Writing Tip: Common Mistake in Exposition and/or Dialogue

One of the most easily recognized examples of how modern writing has evolved is the use of dialogue and exposition in popular fiction. And it is the misuse of exposition and/or dialogue that marks a beginning writer as just that, new, undisciplined and not ready for publication.

So, among the many lessons a beginning writer must master is the proper and accepted use of exposition and dialogue. That must be high on any beginning writer’s To Learn list.

Exposition

Exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information, such as events, settings, characters and such to the readers. Exposition is crucial to any story, but must be used expeditiously and must not be overused. Over use of exposition will immediately label the writer as inexperienced and unpublished.

One of the ways that authors in the 1940s and 1950s would begin a novel, a new chapter or a new scene was to give a long and flowery section of exposition. A typical novel from that era would begin with an opening scene that described everything - the weather, the birds, the clouds, what the people were wearing. It was the way it was done back then.

That isn’t how modern writers do it and modern readers want it. Today the key is to start with a bang. In the first paragraph, set the mood and get the story going.

Dialogue

Well written dialogue is both very important and very difficult. Nothing can stand out as coming from an inexperienced writer than badly written dialogue.

How can a beginning writer master the art of writing dialogue?

The easiest way is to simply listen to people and observe their body language as they talk.

• Go to airports, street corners, restaurants. Listen to them. Take notes as you watch good movies, not cheap ones.

A vital part of a good dialogue is the character’s dialect and accent, because that’s the people speak. However, overdone using a character’s accent can become too much work for the reader to shift through. On the other hand, underdone, the effect can be lost.

The rules are different for the major and minor characters.

For major characters, use their dialect but don’t make their entire dialogue in their in an accent. As an example, if the character is French:

• Let him use a few French words.

• For the majority of their dialogue use standard English, with an occasional use of a French accent.

• It’s difficult to give an example of this because the accepted rules change with time and because it is subjective.

• Read and observe how the characters you like are shown speaking.

For a minor character the rules are different:

• You begin with the premise that you aren’t going to use the person unless you want to drive home that the character is the type of person that would have an accent.

• Therefore, you will use their dialect and accent much more.

This is important. Before you use a person’s dialect and accent, make certain that you know exactly how it sounds. Unless you know a southern Louisiana, Cajon accent, don’t try to use it.