tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17171183.post8500703098166130195..comments2023-05-18T08:10:32.755+00:00Comments on Wondering Mind: Explaining the SetupUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17171183.post-72949794305326287562008-04-08T21:17:00.000+00:002008-04-08T21:17:00.000+00:00Maybe all it needs is a little patience. Telling y...Maybe all it needs is a little patience. Telling your story must take precedence over telling why it exists. Only at the points where telling the story would become meaningless should you consider injecting a little exposition.<BR/>I've always tried to consider the possibilities before tying myself down to a certain way. I've had my worst moments following a bout of impatience. My second chapter is a result of impatience, and I paid for it.<BR/>One may even consider writing down the 'whys' and putting them to one side, separate to the writing itself. Then write, drawing on the whys as you go, adding to them, too, as you discover more. But don't get too hung up on it all - enjoy what you are doing and help the reader enjoy it. Exposition is a technicality that will kill you if you think about it too much. So don't!esruelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02835679794930788599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17171183.post-43051516492603466162008-04-08T11:51:00.000+00:002008-04-08T11:51:00.000+00:00I think it can be very misleading studying SFF for...I think it can be very misleading studying SFF for techniques on exposition, simply because the genre expectations are rather singular.<BR/>The problem that you, me and Esy, and I imagine every writer, has is that of delivering info and creating mood without stopping to a standstill every time.<BR/>If we can incorporate exposition into the meaty stuff, the problem vanishes. And we can do this using shows.<BR/>In the first instance, if you haven't got all those dynamic scenes of love and heartbreak and vengeance and regret in place, then nothing else really matters; you probably have nothing worthy of a reader's attention.<BR/>So, assuming you have got all those elements in place, look for places to reveal information. This, I'm learning, is an artform! Saw a brilliant show in 'Catch Me if You Can'. Frank uses transfers from a model plane kit to forge a cheque. Later, we see a bathtub filled with model planes, showing that Frank has really gotten into this cheque-forging business.<BR/>Don't feel under pressure to dump everything early on or in one fell swoop. Remember to develop stuff as you progress, so that you clear up a little mystery here whilst having another one pottering along.<BR/>Beyond that, I'm as lost as anyone I'm afraid.solvhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06645505445874537021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17171183.post-81357881158795661852008-04-07T14:11:00.000+00:002008-04-07T14:11:00.000+00:00Ack! Which brings me back to the problem of the la...Ack! Which brings me back to the problem of the last two weeks - am I starting in the right place?R1Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795008603868808516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17171183.post-59314640266982556692008-04-07T11:52:00.000+00:002008-04-07T11:52:00.000+00:00Perhaps worth bearing in mind that genres have the...Perhaps worth bearing in mind that genres have their own S&T expectations. Perhaps by their nature, SF and Fantasy fans expect, and even revel in, told exposition (although I'd assume that even these fans have a threshold).<BR/>I believe that good planning can help prepare for the delivery of exposition. If you plan a mugging early on, you can show how the protag reacts when the mugger tries to take his cash - the cash that he is taking to the bank - the cash that he is saving for his son's education/new kidney. Protag risks his life and/or pleads. There'll also be scenes early on in which protag finishes working his day shift and then goes straight onto his night shift, and he'll endure all manner of bullying from his bosses. He'll scrimp and save, so he'll have few creature comforts in his shabby flat in a dodgy part of the city. All of these scenes double as shows that reveal the protag's motivation and, through pressurized choices, his character. And all visible through a bit of forward planning!solvhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06645505445874537021noreply@blogger.com