Well My Week Has Been Exciting So Far.

Well my week has been exciting so far.

its gonna

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brushlesprouts

5 years ago

fell asleep while writing and

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brushlesprouts

9 years ago

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brushlesprouts

6 years ago

Avoiding Info-Dumps and Boring Exposition

Exposition can be many things in a story: character backstory, definitions, history, etc., and it’s a necessary part of any narrative. Yes, it’s “telling” instead of “showing”, but there are times when you have to “tell” to aid with pacing, detail, and most important of all, reader comprehension.

Your readers don’t know what’s in your head; they know what’s on the paper.

So you have to give exposition (though some stories will be heavier than others) and you have to do it well or your readers won’t care enough to pay attention. Exposition is not something to just shove aside or box away with an “icky” label on it because it affects the quality of the story as a whole. If you write it well, it can enhance the story rather than detract from it– which should be the goal of any element of writing.

Learning to write better exposition makes you a better writer in general, and part of writing better exposition means understanding the main problems and the solutions.

What is an “info-dump?”

Simply put, “large amounts of information that don’t directly matter to the moment of the scene”. They can be seen as reflections on backstory or facts about the characters or world, specifically in large quantities.

Three commonly seen methods of info-dumping are the chapter-start block, the monologuing narrator, and the rambling narrator. (Note: the names are not official, just what I personally call them.)

The chapter-start block is when the writer starts each new scene or chapter by giving all the backstory and relevant information at the very beginning, then running off and writing the scene while hoping the reader can remember everything. That kind of writing is often the result of “I want to get to the interesting story so I’ll take care of the boring setup first”. Guess what, your readers agree. They don’t care about your exposition because you’re presenting it in a boring way, and now they may not be able to get into the actual story because they don’t understand it as well as they could. While starting a new chapter or scene with exposition isn’t necessarily bad, large qualities of information are.

The monologuing narrator is exactly what it sounds like: the narrator talks at the reader for an extended amount of time. This info-dump can be found at any point of a scene, but it still gives way too much information at once. It also sometimes presents its own problem of timing, because the narrators shouldn’t be “zoning out to think about things” in the middle of a scene unless that detail weighs very heavily on them. Narration shows train of thought and the monologuing narrator usually needs to chill. (There are times when monologues are acceptable, but writing one primarily to deliver background information is not acceptable use.)

Similar to the monologuing narrator in that character thought takes over the scene, the rambling narrator has an additional problem in that they often go off-topic or into detail that isn’t necessary for the moment. While the occasional “ramble” can be used to show character personality, a writer can’t expect readers to actually learn from that ramble. Large amounts of information aren’t easy to digest, especially when everything is presented at the same time.

Avoiding the info dump.

Keep all information in context.

If your scene is about a character going for a job interview, don’t start mentioning their dead sister unless there’s an important connection that’s immediately relevant. Only reveal what makes sense to reveal within the events and flow of the scene. It’s true that the lines can get blurry when you’re working with a story that has interconnected elements, but early on you want to keep exposition in careful balance with the forward momentum of the narrative. Later on, once your readers are already hooked, you can ease up a little on the withholding and start exploring details– but keeping things contextual will still always be an important guideline to follow.

Use prompts for information.

Prompts are things like people, situations, in-story objects or moments that ‘remind’ the narrator of the piece of exposition. Part of avoiding never-ending, rambling, or irrelevant exposition involves using setting and plot to prompt information from the narrator’s mind, rather than just dump it all out at once. Prompts help shows connections and grant relevance by tying the information into the current scene and moment.

Narrator perspective guides exposition.

The narrative point of view helps ground the reader’s new information by presenting it through the eyes of the person they are following. This does mean that your audience can get biased info, but that’s part of the nature of storytelling; it’s not a documentary. Similar to using prompts, narrator perspective helps guide exposition by presenting information that’s relevant to the narrator and their personal story.

Use a “weaving” techniques to avoid giant blocks of text.

It’s best to weave your exposition between dialogue, thought, and action to write in a way that’s engaging and informative. Think of it like being in a class. If your professor spends the whole hour giving a lecture off slides, chances are you might be overwhelmed at times and tune out a bit. If they introduce an activity and give smaller lectures to explain the science behind the steps, then you are more likely to pay attention and not feel as overwhelmed. Writing works the same way. The best results are typically found when the activity (story events that are “shown”) are blended with lecture (backstory/exposition that is “told”).

Generally, you want to practice a balance of dialogue, action, and exposition. Some scenes may be heavier in one category than the other, and that’s okay, but a balance of those elements helps with overall pacing and keeps readers engaged and more likely to learn.

Not everything needs explaining.

While there are certainly pieces of information that you have to “tell” for the story to make sense, there are times when “showing” can cut down on lengthy exposition and make for a more engaging narrative. Why have your narrator explain/“tell” about how they don’t get along with their mother when you can show the poor relationship through the way they interact? And don’t just keep it isolated to one scene, unless the story calls for it, because some parts of exposition stretch beyond individual moments and affect the entire story. It may be tempting to try and directly point everything out at once, but that’s a quick road to long-winded scenes of exposition that leave your characters and their plot behind.

Writing more interesting exposition.

For exposition to be interesting, it needs meaning, and meaning can be granted through context and the relevance to the current scene when the reader is not yet fully invested in your story. When presenting exposition, there are a few things that can be kept in mind:

Try and convey something about the character’s personality with the way they give information. We all have a personal take on things and so will a character, so let that personal perspective show via tone, word choice, fact detail, etc.

An interesting voice can carry a story decently far, especially when it comes to giving background information. It’s possible to have a character that sticks only to the facts, but without a bit of emotion behind that exposition, it can get dry really quickly. Your character needs to interact with their world, not be a robot that gives impartial explanations of everything.

If you repeat information, which is needed for anything with heavy detail, present it in different ways or at least don’t copy the wording.

Build on detail over time, and make sure to apply that detail to the scene to allow for contextual learning.

Tension tends to create reader interest. Giving exposition during tense moments can force a reader to learn on the spot– as long as it doesn’t distract from the scene.

Pace yourself. Part of boring exposition is tied into how much is presented at once, and while info-dumps can be identified and avoided with relative ease, you still have to watch how much information is being presented in a scene or chapter. Even if you “weave” it correctly, there’s still a chance that it’s too much for a reader to reasonably digest.

Good luck with your work and if there are any questions, drop them in my ask box and I’ll see how I can help. Just please read my Rules and Considerations page to make sure I’m the best resource, and consider a Gift of Coffee to grant me an energy boost, if you’re feeling generous.

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brushlesprouts

6 years ago

I think the worst kind of writers block is when you aren’t blocked in the conventional sense, like you know what you want to write and how to write it, you just cant put words on the page because of a crippling sense of what’s the point?

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brushlesprouts

5 years ago

The Wreckers - The First Job

This brain bug series was inspired by my friend Puck and her pokemon Superhero AU (Check out her twitter Puckarooni it’s awesome). This is my Pokemon #thuglife AU using the scrappy “route 1″ pokemon that most players tend to throw away early on. Enjoy.

~~~~

Brief Character explination:

Alolan Joe - Alolan Ratata

Ben - Spearow

Zach - Zigzagoon

Sherman - Sentret

~~~~

Zach and Ben stood idly next to a hardware store. Sherman waddled up and was ready to look tough with his crew. They passively welcomed him and returned to their idle stances. Eventually, Sherman sheepishly spoke up, “So, are we gonna do, uh, crimes or something?”

They responded that they are waiting for Joe. As if summoned, Joe appeared, holding armfuls of supplies.

“Listen up, gents.” He said as he set down the stuff, “We got work.”

Ben quirked an eyebrow, “What kind of work?”

Joe put on a smug grin, “See, folks like to have their enemies embarrassed but there ain’t ever anyone who is willing to do the dirty themselves. So, in come The Wreckers.” He gestured at the small group, “We take a little cash from the proper folks, go do some property damage or the like and then disappear. Get cash, commit crimes, it’s perfect.” He twizzled his mouse-stache. The others muttered in a mix of agreement and excitement.

“And” Joe continued, “We got our first gig. Messing up a rich dude’s car. Any suggestions?”

“Bust it up with a bat!” Ben said, swinging his arms.

“Slash the tires?” Says Zach, looking over some loose change he found scattered on the ground.

“Pour milk on the seats!” Said Sherman, chittering at his nefarious plot, “The smell will never go away. I should know, this one time, I had some milk in the car and–” He trailed off as he noticed that no one was listening.

“All good ideas, gents.” Said Joe, he bent over and reached into the bag of supplies he brought out of the store. “But we need to make a smash with this one. Or should I say,” He revealed a canister of kerosene, “A blast!”

The others mused in excitement.

“That’ll send a message.” Said Zach, pocketing the coins.

“Yeah! Don’t mess with the Wreckers!” Ben said, eyes sparkling.

“Whoa, this is gonna be so cool! Good idea, Bossman.” Sherman said.

Joe drank in his praise. “Alright you punks. Let’s move out!”

. . . . .

Under the cover of darkness, they zeroed in on the vehicle in question. A super pretty muscle car. The four of them ogled at the car in their own way. Zach scurried around it, Ben grumbled about rich people having all kinds of money, Sherman prattled about make and model and such, and Alolan Joe pretended to understand everything he was being told.

“Alright, enough of this crap,” Ben said, grabbing the kerosene. “Let’s light this thing up.”

Alolan Joe saluted, “So passes a gallant waste of people’s money. Joker had it coming no doubt.”

Ben soaked the car. Zach whipped out a match stick and handed it to Alolan Joe.

“When I toss this thing, the Wreckers will be in business. It, kinda chokes me up a little.”

An Arcanine in a police uniform appeared behind them. “And what are you punks up to?”

Alolan Joe pocketed the match in a single smooth motion as they all turned around.

“Good evening officer, just out for a stroll.” Said Alolan Joe a little too quickly.

“Yeah, is that against the law now too?” Ben said, accusingly.

“Maybe?” Zach muttered, his restless hands fidgeting.

Sherman stayed quiet as he had been instructed to when the FUZZ shows up.

“Ahuh, just four youths innocently loitering around someone’s car.” He sniffs the air. “Have you been drinking?”

They look at each other.

“What? No of course not.” Said Alolan Joe.

“No, sir.” Said Ben, begrudgingly.

Zack shook his head.

Sherman stayed quiet.

The Arcanine growled. “Okay, I think it’s time to take you kids back to your parents.”

“You’ll never take me in!” Sherman snapped and he turned to dash away.

The Arcanine scoffs and sent out a flare of embers to shock the kid, maybe get him to shape up. Unfortunately, the embers managed to spark the kerosene and the car went up in flames almost instantly.

Everyone jumped away from the blazing vehicle. They turned to look at the officer and he looked back at them.

“I am going to contact the fire department,” He said in a voice shaking with anger, “You will be gone when they arrive, that is my favor to you. Now do me a favor and never speak of this again.”

Alolan Joe saluted him, “You got it boss.” And rushed off, picking up a stunned Sherman along the way.

Ben put on a smug grin in before booking it. Zach followed, hot on their tails.

...

The next day, Sherman scurried up to Ben and Zach who are loitering by the shop again.

“So,” Sherman said, “No long term repercussions, I assume?”

Ben shrugged and looked over to Zach who is working on a wire puzzle. The fidgety Zigzagoon paused and looked up to the two of them.

“Probably,” He said, looking down at his fidgeting hands. A tense air lowers on the crew.

Alolan Joe sauntered out of the shop with more junk in his arms. “Afternoon gents.” His prideful voice cracked the tension like a hammer. “I am pleased to say that we will not have to worry about that officer blabbing anything. And!” He set down his bags and reached into his pocket to pull out a small envelope. “The Wreckers are now officially in business.”

He opened it up and fetched a bill for each of them.

Ben looked at the bill and scoffed, “This is barely allowance money. We nearly get the slammer and we can’t even afford a lemonade!”

“All things in time, Ben.” Said Alolan Joe. “This is just the beginning.”

Sherman looked at the bill and smiled, “My first strip of–” He snickered, “dirty money.” He chittered and stuffed it into his pocket. He looked to Zach, who had pocketed his loot.

“Crime is pretty fun.” Sherman said.

“There’s nothin better.” Zach said.

Tips for writing flawed but lovable characters.

Flawed characters are the ones we root for, cry over, and remember long after the story ends. But creating a character who’s both imperfect and likable can feel like a tightrope walk.

1. Flaws That Stem From Their Strengths

When a character’s greatest strength is also their Achilles' heel, it creates depth.

Strength: Fiercely loyal.

Flaw: Blind to betrayal or willing to go to dangerous extremes for loved ones.

“She’d burn the whole world down to save her sister—even if it killed her.”

2. Let Their Flaws Cause Problems

Flaws should have consequences—messy, believable ones.

Flaw: Impatience.

Result: They rush into action, ruining carefully laid plans.

“I thought I could handle it myself,” he muttered, staring at the smoking wreckage. “Guess not.”

3. Show Self-Awareness—or Lack Thereof

Characters who know they’re flawed (but struggle to change) are relatable. Characters who don’t realize their flaws can create dramatic tension.

A self-aware flaw: “I know I talk too much. It’s just… silence makes me feel like I’m disappearing.” A blind spot: “What do you mean I always have to be right? I’m just better at solving problems than most people!”

4. Give Them Redeeming Traits

A mix of good and bad keeps characters balanced.

Flaw: They’re manipulative.

Redeeming Trait: They use it to protect vulnerable people.

“Yes, I lied to get him to trust me. But he would’ve died otherwise.”

Readers are more forgiving of flaws when they see the bigger picture.

5. Let Them Grow—But Slowly

Instant redemption feels cheap. Characters should stumble, fail, and backslide before they change.

Early in the story: “I don’t need anyone. I’ve got this.”

Midpoint: “Okay, fine. Maybe I could use some help. But don’t get used to it.”

End: “Thank you. For everything.”

The gradual arc makes their growth feel earned.

6. Make Them Relatable, Not Perfect

Readers connect with characters who feel human—messy emotions, bad decisions, and all.

A bad decision: Skipping their best friend’s wedding because they’re jealous of their happiness.

A messy emotion: Feeling guilty afterward but doubling down to justify their actions.

A vulnerable moment: Finally apologizing, unsure if they’ll be forgiven.

7. Use Humor as a Balancing Act

Humor softens even the most prickly characters.

Flaw: Cynicism.

Humorous side: Making snarky, self-deprecating remarks that reveal their softer side.

“Love? No thanks. I’m allergic to heartbreak—and flowers.”

8. Avoid Overdoing the Flaws

Too many flaws can make a character feel unlikable or overburdened.

Instead of: A character who’s selfish, cruel, cowardly, and rude.

Try: A character who’s selfish but occasionally shows surprising generosity.

“Don’t tell anyone I helped you. I have a reputation to maintain.”

9. Let Them Be Vulnerable

Vulnerability adds layers and makes flaws understandable.

Flaw: They’re cold and distant.

Vulnerability: They’ve been hurt before and are terrified of getting close to anyone again.

“It’s easier this way. If I don’t care about you, then you can’t leave me.”

10. Make Their Flaws Integral to the Plot

When flaws directly impact the story, they feel purposeful rather than tacked on.

Flaw: Their arrogance alienates the people they need.

Plot Impact: When their plan fails, they’re left scrambling because no one will help them.

Flawed but lovable characters are the backbone of compelling stories. They remind us that imperfection is human—and that growth is possible.

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its gonna

Avoiding Info-Dumps and Boring Exposition

What is an “info-dump?”

Avoiding the info dump.

Writing more interesting exposition.

The Wreckers - The First Job

Tips for writing flawed but lovable characters.