tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post944352309580020999..comments2023-10-22T07:50:01.015-06:00Comments on Notes From the Writing Chair: Writing Speculative Fiction: Part IV--ExpositionAngiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01445455787485222068noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-74310425634032589672012-02-16T14:38:01.007-07:002012-02-16T14:38:01.007-07:00Brandon, that's a great technique. And that...Brandon, that's a great technique. And that's so true, Lyn. Readers are a smart bunch!Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01445455787485222068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-30421480752864342122012-02-16T08:21:05.263-07:002012-02-16T08:21:05.263-07:00Trust that your readers can infer.Trust that your readers can infer.Lynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11998346902027037420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-41464791159849523072012-02-11T22:06:26.874-07:002012-02-11T22:06:26.874-07:00This is great. Info dumps are the enemy.
I like t...This is great. Info dumps are the enemy. <br />I like to focus on the characters so much, that the world they live in is more peripheral. <br />Lots of new fantasy writers find the world almost more intriguing than their characters.Brandon Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03850891283015240498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-38916448025323936912012-02-08T14:55:20.866-07:002012-02-08T14:55:20.866-07:00Man, I've been missing out. I'm gonna have...Man, I've been missing out. I'm gonna have to go back and look at your previous articles. You are awesome!ali crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13023009704454279645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-1053883180890758362012-02-08T12:37:07.462-07:002012-02-08T12:37:07.462-07:00The books I've LOVED showed me their world thr...The books I've LOVED showed me their world through actions, scenery, language, dialogue, people, and the five senses. Readers are not stupid. They will pick up on the things authors want them to without info dumping.<br />Can't say I know what I'm doing when I'm writing tho! :)Taffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11796711977284429278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-44617444686111745582012-02-07T22:01:47.992-07:002012-02-07T22:01:47.992-07:00Teri, that's a great way to give the informati...Teri, that's a great way to give the information. Have an outsider character who needs to learn. Look how well that worked for Harry Potter too.<br /><br />Todd, you're right. I think a little bit goes a long way.Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01445455787485222068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-22795582684160843922012-02-07T15:19:37.825-07:002012-02-07T15:19:37.825-07:00Sprinkle it in amidst dialogue, and convey it via ...Sprinkle it in amidst dialogue, and convey it via insinuation and observation on the part of the characters.T. M. Hunterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04315726033990784930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-22532229460619390092012-02-07T14:21:04.941-07:002012-02-07T14:21:04.941-07:00This is one of the things I struggle with the most...This is one of the things I struggle with the most as a spec fiction reader...I really lose interest when I have to learn a lot of details about a new world, or species, or whatever. <br /><br />I don't really know HOW she did it, but I think JR Ward did a great job with her Black Dagger Brotherhood books...They are vampires. They aren't the "regular kind", but we don't have to spend a lot of time learning the specifics...I guess because, in the first book, as a "human" transitions to vampire, we learn along with Beth what the rules are... a little at a time. <br /><br />And it's not fancy. Keep it simple, so us stupid readers can remember the details!Teri Anne Stanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15500524348027951939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-26866167219020872862012-02-07T12:40:38.068-07:002012-02-07T12:40:38.068-07:00I had to deal with this big time in Rising, my spe...I had to deal with this big time in Rising, my speculative fiction book that comes out this month. I wanted the world and the characters and the history to be presented as naturally as possible, so it was exactly like you said--laying a trail of bread crumbs. It's a hard balance to find--figuring out what readers need to know, what they'll figure out as you go, and what information to give and in what order. I've found that sometimes an offhanded comment or a single line about something can tell the readers a LOT about the way the world is or works, and it can be done in a way to easily fit in to the story without it coming across as a random line that shouldn't be there. Everything should make sense.Laura Josephsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494197888792366753.post-83161294220213230782012-02-07T11:35:35.334-07:002012-02-07T11:35:35.334-07:00Welcome back to blogging! Hope you're feeling ...Welcome back to blogging! Hope you're feeling better.<br /><br />This is one of the trickiest things for me as a writer. I think the key is to remember that the reader DOESN'T need to know everything right away. What do they need to know at that moment for the story? That's the information to communicate. <br /><br />I usually prefer to do things with "incluing" rather than info-dumping-- introduce the information in context of a scene so they understand it without you having to explain it. Brandon Sanderson does a great job with this.Shalleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09907680428735740943noreply@blogger.com