Creating Compelling Exposition: Video Demo

An in-depth look at how Leigh Bardugo maintains momentum through curating and narrating ultra-specific events to flesh out the world of Ninth House

Exposition is a tricky beast. Some of us fall on the spectrum of too little, where our stories feel like white rooms with disembodied heads talking to each other. Others of us can’t help but tell the reader absolutely everything and wind up stuck with the dreaded info dump.

In this video demo, I’ll show you some of the mechanics behind Leigh Bardugo’s use of exposition, and how she:

• Curates events that are relevant to the scene

• Makes those events specific and

• Uses a logical progression between the different events and details to create a seamless flow, even in heavy exposition

Your own story may tend toward being heavier on exposition, or you may run toward the light side of the spectrum. Either way, you can take away lessons from Ninth House on how to either corral your exposition to be interesting and relevant, or how to identify places in your story where you can add exposition to flesh out your story’s world.

Key takeaway questions: