The Oxford Dictionary of literary terms defines exposition as discourse, which is intended to inform an audience about something or to explain it to them. exposition is the slowest fiction writing mode. It should be used very sparingly, but sometimes it's necessary. Think textbooks or clinical manuals, and occasionally fiction. exposition distances the reader by D personalizing characters and slowing the pace. So unless the information being conveyed is highly relevant, it's wise to avoid this style.

In my writing, I try as much as possible to slip necessary facts in with the action and dialogue and narration. I want to avoid lecturing my readers with lengthy explanations of how things work. In the touch of love, I needed to orient my readers to the anchoring system of oil rigs in the Gulf. See, before the upcoming scene where Scott will be injured by a seven ton Bruce anchor. Most of the passage that follows is pure exposition. In an atmosphere of worry about the weather, the captain of the rig decides to pull his anchors and move the rig, the oil rig, everyone is tense, which I'm hoping heightens my readers interest in the technical information.

Here's the passage introduced by a single line of dialogue. I'm pulling out now, John's voice was still sharp from a long argument with the drilling chief. Moving the rig mat, capping the drill site and abandoning it. The chief believed intensely that they were about to hit oil and hit it big. The rake was anchored with eight Bruce anchors for it each and the supply ship and the icebreaker were responsible for slipping anchor for the rig. It was a task that nobody Light.

Before they started Scott check the latest weather facts, pictures. There was no storm center around him. But the wind had been brisk and freshening all afternoon. He didn't like the feel of it. If he had found a storm center on the latest facts or even a building depression, he would have gone back to john. As it was, he had nothing to basis feeling on.

I felt pretty good about that passage. And I was confident in my knowledge, which was based on a lengthy interview with a captain of an icebreaker supply ship in the Beaufort Sea. We just happen to both be sailing and in the same anchorage and I said, Hey, can I interview you, Mike? So I got lots and actually this whole book came out of that interview because I thought, Oh, what a cool occupation. And as he told me about this anchoring system, I just, yes, I have to write a book where I have a hero who is this Captain In. My advice for exposition is to be careful to know your readers.

Science Fiction readers are fascinated by technical details and many lovers of historical novels are hungry for information about the periods the characters live in. And fantasy readers enjoy learning the details of the non human characters that people fantasy novels. Whatever your genre, it's wise to be sure the information is relevant to the story. Remember, readers love to worry about what's coming. If the exposition relates to something dangerous or likely to cause conflict, it's always more interesting to readers. For more about exposition, see Dwight vs. Wayne's techniques, so the selling writer he's got several pages of tips about using exposition, and jack becomes writing and selling your novel.

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