Exposition is the information your reader needs in order to understand your story. This information may include your characters’ backgrounds, the rules of your world, the history of your setting, the relationships between characters, or the events that led to the conflict.
Exposition is important in novels, novellas, and short stories. The difference is that novels and novellas usually have more room for exposition, while short stories must deliver it quickly and efficiently. No matter what you’re writing, the reader still needs enough information to understand what’s happening and why it matters.
However, exposition should not become an excuse to dump information on the reader. Some exposition may need to appear near the beginning of your story, especially if it helps establish the setting, conflict, or main character. Other exposition can be given in pieces as the story moves forward. The important thing is to give the reader the information they need when they need it.
In this chapter, we will go over relaying exposition through narration, dialogue, internal monologue, and point of view.
10a: Exposition through Narration:
Exposition through narration is the easiest way to give your reader background information.
We’ve gone over a narration example before, and in that example, we used it to give exposition:
“In the year 2053, the Earth has been devastated by plagues, climate change, and the indisputable greed of man. The nations of the world have suffered complete governmental collapse, rich and powerful people control what scarce resources are left, and day-to-day life is a brutal struggle for survival for those not fortunate enough to live in protected compounds.”
The narration above explains a number of things to the reader: The year is 2053, the Earth has been devastated due to several factors, the world is in anarchy, the wealthy control what little resources are left, and life is a brutal struggle for anyone who is not living in a compound.
As you can see, the narrator gives a ton of information in one paragraph. Using narration for exposition is easy, but remember that too much narration can detract from the story and the characters themselves. Exposition through narration works best when the information is important and the reader needs to know it.
10b: Exposition through Dialogue and Internal Monologue:
Exposition through dialogue and internal monologue is another way to convey background information. This type of exposition is given to the reader through what characters say or what characters think.
10b1: Dialogue:
Dialogue is an easy way to bring up background information without going into a long-winded narration.
Here is an example of exposition through dialogue:
“My mother is driving me crazy,” said Lana. “I love her, but she’s always been like this. That woman has burned through five men and thinks that makes her qualified to give me advice about my relationships. Not to mention, if the attention’s not on her, she makes sure she gets it. It’s like she has to control everyone else just so everything is about her.”
What we know from the example above is: Lana’s mother is controlling, and she always has been. Lana’s mother is frustrating Lana because the older woman is interfering with Lana’s love life. Lana’s mother has been married to or was in serious relationships with five different men in the past.
We can also guess from the exposition above that Lana’s mother may have divorced or broken up with her significant others due to her own controlling behavior. Using exposition through dialogue can be a clever way of involving the reader with the plot, and you may also want to do this to give clues that guide or mislead your readers.
Exposition through dialogue works wonders for informing the reader of background information, but just make sure you’re not heavy-handed with it, or your description of past events will sound cheesy and forced. Be clever about how you deliver knowledge the reader needs to know.
10b2: Internal Monologue:
Exposition through a character’s thoughts is not much different from exposition through dialogue. The difference here is that there is more emphasis on a character’s personal feelings and motivations rather than subtle hints at such.
Here is an example of exposition through internal monologue:
“I should have never taken this job,” thought Marcus. “I can get around the security system, but there are way too many guards, and I don’t know what kind of safe I’m dealing with. I don’t know why Mr. Leeds wants the Espera Emerald, but I have the feeling he’s not going to take kindly to me telling him no.”
What we know from the example above is: Marcus appears to be a thief or cat burglar intent on stealing the Espera Emerald. He does not like the situation he’s in, because there are too many guards in or around the place he’s robbing, and he doesn’t know exactly what kind of safe the Espera Emerald is stored in. He’s also hesitant to tell his employer, Mr. Leeds, that he doesn’t want to do the job.
From the example above, we can see that Marcus is uneasy about doing the job, but we also know that he’s afraid of repercussions from his employer, Mr. Leeds. This puts the reader in the position of Marcus, who appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
As explained above, exposition through a character’s thoughts grants the reader insight into the character’s mind about the background information in question, but it sacrifices interaction between characters via dialogue.
10c: Exposition through Point of View Narration:
We studied point of view in Chapter 8, and for your purposes of writing in genre fiction, I’ve separated traditional narration and point of view narration into separate sections. Your chosen point of view will affect how exposition is delivered to the reader. Let’s go over exposition through first person point of view narration, third person limited point of view narration, and third person omniscient point of view narration.
10c1: Exposition through First Person Point of View Narration:
Like exposition through internal monologue, this type of exposition focuses on a character’s individual feelings, instincts, beliefs, experiences, and knowledge about background information.
Here is an example of exposition through first person description:
“Freeze!” I yelled as I aimed my gun at him, both hands on the grip, my finger ready to pull the trigger. “It’s over, Tim!”
I knew Tim would not hesitate to kill again if I let him slip through my fingers now. The way Alison’s body had been laid out, the poor girl tortured…Never again. I’d thrown up at the sight of her, and the look on her face, that expression of terror and pain frozen for all eternity in my mind, still haunts me in my dreams.
In the example above, the exposition is delivered through the unnamed hero or heroine’s first person POV. The hero/heroine is after a serial killer named Tim, and Tim has murdered someone named Alison. The hero/heroine is not going to let Tim get away so he can kill again. We also know that seeing Alison’s corpse has mentally traumatized the protagonist.
10c2: Exposition through Third Person Limited Point of View Narration:
You will see this type of exposition quite often in literature of all types. It delivers necessary background information through the third person limited point of view.
Here is an example:
“Freeze!” yelled Shawnte as she pointed her gun at him, both hands on the grip, her finger ready to pull the trigger. “It’s over, Tim!”
She knew Tim had to be stopped here, or he would kill again. Shawnte was still haunted by the sight of Alison’s body, and she was not about to let Tim escape, not after seeing what he had done to her. He had to be brought to justice, and it had to be now.
In the example above, the exposition is delivered through Shawnte’s third person limited POV. We know that Shawnte is after a serial killer named Tim, and Tim has murdered someone named Alison. Shawnte is not going to let Tim get away so he can kill again. We also know that seeing Alison’s corpse has mentally traumatized her.
The difference between this example and the first person example is not necessarily emotional depth. Third person limited can still grant the reader access to a character’s thoughts, feelings, fears, and memories. The main difference is distance. First person puts the reader directly inside the character’s voice, while third person limited keeps the reader close to the character while still describing that character from the outside.
10c3: Exposition through Third Person Omniscient Point of View Narration:
As I’ve explained before in Chapter 8, modern writers don’t use this POV often. It is usually less personal than first person POV or third person limited POV, but it can convey the most information to your reader. Third person omniscient point of view narration details exposition from a broader, more global point of view.
Here is an example of such:
“Freeze!” yelled Shawnte as she pointed her gun at him, both hands on the grip, her finger ready to pull the trigger. “It’s over, Tim!”
She knew Tim had to be stopped here, or he would kill again. Shawnte was still haunted by the sight of Alison’s body, and she was not about to let Tim escape, not after seeing what he had done to her. He had to be brought to justice, and it had to be now.
Tim knew he was going to have to kill her quickly, if only because of the determination and hatred burning in her eyes. He could look into a person’s soul through their eyes, and he could judge what their actions would be from that singular glance. He was not going to be able to have fun with this one, not this time.
They both knew that only one of them was leaving this parking garage alive.
From this POV, we can see exposition through both Shawnte and Tim. We get Tim’s information in addition to Shawnte’s. We know from the example above that Tim believes he can judge a person’s motives by viewing the expression in their eyes. We also learn that Tim is disappointed that he cannot slowly kill Shawnte.
Third person omniscient POV allows the writer to move beyond one character’s knowledge, thoughts, and feelings. This can be useful when the reader needs information from more than one character in a scene. However, because this POV gives the reader broader access to information, the writer must be careful not to reveal so much that the scene loses tension.
10d: In Closing:
Exposition is one of the most useful tools you have as a writer, but it must be handled carefully. Your reader needs enough information to understand what’s happening, where the story is taking place, who the characters are, and why the conflict matters. However, too much exposition at the wrong time can slow down the story.
Narration, dialogue, internal monologue, and point of view narration can all be used to deliver exposition. Narration gives information directly. Dialogue allows characters to reveal information through conversation. Internal monologue allows characters to reveal information through thought. Point of view narration controls how close the reader feels to that information and how much of it the reader can receive.
In the end, exposition should serve the story, not smother it. Give the reader the information they need when they need it, and use whatever method works best for you and your story.
The Quick and Easy Guide to Writing Genre Fiction Copyright 1st ed. © 2022 Matthew L. Marlott
TQ&EGtWGF: Chapter 10…Exposition Copyright © 2026 bloodytwine.com Matthew L. Marlott
The image for Chapter 10 of TQ&EGtWGF was generated by artificial intelligence courtesy of OpenAI.
