Exposition Dumps

 “Okay, so there was this war back when the world was young and the dragons almost destroyed all humans, but then the Leviathan rose from the waters and spewed water all across the lands and the fires were put out, so the dragons were angry and went at him, but the Leviathan just ate them and returned to his bed in the deepest depths of the ocean, and that is why we celebrate this day every year.”

This is very much an exposition dump - all information which seems necessary for the story is just dropped on you in this big pile and you have to deal with it. And, as you might guess, that’s not great. (Btw, I made this up, this is not a story I’ve read somewhere, neither is it one I’ve written.)

 

Exposition dumps are more common in speculative fiction, because there are things in fantasy or science-fiction stories which need explanation. There is a new world with new beings, new cultures, and new landscapes. There is technology we have no experience with. All of this needs explanation to a degree - the exposition dump provides that. Yet, it is not the optimal way for several reasons, nor are there no other stories which dump information on the audience without a warning.

First of all, if you dump all information in one place - often a preface of some sort or the first chapter or scene -, this means half of that will probably be forgotten by the time it is necessary while approaching the climax most of the story later. People will still be confused because they have forgotten half of what you told them in the beginning. Instead of dropping all information then, try to put it in when it becomes necessary. Give information when it becomes relevant and the audience can make use of it right away.

In addition, many people don’t like those dumps when they’re reading. The dump is, by its very nature, not really connected to the plot. In my example above, that day would just be the time the story starts and, perhaps, eventually a dragon or even the Leviathan might turn up. While parts of the plot might hinge on specific things you have created for your world, explaining the full history of the continent on which it takes place is usually not necessary - you need to have background information as the writer, but not all of it has to make it into the story.

Exposition dumps usually don’t fit too well with the rest of the story, either. Depending on the tone of it, the way you frame the dump, it can work (for example the first chapter of “The Fall of the House of Cabal” has a recap of what happened in the other four novels - in case people have forgotten or are starting with the fifth book - and it works, because it’s the same tone as the rest of the book, even if it’s a fourth-wall breach). In most cases, though, it doesn’t work out. Why are the characters suddenly discussing the history of the world, for instance? Why do we suddenly get a monologue of four pages about that big battle which happened at this spot five hundred years ago? It usually rips people from the actual story.

 

How can you put in information for the reader, then?

First of all, in small doses. There’s no reason not to add small pieces of information when they are needed. Have people talk about a specific ritual and its background as they prepare for it. Hint at the common past of two characters as they meet through the way they interact - old friends have different interactions, even if they haven’t seen each other in years, than complete strangers. People are good at filling holes in a narrative, they will assume there’s more when something is just hinted at. Most of the time, you won’t need more.

Don’t uncover the background of a character all at once, even if it’s a cool background and you’re rearing to tell it. Let it bleed into the character’s thoughts and actions, let details get into conversations or become part of the plot. There’s no reason for a character to tell another one all about their life two minutes after meeting them. We don’t do that in real life, either (well, most of us don’t). It’s also more fun to learn about them bit by bit.

For most stories, the ancient history of the world has no impact at all. If your characters are after a MacGuffin that was created when the world was young, it might be important to speak about that part of the history, but in most cases, the ancient past has little influence on what’s happening. You have to accept that while you know it, the audience never might.

 

When it comes to giving information, remember that every scene you write must have one of two types of content: give information or advance the plot. Ideally, a scene even does both, it gives us information we need and it advances the plot.

Remember, too, that the audience will not know immediately which parts of the information you give are important and they might choose not to remember the parts which are really needed when you dump everything at once. That will then lead to them scratching their heads (metaphorically or otherwise) when an important scene is relying on that information and they don’t know what’s going on.

For one thing, don’t disclose information until it’s needed in the story. When a MacGuffin is important, have people speak about the reason as they plan their expedition to find it. That’s a good way to explain why that thing is important. When a character’s background plays a role, disclose it as the story progresses and in combination with things which happen.

The character meets an old friend they haven’t seen since the end of the war. The character searches their place for their old sword, but finds it still damaged, since they decided never to take it up again after that one fight. The character is called by an old nickname they don’t like any longer by a passersby who remembers them from their past life. All of this can be used to establish that the character was a dangerous and feared fighter in their youth, but has left it behind a long time ago. Now, according to plot, an old enemy has resurfaced and is coming for them. By using all those small details where and when they become important, it’s far more likely that the audience will remember them. They’re not dumped all at once, so there’s no choosing what looks important and what doesn’t, they’re given as they become relevant for the story.

 

Sometimes, exposition dumps are hard to avoid. There are situations where it might be necessary for one character to take on the mantle of lecturer and tell the rest of them why it is important to find that MacGuffin or why they have to repair that generator, stat. That can include an exposition dump. It already helps, though, if you have them give that lecture when it becomes relevant. Don’t dump it at the beginning and expect people to keep it all in mind. Ideally, don’t dump exposition at all, but work it into several different scenes as an extra.