{"id":23183,"date":"2020-07-14T03:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T10:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=23183"},"modified":"2020-07-09T07:57:03","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T14:57:03","slug":"improving-dialogue-aka-cutting-exposition-by-kay-keppler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/14\/improving-dialogue-aka-cutting-exposition-by-kay-keppler\/","title":{"rendered":"Improving Dialogue, aka, Cutting Exposition by Kay Keppler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Improving<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist, editor, and novelist, Kay Keppler<\/a>, as she shares with us \u201cImproving Dialogue, aka, Cutting Exposition.” Enjoy! <\/em><\/p>\n

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For those of you who occasionally dip into the murky waters of writing advice and aren\u2019t familiar with the work of Chuck Wendig, let me remedy that situation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wendig is a prolific writer of science fiction, urban fantasy, and comic books for Marvel and other publishers. He\u2019s written screenplays and has an active blog. H<\/span>is <\/span>Star Wars<\/span><\/i> novel <\/span>Aftermath <\/span><\/i>debuted at #4 on both <\/span>The New York Times<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>USA Today <\/span><\/i>best seller<\/span> lists, so you can see he\u2019s got some serious chops.<\/span><\/p>\n

Advice From a Pro on Dialogue and Exposition<\/b><\/h2>\n

Wendig has also written several books of advice and tips for writers. His advice is brash and his language is profane, but his voice is refreshing and often comforting for writers who are trying to find their way to better writing because he energetically embraces uncertainty and doubt. And if you don\u2019t mind the swearing, he\u2019s funny, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was recently asked to critique a manuscript for its dialogue;<\/strong> the author wanted to reduce the amount of exposition used to convey information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exposition<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>is background information, everything that isn\u2019t a part of the story, but is nevertheless important to understand the events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the process of doing the critique,<\/strong> I revisited Wendig\u2019s <\/span>Confessions of a Freelance Penmonkey<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>specifically the chapter called \u201cCharacters Make Talky-Talky: Dialogue That Doesn\u2019t Suck Ass.\u201d (See what I mean about the profanity?)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pitfalls of Exposition\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

In that chapter, he discusses the pitfalls of exposition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s what\u2019s fucked up about dialogue: the rule of writing is <\/span>show, don’t tell<\/span><\/i>, but dialogue is ultimately an expression of <\/span>telling<\/span><\/i>. In daily life, I tell people shit all the time. Some guy stops for directions, I tell him how to get to the post office. I don\u2019t <\/span>show <\/span><\/i>him. I don\u2019t take him on a wondrous visual journey down the back streets and potholed highways, past the meth den and the possum breeders, past Old Man Hymenbreaker\u2019s place, past the bar where Johnny McGlinchey got stabbed in the neck with a shard of Native American pottery. Much as I\u2019d love to, I can\u2019t. So I tell him. Thing is, that\u2019s not going to be that interesting for the audience, is it? Nope.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you make dialogue show <\/i>and not tell<\/i>?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The answer?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Characters should never speak.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No. No! Wait, that can\u2019t be right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What I mean to say is,<\/strong> you don\u2019t need to be so concerned with the fact the character is <\/span>telling<\/span><\/i>. Rather, you need to be concerned with the fact that you, as the writer, are <\/span>showing<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t make much sense yet. I know.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The character can tell. You must <\/span>show <\/span><\/i>how the character tells.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Better? Still not there? We\u2019re zeroing in on it. Don\u2019t pee your pants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s assume that Ruth Rumpletits, the Matriarch of Archer Avenue, wants to talk about the history of the town in which she lives, Redlandtownsburg.<\/strong> We know she\u2019s going to convey information, and we know an information dump is a boat anchor that will drag your narrative down. And yet, that infodump contains information that both the reader and the other characters must have. Fine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How <\/span><\/i>Ruth tells that history is where you have the chance to show and not tell\u2014meaning, it\u2019s your chance to make it interesting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You will show her mannerisms.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

You will show how she tells a story\u2014just as you tell a story, so does she, and the <\/span>way <\/span><\/i>she tells it is of equal importance to <\/span>what <\/span><\/i>she tells. Her rules for storytelling are the same as yours, so keep that in mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You might show that she\u2019s doing something else as she info-dumps all over the other characters.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just as many games feature mini-games, your big story will feature lots of mini- and micro-stories, and as Ruth tells her story, she might be cooking some eggs. Maybe she can\u2019t find the eggs, or she burns her hand, or she suddenly freaks out from some acid flashback and she throws searing hot omelette cheese into one of the other main character\u2019s eyes. Dialogue can be immediately punctuated by action\u2014you’re <\/span>showing <\/span><\/i>what she\u2019s doing as she <\/span>tells <\/span><\/i>her story. (Plus, action breaks up dialogue, which can be useful.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One more thing:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember: exposition and information are sometimes necessary, but it forces you to go the extra mile to be interesting. Hence, do not overuse. I’m not saying \u201cavoid like the plague,\u201d but I am cautioning you not to rely on it, lest you perforate the drama of your story and let all the air out of the narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Making Dialogue Interesting When the Words Aren\u2019t<\/b><\/h2>\n

How does that advice work for you? I liked it for its extended, graphic examples of what Ruth does while she\u2019s cooking the eggs, and I think it shows how you can make dialogue interesting even when the speaker\u2019s words aren\u2019t that compelling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wendig\u2019s advice\u2014or his voice\u2014might not be for everyone.<\/strong> But for those who don\u2019t mind a salty overtone, his work might be just to your taste.<\/span><\/p>\n

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/h2>\n

\"On<\/a>Kay Keppler<\/a> is an author Zero Gravity Outcasts<\/a><\/em>, Betting on Hope<\/a><\/em>, Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas<\/a><\/em>, and editor of fiction and nonfiction \u2013Angel\u2019s Kiss<\/a><\/em> and Outsource It<\/em>!<\/p>\n

She lives in northern California. Contact her here at Writer\u2019s Fun Zone in the comments below, or at kaykeppler@yahoo.com<\/a> to ask questions, suggest topics, or if you prefer, complain.<\/p>\n

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More popular articles by Kay Keppler on Writer’s Fun Zone:<\/strong><\/p>\n