there
is
an opponent is all important.
Make sure the opponent is as strong as or, preferably, stronger than the Lead. And do not scrimp on the sympathy factor! Give the opponent his due, his justifications. Your novel will be the stronger for it.
Handling Exposition
Nothing will slow down plot faster than an information dump. This is where the author merely tells the reader something he thinks the reader needs to know before moving on with the plot.
Itâs bad enough when this is done in the narrative portion, but dreadful when it is done in dialogue.
For example, you might run across a paragraph like this:
John was a doctor from the east. He went to medical school at Johns Hopkins where he was a star student. He completed his residency in New York City when he was 30 years old. He lived with relatives on Long Island while he was an intern. John loved New York.
Now, in certain contexts this might be perfectly fine. Sometimes telling is a short cut, and if it is indeed short, it can work. But take a look at all exposition like the above in your manuscript, and ask yourself if you can be more creative in how you give this information to your readers.
I have a few rules about exposition in the beginnings of books. I have formulated these only because I saw in my own writing the tendency to put in a lot of exposition up front, thinking the reader needed this to understand the story.
Not so. Most of the time I could cut with impunity and not lose the flow of the story; in fact, my novels started to take off from the beginning.
Donât start slowly with useless exposition. Thus, the rules:
Rule 1: Act first, explain later. Begin with a character in motion. Readers will follow a character who is doing something, and wonât demand to know everything about the character up front. You then drop in information as necessary, in little bits as you go along.
Rule 2: When you explain, do the iceberg. Donât tell us everything about the characterâs past history or current situation. Give us the 10 percent above the surface that is necessary to understand whatâs going on, and leave 90 percent hidden and mysterious below the surface. Later in the story, you can reveal more of that information. Until the right time, however, withhold it.
Rule 3: Set information inside confrontation. Often, the best way to let information come out is within a scene of intense conflict. Using the charactersâ thoughts or words, you can have crucial information ripped out and thrown in front of the reader.
TWO EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL BEGINNINGS
In the first chapter of
Midnight
, Dean Koontz skillfully weaves in exposition during a tense jog at night:
First sentence: âJanice Capshaw liked to run at night.â Follows the rule: Open with a character â named â in motion.
Next two sentences: Author explains something about her running, gives her age and something about her appearance (healthy).
Next five sentences: We learn the time and place (Sunday night, Sept. 21, Moonlight Cove). Description of the place. Mood established (dark, no cars, no other people). Background on the place (quiet little town).
Next three sentences: Mood details in the action (as she runs).
Next two sentences: Background on Janiceâs likes about night running.
Next five sentences: Deepening details about Janice (why she likes night).
Next three sentences: Action as she runs. More details and mood.
Next sentence: Action as she runs. How she feels.
Next seven sentences: Deepening Janice by describing her past with her late husband.
Next two sentences: First sign of trouble.
Next three sentences: Her reaction to the sign.
And so on throughout. Read this opening chapter. It is a great example of handling exposition.
For the next example, letâs widen our scope and look at how
Final Seconds
, by John Lutz and David August, progresses within the first six chapters:
Prologue: New York public school has bomb scare. Harper,
is
an opponent is all important.
Make sure the opponent is as strong as or, preferably, stronger than the Lead. And do not scrimp on the sympathy factor! Give the opponent his due, his justifications. Your novel will be the stronger for it.
Handling Exposition
Nothing will slow down plot faster than an information dump. This is where the author merely tells the reader something he thinks the reader needs to know before moving on with the plot.
Itâs bad enough when this is done in the narrative portion, but dreadful when it is done in dialogue.
For example, you might run across a paragraph like this:
John was a doctor from the east. He went to medical school at Johns Hopkins where he was a star student. He completed his residency in New York City when he was 30 years old. He lived with relatives on Long Island while he was an intern. John loved New York.
Now, in certain contexts this might be perfectly fine. Sometimes telling is a short cut, and if it is indeed short, it can work. But take a look at all exposition like the above in your manuscript, and ask yourself if you can be more creative in how you give this information to your readers.
I have a few rules about exposition in the beginnings of books. I have formulated these only because I saw in my own writing the tendency to put in a lot of exposition up front, thinking the reader needed this to understand the story.
Not so. Most of the time I could cut with impunity and not lose the flow of the story; in fact, my novels started to take off from the beginning.
Donât start slowly with useless exposition. Thus, the rules:
Rule 1: Act first, explain later. Begin with a character in motion. Readers will follow a character who is doing something, and wonât demand to know everything about the character up front. You then drop in information as necessary, in little bits as you go along.
Rule 2: When you explain, do the iceberg. Donât tell us everything about the characterâs past history or current situation. Give us the 10 percent above the surface that is necessary to understand whatâs going on, and leave 90 percent hidden and mysterious below the surface. Later in the story, you can reveal more of that information. Until the right time, however, withhold it.
Rule 3: Set information inside confrontation. Often, the best way to let information come out is within a scene of intense conflict. Using the charactersâ thoughts or words, you can have crucial information ripped out and thrown in front of the reader.
TWO EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL BEGINNINGS
In the first chapter of
Midnight
, Dean Koontz skillfully weaves in exposition during a tense jog at night:
First sentence: âJanice Capshaw liked to run at night.â Follows the rule: Open with a character â named â in motion.
Next two sentences: Author explains something about her running, gives her age and something about her appearance (healthy).
Next five sentences: We learn the time and place (Sunday night, Sept. 21, Moonlight Cove). Description of the place. Mood established (dark, no cars, no other people). Background on the place (quiet little town).
Next three sentences: Mood details in the action (as she runs).
Next two sentences: Background on Janiceâs likes about night running.
Next five sentences: Deepening details about Janice (why she likes night).
Next three sentences: Action as she runs. More details and mood.
Next sentence: Action as she runs. How she feels.
Next seven sentences: Deepening Janice by describing her past with her late husband.
Next two sentences: First sign of trouble.
Next three sentences: Her reaction to the sign.
And so on throughout. Read this opening chapter. It is a great example of handling exposition.
For the next example, letâs widen our scope and look at how
Final Seconds
, by John Lutz and David August, progresses within the first six chapters:
Prologue: New York public school has bomb scare. Harper,
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