Friday, November 21, 2008

Speaking of....















Stipey Sullivan said...

I always hear the phrase, 'make the causal, casual'. Playwrights do it quite well - talking about one thing and inferring another: tension, danger

Quentin Tarantino's cheeseburger scene is a good example of irrelevant exposition (although it leads to a change in that character's life) - used to heighten the tension.

This is what the reader/viewer - thinks they want: action - movement,but no, now you've got them where you want them, waiting, you can be almost sadistic and take them back, make them wait and they'll enjoy it all the more.

Aside from that option, we all struggle with exposition, so if you can't wedge it in, throw it out. It ends up like the maltese falcon - no one quite knows why things are happening but it's exciting enough that no one really cares - and it does create a mystery as well.

That all said - this is a genius article and the clarity of YOUR exposition is perfect. Props indeed to the Ed. Torrent team....

Riley Murphy said...

This was an interesting topic - which got me to thinking...
I like to be surprised and I believe that a well executed transition or the subtle placement of exposition, can be the catalysis to a great and suspenseful read. That’s my ultimate goal. If I have succeeded in dishing up all the necessary information, pertinent facts and relevant history required by the reader to be able to trust what’s going on - and to actually care about what will happen next - I figure I have done my job as a storyteller.
Taming the beast that is exposition? Dialogue is where it is at for me. I love to use what I call (the getting to know each other dialogue) as a way to furnish info to the reader without making it obvious. The reader, if you have constructed the scene correctly, will be interested in the characters interaction - highlighted by say, telling physical reactions to each other, sweaty palms, heated cheeks, or rapidly darkening eyes...and with the reader distracted by the actions/reactions of the characters - this is the perfect time to weave in some crucial history. What about an argument? Nothing unearths dirty little secrets better than petty anger, in the heat of a roaring fight. The possibilities are endless.
To me, I guess it comes down to a matter of prioritizing. Yes, your reader needs to know certain things that came before - to believe what is happening now – but, is what came before, more important that what is currently going on? If it is, you are writing the wrong story – right?
I do have to say, that I laughed outright at the comment you made about that narrator and the bow tie segue -‘Well, why do you need to get him thinking at all? You need to get him DRESSING.’
Now that was funny!

Anonymous said...

How about "Meanwhile, back at the ranch"? Sorry, I couldn't resist the impulse to use the ol' faithful transition from the old serial movies.