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Welcome to Week 54 at BUBC! Hope you're all having a nice summer! I know writing's awesome, but remember to go outside every once in a while and enjoy sun and fresh air :D
Vitamin D is important.
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As always, feel free to drop your suggestions for the club or question of the week here -->
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the characterization? Are the characters well-rounded? Do they have flaws and virtues? Were they introduced in a subtle and refreshing way or were we "told" about them?
Although this week's question is about characterization, I wanted to talk about something that is closely related to it.
Exposition.
Exposition is providing essential information or background about the story's main characters and/or events.
Exposition can be expressed through dialogue, the character's thoughts, descriptions, flashbacks, or "in-universe media" (as this week's article puts it), which means articles, newspapers, journals, etc.
So, how do we write exposition effectively?
1. Avoid lengthy backstories for each character.
This week's article makes a good point. When we're creating our imaginary world, we tend to give our characters histories and complicated pasts.
These are good things to keep in mind when writing the story because they are what shape our character's personality and influence their decisions. That being said, the reader does NOT need to know the MC's backstory or their history with their best-friend, mother, etc.
If you must include backstory, make sure it's short and relevant to the scene. Avoid lengthy paragraphs that slow the pace down and take the reader away from the current scene.
2. You can break up long stretches of exposition with dialogue.
If you must get some points, worldbuilding or backstory across, it's a good idea to break up the lengthy paragraphs with some dialogue or character introspection.
It's a good way to keep the reader grounded in the current scene, while making sure they get the info needed to follow along.
3. Leave unanswered questions
There's no need to explain everything about your world or characters. You can leave things to the reader's imagination. If you leave things unanswered, it sparks curiosity and urges to read on to learn more.
You don't have to write all your exposition in one go. You can slowly reveal it throughout your chapters.
This week's articles: https://www.ignitedinkwriting.com/ignite-your-ink-blog-for-writers/how-to-use-exposition-in-creative-writing/2018
Remember that after reading and commenting on the 3 chapters of your fellow bookworm, you have to let me know you're finished, in the comment section of THIS chapter.
