information that adds past, context and overview.
Exposition in a novel breaks away from the ongoing action of a scene to give information. It can be a paragraph or go on for several pages. Exposition often provides contextual information critical for the reader to buy-in to character-motivation or the ideas promoted in the story. It gives a story its perspective and larger meaning by linking the reader with the thematic elements. If scene is action and plot, exposition feeds reflection and theme. Exposition can appear in the form of background, setting, back story, or overview. It is most often expressed through a POV character’s reflection and observation.
A good story integrates exposition with action to provide cadense. The following tips will help you achieve this.
Restrain Yourself and Keep Your Notes to Yourself
Most beginning writers and some professional writers add too much exposition on a subject that obviously excited them. This often occurs when a writer feels impelled to share their invention or discovery at the expense of story-telling. Doing your “homework” in writing (e.g., research) also includes keeping it to yourself, no matter how much you want to share it. Doing your homework is the “iceberg” and the story is the “tip”. Many genre books (e.g., science fiction, thrillers, mysteries, etc.) must be supported by solid research.
Arouse then Explain
Introduce your character by letting her act and show herself and engage the reader’s curiosity and sympathy, then explain how and why she got there. By starting with action, you engage the reader's interest first so they will stick around for the explanation later.
Build exposition Into the scene
Get creative and include expository information as props in a scene. This is a great way to add information seamlessly. One example of this is when describing setting. When you describe setting, you also provide important information about how the POV character thinks and feels while giving information where they are.
Put Exposition in Between Scenes
Instead of interrupting a scene in action, exposition can be used to give the reader a breather from a high paced scene to reflect along with the protagonist on what just happened. This is a more appropriate place to read exposition, when the reader has calmed down.
Let a character explain
Have your characters provide the information by one questioning and the other replying. There is a danger in this kind of exposition, in that the dialogue can become encumbered by long stretches of explanation. Take care to make this realistic and enjoyable to the reader. If done well, this type of exposition can also reveal things about the characters.
Use interior monologue
Use a character’s inner reflections to reveal information, which also reveals something of the character herself. Be careful not to turn this into polemic, however.
Nina Munteanu - Nina Munteanu is a Canadian author and ecologist, who enjoys traveling. She has been tasting her way for years around the world in exotic ...
