Exposition

[Sage]

When things happen off-screen (like with your bad guys), but you want to make all their hard work apparent to the audience, BUT most of the story is spent with the audience not knowing who the bad guy is (or at least I hope it comes out as mysterious as I'm trying to make it), how do you go about doing that without just writing a long exposition-y section? Is a little exposition okay, 'cuz all I hear is that exposition is bad. But how do you explain things that have happened off-screen unless you just... explain it?

[DamaNegra]

Well, what works for me is including some scenes of things that are happening let's say 'off-screen', but without including names. If you use these scenes wisely, they will create curiosity in the reader about who is involved in those scenes and what's going to happen.

[azbikergirl]

Can you have some characters come across the result of the bad guy's activities, then show their reactions?

[Sage]

I'm talking about what she's been doing for years, even before my MC's were born. What drives her, how she got there..., this is the type of stuff I'm worried about. She (let's call her "Sue)'s had plans , & she's gone about a certain way to make them come true. She's gone from a decent, but ambitious person, to an evil, ambitious person, she's manipulated others, including major supporting characters. One of these supporting characters (let's call her Jane) has, in turn, tried to manipulate the MC. What Jane's done is on-screen, but hidden because it didn't work. However, the attempt was very important to her motivation in the story, as well as to Sue, who in turn, would have used it against Jane. But Sue doesn't reveal herself as the big bad until the climax, and only right before that does my MC figure out that Jane is using him (although he still won't know the details). I think I'm okay w/ Jane's part being exposed, it's the background on Sue that I would have problems divulging without exposition.

Is that more clear on what type of thing I'm talking about?

[scarletpeaches]

So would I be right in saying you're referring to backstory?

[Sage]

Pretty much. Most of my MCs' backstory is there in the novel as story (so far, unless I cut it out). But the big bad's isn't there & won't be until the end. And my MCs are taken from their world to another, so I also have a problem w/ the initial introduction of them to the new world being a little expositionary, though at least it's in conversation (& isn't an "As you know, Bob," 'cuz they don't, & they need to. But still, it's not my best written section, & needs work).

If it helps, as it's written now, I have almost exactly a page of explanation for the big bad's backstory. Does this seem unreasonable?

In contrast, through conversation, a character's explanation of the other world's beliefs & what she needs the MC for takes about five pages. However, even though it's conversation and the other characters contribute a little, mostly by asking questions, the character explaining is doing most of the talking.

[Sage]

bump, 'cuz I really want answers.

[katiemac]

Interesting question, Sage. I have a similiar issue evolving in my writing.

I have two main characters, one male and one female. He is oblivious to the big picture, while she knows a little of what is happening because she grew up on "the inside." She knows what they've gotten themselves into is huge, but she can't guess how far it truly spans.

He has been directly affected by the "big bad's" current actions, so can piece that side of the puzzle together for the other. She knows of about the existence of the conspiracy and can piece that side of the puzzle together for him. Therefore, he can pick out what events are caused by the big bad, while she knows why.

So I think what I'm getting at is that both of their past experiences and current actions determine just how much they know. They both also have acquaintances who know more than they're letting on (one undercover on the inside, another investiagative reporter who's afraid to talk).

There are also characters who act as "middlemen" between the big bad and the other two, which keeps the true identity of the bad guy a mystery for as long as it needs to be.

[scarletpeaches]

I don't always make an effort to reveal characters' backstories. Sometimes it's hinted at, sometimes it comes up in their conversations, sometimes I keep it to myself, but as long as I know, that's all that matters. We don't often know everything about our associates in real life, and I don't believe it's necessary to know everything about the characters in novels we read (although I do think it helps if the author knows).

[Sage]

I don't always make an effort to reveal characters' backstories. Sometimes it's hinted at, sometimes it comes up in their conversations, sometimes I keep it to myself, but as long as I know, that's all that matters. We don't often know everything about our associates in real life, and I don't believe it's necessary to know everything about the characters in novels we read (although I do think it helps if the author knows).

Actually, I have a lot of characters with great backstories that are only touched upon or not given at all. My main characters' parents, for example, have great histories in my mind, but if it wasn't important to the novel, I didn't include it.

But for my villainess, I think she needs to have a little bit of backstory in one form or another, 'cuz otherwise people will question her reasons for doing what's she's doing. I don't want just an evil character who happens to be good enough at lying that most people trust her in the kingdom to this point. She's smart & ambitious, & I want my readers to know this. I don't want them to go, "Hmm, why would she want to destroy her own world?" when she has a perfectly good reason for doing what she's doing (& my test reader even gave me that comment before she got to the page that explains - "I've never gotten why bad guys would want to destroy their own world.")

[Celia Cyanide]

She's smart & ambitious, & I want my readers to know this. I don't want them to go, "Hmm, why would she want to destroy her own world?" when she has a perfectly good reason for doing what she's doing (& my test reader even gave me that comment before she got to the page that explains - "I've never gotten why bad guys would want to destroy their own world.")

Hmmm...I guess I've had enough crazy people in my life who were willing to screw themselves over just to get at other people, that I never really ask that question. I can see why the villain would want to destroy his/her own world, because they don't become villains by liking themselves and the rest of humanity. How many people who go on a killing spree commit suicide afterward?

If she has a reason for wanting to destroy her own world, other than hating everyone and not valuing herself enough to keep her world intact, can you hint, very ambiguously, at what it is? There is something considerably different, but one of my characters has something in his closet that relates, indirectly, to a very important plot point. He has no idea it relates to this, so he doesn't talk about it much. For him, it's just something in his closet he wants rid of. I just have him rooting around in his closet looking for something and trying not to touch it. He and his roommate talk about it, but they don't explain what it is, because they already know, so there is no reason for them to explain it to each other. Could you maybe do something like that? Have Jane reference her reasons for doing what she is doing very subtly? In such a way that she already knows what she is talking about, so she doesn't bother to go into all of it. Just so long as it's subtle, so you have the reader thinking, "Okay, so maybe there's more going on here. I'll just have to keep reading and find out what it is." You can do that, as long as Jane doesn't start thinking to herself, "Little do they all know that after I destroy this world...etc." :)

I hope this makes sense, and I hope I'm understanding what you mean.

[fallenangelwriter]

Sage-


You said that you want to tell readers the character's backstory, but nor let them know who she is. unless you mean that the villain turns out to be one of the other characters in the end, i don't get it.

if we know her history and personalit,y isn't that the same thign as knowing who she is?

[Sage]

Sage-


You said that you want to tell readers the character's backstory, but nor let them know who she is. unless you mean that the villain turns out to be one of the other characters in the end, i don't get it.

if we know her history and personalit,y isn't that the same thign as knowing who she is?

I'm sorry if I'm not being clear. Most of the book, the characters know that there is a villain, but not who it is. There are points where they suspect people they know, & others where they just think it's someone out there that they don't know at all, but in the climax they find out who it is, & it turns out that most of them do know her (& all of them know of her). The audience is introduced to her beforehand as well.

But in the climax we know for certain that she is the Big Bad. This is where I have the backstory come in.

If the audience knew before it was revealed to the characters, there would be plenty of opportunity to bring the information in, but since they don't, the best time to do that is when she is just about to fulfill her goals.

[Sage]

Have Jane reference her reasons for doing what she is doing very subtly? In such a way that she already knows what she is talking about, so she doesn't bother to go into all of it. Just so long as it's subtle, so you have the reader thinking, "Okay, so maybe there's more going on here. I'll just have to keep reading and find out what it is." You can do that, as long as Jane doesn't start thinking to herself, "Little do they all know that after I destroy this world...etc." :)

I hope this makes sense, and I hope I'm understanding what you mean.

Hmm, I'll have to think about how to do this in the context of the story. I have had her & others reference that she is the most powerful sorceror that they know of, & very early in the book she mentions searching for more power, so at least a part of her ambition has been alluded to. But for Jane to mention what she knows of Sue would let on to the audience that Jane's not everything that she seems either, & the audience doesn't find out until the MC does, which leaves me very little time to divulge what she knows before Sue comes anyway. But I haven't written the part where the MC finds out that Jane betrayed him yet, & what comes in between that & right before Sue comes in, so it might work.

[katiemac]

What you can do changes since the characters know your baddie. For instance, one or two could actually be having a conversation with her, speculating on the motives of the villian. The readers (and later the characters) can connect that her speculations are actually the truth.

If your characters don't know her on such a personal level, there should be other ways to drop enough backstory without resorting to the cliched "final speech" given by the villian -- that always turns me off, but is (admittedly) hard to avoid.