EXPOSITION DISGUISED AS DIALOGUE

'Show don't tell' is probably the first piece of advice that new writers come across. Using dialogue can show rather than tell. It also builds tension and drama, reveals character in what is, or isn't, said and creates white space on the page. However, here's a word of caution. Don't put exposition in dialogue (having the characters tell each other things they should logically know.) This is referred to as exposition disguised as dialogue and is considered telling. If you commit this sin, as I did, your editor WILL NOT draw a little smiley face on your MS.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOW I LANDED MY LITERARY AGENT

Being represented by a literary agent is what authors, who wish to be traditionally published, aspire to. It's the only way their work will ever be seen by a major publishing house editor.  This is not always an easy thing to achieve and statistics say that the odds of receiving an offer of representation are about 6000 to 1. This is how I received my offer of representation. On the 18th of March 2021,  I sent a query letter and a 10 page writing sample to Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary. 39 days later, on the 26th of April I received a request for the full manuscript. Not wishing to blow my chances, I spent 10 days editing the manuscript and sent if off on the 6th of May. The next day I received an email saying that Cindy would be in touch within 8 weeks. On the the 1st of July I received an email saying that Cindy was behind on her reading and asking if the manuscript was still available. I said it was, and the next day Cindy emailed and thanked me for my patience as she con...
Read more

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

When I completed my MS I was in no doubt that I had a good story with an interesting premise. However I knew something was lacking and was so close to my own work I couldn't see what it was.Over the past few days I have read the editorial report in conjunction with the annotated MS my editor returned to me. I can see that I missed quite a few opportunities for some really tense drama. Now the blinkers are off and I am raring to go again.
Read more