Comments on: Exposition http://annalemma.net/blog/exposition.html with Christopher Heavener Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:25:43 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=6526 hourly 1 By: Chris http://annalemma.net/blog/exposition.html/comment-page-1#comment-570 Chris Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:19:18 +0000 http://annalemma.net/?p=2177#comment-570 I don't really have a problem with it altogether, just how it's presented most of the time. I'm a big fan of stories and exposition doesn't really feel like telling a story as much as getting the audience up to speed. Sometimes it's necessary, sometimes it isn't. Most of the submissions I read present exposition in a distant third person, revealing things about characters and the relationships between them. I like stories where the characters show themselves in a scene instead of having the narrator unload a bunch of facts on the audience. It's the differnce in telling someone about a magic trick instead of showing them one. To borrow an expression from a teacher of mine, if your story is a car and the narrator is driving, why would you want to keep turning around and going back? Wouldn't you just want to keep driving until you got to the end? I don’t really have a problem with it altogether, just how it’s presented most of the time. I’m a big fan of stories and exposition doesn’t really feel like telling a story as much as getting the audience up to speed. Sometimes it’s necessary, sometimes it isn’t.

Most of the submissions I read present exposition in a distant third person, revealing things about characters and the relationships between them. I like stories where the characters show themselves in a scene instead of having the narrator unload a bunch of facts on the audience. It’s the differnce in telling someone about a magic trick instead of showing them one.

To borrow an expression from a teacher of mine, if your story is a car and the narrator is driving, why would you want to keep turning around and going back? Wouldn’t you just want to keep driving until you got to the end?

]]> By: Roxane http://annalemma.net/blog/exposition.html/comment-page-1#comment-569 Roxane Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:54:19 +0000 http://annalemma.net/?p=2177#comment-569 I love expository writing, knowing more about backstories, seeing a more fully drawn picture. Exposition is not always needed and I'm equally interested in writing that is stripped to its bones but I really dislike when readers are unable to appreciate the merits of exposition. I trust the audience a great deal but I try not to make too many assumptions about what they know or about what they think they want to know. I think its important to write stories the way I want to write them and sometimes that means delving into complex histories. I love expository writing, knowing more about backstories, seeing a more fully drawn picture. Exposition is not always needed and I’m equally interested in writing that is stripped to its bones but I really dislike when readers are unable to appreciate the merits of exposition.

I trust the audience a great deal but I try not to make too many assumptions about what they know or about what they think they want to know. I think its important to write stories the way I want to write them and sometimes that means delving into complex histories.

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