Exposition, Action, and Dialogue

In the last two Handy Hints articles, we have looked at aspects of how plot is judged and what you can do to make your plot the best it can be. Today, I will be continuing with that thought, after all, the plot is a very important aspect of your story and of the feedback you receive. 

In this article we will be looking at balance within your story. I will be focusing on three main areas; Exposition, Action and Dialogue. Each element has its own task and does something specific for your story. 

1. Exposition: gives background information to the reader
2. Action: tells you what is happening in the story
3. Dialogue: connects the reader to the story

Exposition

What is exposition? Exposition is a literary device that introduces background information — usually essential — about characters, settings, and other important plot elements.

Pros

1. It gives your readers vital information to inform your plot.
2. It helps your plot to make sense and become clear to the reader.
3. It connects the reader to the main story.
4. Informs a reader about the setting.

Cons

1. Can become tedious when overused.
2. Can lead to a lot of ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’.

Tips

1. Only include what readers need to know when they need to know it.
2. Try using dialogue and action to show your exposition.
   1. A good example of this might be a through a flashback.
3. Spread out the exposition throughout the story or chapter.
4. Description that’s compelling can give a great deal of information without being tedious.

Action

Action is another important element as it creates movement in your story, telling your readers what is happening. There are a few different ways you can write action, but it can be description heavy. This aspect of writing includes:

1. What a character is doing.
2. What a character is feeling.
3. How a setting feels.
   1. This is different to information your reader needs to know about the setting, and more about how the setting makes your characters feel and how it affects them.

Pros

1. Compelling descriptions pull readers into the story.
2. Great for visualising what is happening.
3. Action helps the pacing of your story.
4. Can replace exposition.
   1. Eg. Use action and description to show how a character feels rather than dialogue which says ‘I feel sad’. 

Cons

1. Too much description can be laborious.
2. Can make characters appear stagnant if a reader has limited time ‘with’ the characters.
   1. This can make it hard for the reader to connect emotionally with the characters.

Tips

1. Diversify — use all five senses in descriptions.
2. Don’t just tell the reader what’s happening, show them how it impacts your characters.
3. Have action and description that works with the dialogue in your story.
   1. This can be through expanding on action beats and dialogue tags, letting the reader see how people feel about what has been said.
4. Spread the action throughout the story, this is how you help the pace and flow of the story.

Dialogue

Dialogue is what brings your characters to life. Giving life to characters is important because this is where your readers will begin to empathise, sympathise or identify with them. Their words and how they say them are integral to this.

Both dialogue and action are important, as it’s where your plot really lives; in your characters words and actions. 

Pros

1. Your characters’ words have impact and bring life to the story.
2. Your characters become more real to the reader — creating empathy and sympathy.
3. Your plot has higher stakes with characters your readers can relate to.

Cons

1. Dialogue on its own is monotonous.
2. Actions sometimes speak louder than the words of your characters.
3. It only focuses on one or two characters at a time.
4. Excessive dialogue can be confusing to follow.

Tips

1. Use dialogue tags when you must, but don’t overuse them.
2. Make the dialogue fit the character’s personality.
3. Use dialogue to show different sides of your character.
4. Dialogue can help clarify plot points — if you do it subtly.
5. Characters can often describe things with more impact than narrative.

Balance

In the con’s for every single category, there is the fact that every aspect of storytelling becomes monotonous on its own. Together, action, dialogue and exposition pull your reader into the plot and make it feel real. Action and dialogue work well together, they bring the story to life and create characters that move you. Exposition brings a clarity and understanding that some nifty dialogue or a compelling description can’t.