Writing fiction? If you’re a new author, your biggest temptations are exposition and backstory. They’re tempting because you want to explain things to readers. Please don’t do that — you’re killing your novel.
Readers want entertainment, not explanations.
In an earlier post, we discussed beginning your novel, novella or short story with a first-sentence hook, and said:
Your novel’s first sentence must be a hook. Otherwise readers won’t read your second sentence.
Sadly, many new authors follow that strategy, then wreck their wonderful hook because they don’t trust readers.
You need to explain, don’t you?
NO, you don’t. When you explain, you throw away wonderful opportunities to keep readers reading.
Avoid explanations: you’re throwing away opportunities to create suspense
Authors “explain” when they use devices like exposition and backstory. (Backstory is anything that happened before your story starts.)
I’ve written about backstory hell before. Here’s what an author indulging in backstory looks like to readers.
- A scene starts. You settle down to read an enjoyable scene between two characters, then the author inserts…
- Backstory 1, of one of the characters…
- In the middle of backstory 1, you get backstory 2, the backstory of the other character…
- Finally the author remembers he’s writing a scene. So you get a snippet of the scene (by this time the reader’s head is spinning like a top). After just a few paragraphs of the scene, the author inserts…
- Something or other, which may be backstory, or maybe it’s a flashback, who knows?
Please don’t do that.
Keep your story moving FORWARD, always
Make it your goal to remove all author intrusions when you spot them. Keep your story moving forward.
These steps will help.
Step 1. Your first draft is your “story” draft: write quickly
You’ll eliminate exposition and backstory in later drafts. In your first draft, you’re discovering the story of your novel or novella. So just write, without editing.
Be messy. Your sole aim in your first draft is to get the story down and type: “The End.”
Step 2. After your first draft read-through, tag all instances of exposition and backstory
Leave your first draft for a day or two, then read it through. This first read-through is solely for story. Do you have a story? Can you create a logline?
You must know what you're selling, so selling your book starts with a one sentence summary, much like a movie’s logline:
When INCITING INCIDENT happens, OUR PROTAGONIST decides TO DO ACTION against ANTAGONIST.
During your second read-through, tag author intrusions like exposition and backstory.
Then…
Step 3. Delete backstory and exposition
Most of the time, you’ll be able to delete instances of exposition and backstory and instantly improve your story.
Occasionally, you’ll need to introduce information you’ve deleted or which is missing. Introduce this needed information via:
- A new scene, or even an entire subplot;
- Dialogue;
- A character’s thoughts.
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