For a budding writer, finding the right way to create exposition in writing I feel is extremely difficult. It’s something that I have struggled with for quite a while, considering that poetry is where my background lies. I think I like the music definition of exposition best, it defines it quite well and also applies very well to writing:
“The part of a movement in which the principal themes are first presented” – now, in music obviously this is presented a slightly different way because you have to use the theme quite quickly, to capture the listener immediately. However, in writing, although you may use some themes immediately, the major themes might not come in until a quarter of the way through the book. This is something that I have come to learn in my time writing my new book. Although I believed I knew immediately how I felt about the book, and what I wanted it to be, where I wanted it to go, it’s only now that I’m a quarter of the way through that I feel it’s true themes presenting itself to me.
In the initial part of the book, I found myself using flashback vignettes in order to create exposition and allow the reader to learn more of the back story. Although for me, this was interesting, I wondered if it was something I’m going to be able to keep up through the entire book. My idea was, through the initial part of the book, I would have them, but now that I’m writing and NOT including them, there feels a disconnect between the initial part of the story, and the main core of the book, which I think the readers will pick up on and find jarring. Although I am enjoying writing the story more now, as I have more of an idea of where the book is going and what its background is, I also believe it is going to be missing something by not including these short vignettes. It’s something that I think although initially it made me feel more connected to the world, if I don’t continue to write them, the reader may feel disconnected. I think, maybe, for now, I shall continue to write them (they are also extremely good for pumping up the word count) and if they don’t seem to fit in the rest of the story, I may go back and remove the ones at the beginning. We shall see. Anyway, I should probably get back to writing, as the book won’t write itself by me pontificating on the effectiveness of the techniques used within.
Thank you for reading, hope to see you again soon.
-Ed